Drink! It’s Good for Your Cough and All of You…

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Drink!  It’s good for your Cough and All of You.  Fluid intake is vital for your body functions:  heart, muscles, skin, constipation, and Cough – to name a few.  The key is being and staying hydrated. 

“The importance of being and staying hydrated cannot be overstated when it comes to managing your Cough,” Dr. Mandel Sher advises Cough patients:  “Be and stay prepared:  Keep a water bottle with you.” Dr. Mandel Sher is a National Cough Expert:  727-393-8067.

Here are a few benefits of drinking fluids – especially if you have Chronic Cough.

  • Lubricating:  Chronic Cough is often accompanied by a feeling of mouth and throat dryness.  Coughing aggravates the feeling of dryness and produces even more cough.  So mouth and throat dryness and Cough are a vicious cycle.
  • Soothing:  Cough is irritating.  Fluids, especially warm and hot fluids, can be soothing and quiet the irritation.  An earlier blog post talked about the real value of hot tea and honey.
  • Mucous Buster:  Cough can be triggered by Postnasal Drip which can produce mucous.  Fluids help to thin-out and break-up the mucous resulting in less Cough.

So, you may be wondering how much is enough and which fluids are the right fluids.  The answer to this question, like many questions, is “it depends.”  Some guidelines suggest that we drink 30 to 50 ounces daily.  But some medical conditions and medications may already result in fluid retention so the recommended amount of daily fluid intake may be lower.  Some guidelines recommend water.  Other guidelines recognize the value of juices, other fluids (except those that act as diuretics), and water-rich foods such as fruit and vegetables.

Here are some helpful hints on being and staying hydrated:

  • Sip, Sip, Sip:  Drink GRADUALLY throughout the day.
  • Drink Whether You Feel Like You Need To or Not:  DO NOT wait to feel thirsty.
  • Minimize Perspiration:  The hot summer months can create a risk factor for DEhydration.  Wear light-weight, light-color, and a hat and Sip, Sip, Sip.
  • Pay Attention to Fluid Loss from Medications.

DEHYDRATION CAN HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES, ESPECIALLY IN OLDER PEOPLE:  CONFUSION, LOW BLOOD PRESSURE, HEADACHES, DIZZINESS, AND WEAKNESS CAN BE SYMPTOMS OF DEHYDRATION.

So, for Cough and All of You, Raise Your Glass and Sip, Sip, Sip!