COLD & FLU RELIEF
cough & chest congestion
The information provided on this site is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional for medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment.
The information provided on this site is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
Please consult a healthcare professional for medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment.
From time to time, we all experience a cough, whether it’s caused by a perfume, cleaning solution, cold or the flu. When it’s due to a flu or cold virus, it can also lead to chest congestion.
Let’s dive into the causes of both coughs and chest congestion and get a few tips on how to relieve them both.
what causes a cough?
Coughing occasionally is perfectly normal. It’s an automatic reflex your body uses to get rid of irritants you may breathe in.
The nerves in your throat sense the irritant and quickly reject it with a cough. That helps prevent germs and foreign materials from getting into your lungs. In fact, coughing can eject air and germs out of your lungs and throat at close to 50 miles per hour!
There are two types of coughs. A wet or productive cough produces mucus that you can cough up. A cough that doesn’t produce mucus is called a dry or non-productive cough.
Coughs can be acute, lasting on average no more than three weeks, or they can be chronic, lasting more than eight weeks. In this instance we’re talking about an acute cough that comes with a cold or the flu.
common causes of cough
Coughing happens for all sort of reasons, but the most common related to illness are:
Upper respiratory tract infections from a cold or flu virus
Hay fever due to allergens
Post-nasal drip from allergies, cold or flu
Lower respiratory tract infections from viral or bacterial infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia.
what causes chest congestion?
Chest congestion occurs when a virus (such as cold or flu) or an irritant (in the case of allergies) reaches the airways that lead to your lungs, called the bronchial tubes. The tubes respond by swelling and creating a thick mucus that make it harder to breathe. This can lead to a heavy or painful feeling in your chest that accompanies a cough, along with other symptoms characteristic of conditions such as acute bronchitis, often referred to as a chest cold.
common causes of chest congestion
Some of the same things that cause you to cough, such as the common cold, may also lead to congestion in your chest or acute bronchitis.
how to relieve a cough and chest congestion
Below are some ways adults can use to feel better while your body fights off a chest cold or acute bronchitis:
Get plenty of rest.
Drink plenty of fluids.
Use a clean humidifier or cool mist vaporizer.
Use saline nasal spray or drops to relieve a stuffy nose.
Breathe in steam from a bowl of hot water or shower.
Suck on lozenges.
Use honey to relieve cough.
over-the-counter medicines
For more relief you can try over-the-counter medicines that may help with multiple symptoms.
If your cough is due to allergies, Alka-Seltzer Plus® Sinus, Allergy & Cough Maximum Strength PowerMax® Gels can help relieve allergy symptoms including a cough.
If a cold is causing your cough and chest congestion, then Alka-Seltzer Plus® Cough, Mucus & Congestion Maximum Strength PowerMax® Gels, can give you fast relief from your cough and congestion symptoms. Or try Alka-Seltzer Plus® Cough & Chest Congestion Maximum Strength PowerFast Fizz™ Cool Blueberry Pomegranate Flavor Effervescent Tablets which help break up the mucus for fast relief.
Always use any over-the-counter medicine as directed.
