What is a dry cough?
A scratchy throat and it starts again – and it happens during important meetings, on the phone or at the supermarket checkout. Embarrassed and sometimes even strange looks from those around you don’t make the situation any easier. A dry cough is a dry cough without mucous sputum. This type of cough is also known as an “unproductive cough”. A “productive cough”, on the other hand, is accompanied by a lot of mucus and sputum. You often feel as if the sudden cough is making the scratchy throat even worse.
What helps if the dry cough doesn’t go away, and what other types of cough are there? Find out here!
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When is a cough called a dry cough?
In general, a cough is referred to as a dry cough. At first, many sufferers feel a scratchy throat. This is characterized by loud, almost barking noises with each cough and the lack of mucus secretion (unproductive cough).
What are the causes of a dry cough?
In many cases, the dry cough is the precursor of an infectious disease (for example, a cold or bronchitis ). Over time, the cough becomes productive. Until expectoration occurs and relief is achieved, violent coughing fits are often inevitable. The dry cough is usually accompanied by inflammation of the nasal mucosa (cold). The cold causes the nose to swell and become blocked. The blocked nose causes those affected to breathe through their mouths, which dries out the mucous membranes even more and encourages coughing fits.
But even people who talk a lot sometimes suffer from a dry throat and cough during a performance or lecture. This can significantly disrupt the flow of speech or singing and can also lead to the voice becoming hoarse or failing completely. If these symptoms occur repeatedly, they can seriously impair the ability to perform a job.
In addition, a dry cough can be a sign of bronchial asthma and can also occur as a reaction when there are foreign bodies in the airways.
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Cough won't go away - Tips for dry cough
Treatment options for dry cough
One option for relieving a dry cough is to suck on GeloRevoice ® throat lozenges . Their pleasant effervescent effect and the specially formulated minerals stimulate the flow of saliva . Together with the ingredients, the Revoice Hydro-Depot ® is formed , which promotes moistening of the dry mouth and throat . The long-lasting and quickly noticeable moistening can especially relieve symptoms caused by dry air, a dry cough or excessive use of the voice.
GeloRevoice ® throat lozenges for dry coughs and voice problems.
The best home remedies for dry cough
If you want to support the recovery process in a natural way, you can use a variety of home remedies, especially for a dry cough. In principle, anything that moistens the dry mucous membranes in the throat area is allowed.
Medicinal teas with medicinal herbs are suitable and can be drunk or gargled. To combat a dry cough, you can also make a decoction of onions and rock candy and drink it, or you can inhale the vapor from essential oils.
Coughing: Why do we cough at all?
Coughing is an important protective mechanism of the body . Sometimes a cough can travel at speeds of up to 1,000 kilometers per hour. 1 This is how we expel dust, mucus or foreign bodies from the respiratory tract. Our body has a complex, regulated reflex to ensure that this process works smoothly.
This protective mechanism begins with cough receptors, which can be imagined as small feelers. They are located in various places in the respiratory tract: for example in the larynx, the throat, the trachea and the bronchi. There they receive cough stimuli and pass them on. As soon as the receptors detect dust particles, for example, they send a signal to the cough and respiratory center in the brain. This triggers a series of reactions that are collectively known as “coughing.”
The following process occurs during a dry cough:
- very rapid inhalation,
- closure of the larynx,
- Contraction of the respiratory muscles (diaphragm and the muscles between the ribs) and the auxiliary respiratory muscles (for example, abdominal and back muscles),
- renewed opening of the larynx and jerky expulsion of air
Once the process is complete, the muscles relax again.
Why is a dry cough worse at night?
A dry cough at night is not only unpleasant, but also robs you of restful sleep and energy for the next day. The nighttime cough is often caused by a cold. In most cases, the cold is caused by viruses. When these cold viruses attack the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat, inflammation occurs. The cough receptors in the throat mucous membrane react very sensitively to inflammation and trigger a dry cough, which is typical of a dry cough. You often lie awake and ask yourself “What helps against a dry cough at night?” High humidity in the room can already help. Here you can find helpful home remedies for a dry cough at night:
Overview of the different types of cough and various forms
Doctors primarily differentiate between three types of cough: acute, subacute and chronic cough . They are distinguished from one another by their duration. They are also classified into two further groups . There is either a productive cough with sputum or an unproductive cough (without sputum).
To help you recognize the differences between the types of cough more clearly, this overview will help, in which other well-known types of cough are also explained:
- Acute and subacute cough
Acute cough usually occurs with a cold or flu and improves on its own after about two weeks. 2 However, if the cold cough lasts between three and eight weeks, doctors speak of a subacute cough, which can also occur with whooping cough. 3 It is the precursor to a chronic dry cough.
- Chronic dry cough
This is what doctors call a cough when there is no cold and it lasts for a longer period of time.
- Cough with sputum
With this type of cough, the body produces more mucus, which is transported out through the mouth and throat. This wet cough can last for several days, until the end of the illness (for example a cold) or even beyond.
- Persistent or hard cough
The body is producing more sticky and viscous mucus, but it is stuck in the airways. This means that no expectoration takes place, which can be unpleasant and painful. Doctors recommend mucolytic preparations such as the herbal expectorant GeloMyrtol ® forte for persistent coughs.
- Dry cough in children
In children and toddlers, the symptom often appears as a strong, barking cough without sputum.
- Cold cough
Coughing occurs when you have a cold, also known as a flu infection, and is a symptom alongside a runny nose, headache, sore limbs or sore throat. The cold cough usually begins with a dry cough, and as it progresses, sputum is added.
- Bronchitis
Bronchitis begins with an unproductive cough, often accompanied by a runny nose. A few days later, viscous, white to transparent mucus is formed and expelled.
- Smoker’s cough
Smoker’s cough is not a separate disease, but rather describes a set of symptoms that frequently occur in smokers. Smoker’s cough is classified as a chronic dry cough and is a defensive reaction to the harmful substances penetrating the bronchi. Over time, chronic bronchitis can develop due to the constant irritation caused by smoke. A typical identifying feature is coughing up thick mucus in the morning hours.
- Whooping cough
It is a disease in its own right, and usually involves severe coughing fits in children. Babies in particular can suffer from it in a serious manner. When adults become ill, this typical symptom is often absent and they are sometimes misdiagnosed with bronchitis. Vaccination offers the best protection against whooping cough.
How do you know what type of cough you have?
First, assess the duration of the cough: acute, subacute or chronic? Then determine the type of cough: productive (with sputum) or unproductive (dry, without sputum). However, such a precise distinction is often difficult, as mixed forms often occur or the cough can develop from unproductive to productive over the course of the disease.
The sound can also give a clue. If your child’s cough or your own sounds like barking, for example, you may have a dry cough. In adults, too, doctors sometimes get initial clues from the different coughing sounds. It also makes sense to look at the sputum in a productive cough. If it is clear, there is usually no bacterial infection. The same applies if it is yellow. Then it is a cold or allergic asthma. The assumption that green sputum always means a bacterial infection that should be treated with antibiotics is a misconception. This color is caused by the white blood cells healing an inflammation in the body. To be sure what type of cough you have, you should see a doctor. He can give you the correct diagnosis and then give you tips on the appropriate treatment for a dry cough .
Dry cough: When to see a doctor?
If the following symptoms occur in addition to the dry cough, you should consult a doctor:
- severe sore throat
- high fever
- shortness of breath
- severe feeling of illness
If the symptoms last longer than a week, consult a doctor to rule out a chronic course or to be able to counteract it immediately.
