Everyone coughs but the reasons for what may seem like a simple action can be numerous. A cough is simply a reflex action to keep breathing passages open. Causes can range from irritants in the air to influenza or can be as serious as pneumonia. Anyone with either a chronic cough or increased coughing needs to determine what causes the cough. Because some coughs can be serious, let the doctor determine the cause and prescribe the proper treatment.

Coughing When You’re Not Sick

A cough alone doesn’t indicate illness although many illness are characterized by coughing. A chronic cough can indicate the presence of a medical condition that may require treatment. Some of the more common causes behind a chronic or frequent cough include the following:

• Postnasal drip. Everyone’s nose and throat makes mucous daily but when the mucous collects in the throat and becomes a constant drip, it turns annoying. The body responds by trying to cough out the irritant and clear the breathing passage. Reasons for postnasal drip include colds, allergies, spicy foods, hormonal changes, breathing very cold air, or fatigue.

• Smoker’s cough. This one is self-explanatory: tobacco smoke is an irritant. Use of an irritant causes the body to cough in an effort to clear the airways. Over time, smoker’s cough can become more serious as COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Changes in the lungs over time can cause COPD, which can include diseases like emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Chronic or acute coughs in smokers can also indicate lung cancer.

• Allergies. Allergies can be caused by everything from the polluted air Americans breathe to pollens in spring and fall to pet dust or dander. A dry cough caused by allergies often comes with sneezing, itchy eyes, watery eyes and a runny nose. Dry coughs can be very tiring and it’s advisable to seek treatment to find relief.

• Asthma. Although often characterized by a wheezing cough or inability to breathe, asthma can also cause a dry cough. Many children suffer asthma but the disease is not limited to children. Many adults carry asthma with them into adulthood. Only a doctor can make an asthma diagnosis and suggest the proper treatment.

• Acid reflux disease. Although this condition involves the gastric system and not the bronchial, acid reflux that rises into the throat can be an irritant that causes coughing. Again, this requires medical treatment.

• Tickle or frog in the throat. No fancy medical names exist for this common sensation but a feeling of something in the throat triggers a dry cough.

There are ways to help chronic coughs that are not a symptom of illness. Stop smoking, avoid using sprays – whether it’s a hair spray or cleaner product, use a dryer instead of an outdoor clothesline, wear a mask, and avoid outside when irritants (smoke, smog, pollens) are present. Breathing in steam can also ease dry coughs.