Most coughs are caused by colds and flu. A cough is a reflex action that helps to clear your airways of mucus
keep yourself warm when you go outside. Try to keep your home warm too – make sure your thermostat is turned up to at least 18ºC and use a hot water bottle or electric blanket to keep you warm in bed. And have plenty of hot drinks and meals throughout the day, as they will help keep your body temperature up.
Eat healthily A healthy balanced diet with at least five daily portions of fruit and vegetables may help your immune system stay strong enough to fight off viruses effectively. If you need extra support, ask your pharmacist about nutritional supplements that could help keep your immune system as healthy as possible.
Keep active During the winter months try to get up and move about at least once every hour. Overall, try to do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. Moderate intensity means you should be working hard enough to raise your heart rate, feel warm and slightly out of breath.
Give up smoking Smoking may make you more susceptible to viruses because it acts as a respiratory irritant. If you’re thinking of giving up, ask your pharmacist for information about the support they can give you.
Coughs Most coughs are caused by colds and flu. A cough is a reflex action that helps to clear your airways of mucus. However, if you have a cough that’s been caused by a cold or flu it should clear up within three weeks without any treatment. If you’ve had a cough that’s lasted
longer than three weeks, if it’s particularly bad or getting worse, if you cough up blood or experience chest pain or breathing difficulties, always see your GP to rule out anything serious.
Symptoms There are two types of cough: dry and tickly. A dry, non-productive cough
(typically the type of cough associated with flu) is caused by inflammation of the upper airway. It’s called a non- productive cough because it doesn’t produce any mucus. Dry coughs – which are felt in the upper respiratory tract rather than deep in the lungs – can feel tickly, and when you start coughing you may not be able to stop. A chesty productive cough, on the
other hand, is caused by inflammation of the lower airway. A chesty cough is called productive because it does produce mucus. And unlike a dry
cough, you may feel a chesty cough deep in your lungs.
Treatment Treatment isn’t always necessary for mild short-term coughs caused by viral infections, as they usually get better on their own. But ask your pharmacist about pain relief medicines such as paracetamol or ibuprofen if a cough is making your chest feel sore. A range of cough mixtures is also available at pharmacies as well as cough sweets and lozenges that may help calm the cough reflex and make mucus thinner and easier to cough up. Ask your pharmacist to recommend
the best product to relieve your symptoms, as cough medicines include different ingredients depending on whether they’re for dry or chesty coughs. Meanwhile, rest as much as you
can, drink plenty of fluids and drink hot lemon with honey (according to the NHS this has a similar effect as cough medicines).
Prevention Since most coughs are caused by colds and flu, the best way to avoid them is to follow measures that help prevent cold and flu viruses.
> All About health 9
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