AS WE ENTER the darker, colder, and wetter months, the usual winter sniffles will come calling as the temperature drops. After weathering two winters where we had to be extremely careful, a return to normality is very much welcomed.
However, that doesn’t mean we are not susceptible to regular coughs!
Many of us can attest to the annoying nature of a cough that often appears at the least opportune time. A cough occurs when your body responds to something irritating your throat or airways. Contrary to popular belief, there are just two types of cough. Coughs can be dry (ticklish) or chesty (productive). Your local pharmacy should be the first point of call when battling a cough to find the right medicine to combat the cough that ails you.
To help inform you of the best ways to shake that cough and free yourself from sickness, we’ve teamed up with Tomas Conefrey, owner of Conefrey’s Careplus Pharmacy on Pearse Street in Dublin, to provide expert advice.
Dilemma One: I find my cough is worse at night.
One issue that is associated with cough from the flu is persistent coughing late at night. Often, after spending a day fighting against the cough, you are worn down and in desperate need of a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, this is often when you feel the effect of the cough you’ve been carrying around the most.
According to research* conducted by traditional herbal medicine Bronchostop, many of us purchase cough remedies primarily hoping that the product will help us obtain a good night’s sleep.
Tomas Conefrey, our expert pharmacist said, “Obviously, at night you’re not working and you’re not doing anything to distract you from the cough, so you’re a lot more conscious of it. If it’s keeping you awake at night persistently and appears stronger later in the day, I would advise seeing your local GP.”
Dilemma Two: I can’t seem to shake a cough.
If you find yourself frustrated by a cough that you seemingly can’t shake or get rid of – don’t worry about it too much. Coughs can often hang around unwanted for a while, even when they are treated. Once you develop a cough, the best thing to do is visit your nearest pharmacy for an over-the-counter remedy.
According to the research conducted by Bronchostop, 89% of adults treat their cold-related cough within the first 3 days of suffering from it, with almost 4 in 10 saying they treat it immediately. If the treatment is unsuccessful, you can always return to your pharmacist for more advice, says Conefrey.
He added, “If it lingers for more than ten days, I’d recommend going to a GP. Especially if you find it’s not improving at the end of 10 days. If it’s still hanging around after that long I would definitely get it checked. If it’s coming to the end of the 10 days and it’s starting to relieve or it’s not as strong, it’ll just burn itself out.”
Dilemma Three: Since Covid, I feel embarrassed to cough in public.
There’s a certain type of embarrassment that comes with being sick in public, whether it means incessantly coughing on a packed bus, or chasing a runny nose all day. Covid added another layer of fear to this scenario, as it became even more mortifying to be coughing in public.
If this feels relatable, you are not alone: 26% of people say someone coughing in public is the worst thing they could do, with a further 1 in 3 admitting it irritates them somewhat. This is highest amongst the Baby Boomer generation ( 54+), with 61% claiming to dislike public coughing. One side effect of Covid that we are starting to observe in the aftermath is that almost 3 in 5 people surveyed by Bronchostop claim to treat their cold and flu coughs quicker now than they did before the pandemic.
“As long as people have good cough hygiene – cough into their elbows, don’t cough into their hands, or even turn away from people as you cough into your elbow – that’s all you can ask. It’s impossible to avoid a cough, but if you have to cough, maintain what we call ‘good cough hygiene’,” says Conefrey.
Dilemma Four: I’m concerned about a cough being passed on, especially to my young children.
This topic is particularly pertinent for young parents sending their children to creches and schools, as the fear that a cough or a sniffle may be brought home from school, causing the illness to spread throughout the family, leading to some long nights and upset children.
“You can’t avoid them but if someone does get a cough, they can be managed,” said Conefrey. “I say managed – good cough hygiene again here, so if you do cough, make sure to wash your hands afterwards and use an alcohol gel on your hands too. Coughs are kind of inevitable, you just need to manage them, especially if kids have to go out of school for any period of time. With a lot of people working from home as well, it’s tricky to balance working and having a sick child to look after, so practice managing coughs when they inevitably occur.”
As pharmacist Tomas Conefrey points out, coughs are often unavoidable in winter. Good cough hygiene is important for managing a cough once you feel the onset of symptoms. Visiting your local pharmacy for a remedy can help banish any coughs you might have, bearing in mind that coughs can be dry or chesty, with solutions available for both at all pharmacies.
*The research was conducted by Coyne Research through a nationally representative online survey carried out amongst 1,000 adults aged 18+ years between 22nd October – 3rd November 2021.
Battling a cough? Always ask your pharmacist for advice.
Relieve any type of cough with Bronchostop Cough Syrup or Berry Flavour Cough Pastilles, based on traditional use only.
Buttercup Bronchostop Cough Syrup and Berry Flavour Cough Pastilles contain thyme herb extract. These are traditional herbal medicinal products used for the relief of coughs associated with a cold, such as chesty, dry, tickly, irritating coughs and catarrh, exclusively based upon long-standing use. Always read the leaflet.
For more information about coughs, visit bronchostop.ie.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say