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We all do it, and often we do it at some of the most inappropriate times, like when everyone else is quiet at weddings – you know just when the bride is about to say “I do” – out comes that loud bark of a cough from our mouth.
But why do we cough and what can we do about coughing? Taking a closer look into different kinds of coughs and natural home remedies for cough can help make life a little easier.
A cough is your body’s way of responding to irritants in your throat and airways. Here’s how it works, according to the Mayo Clinic: An irritant stimulates nerves there to send a cough impulse to your brain. The brain signals the muscles of your abdomen and chest wall to give a strong push of air to your lungs to try to expel the irritant.
An occasional cough is normal and healthy and everyone gets a cough from time to time. However, a cough that persists for several weeks or one that brings up discolored or bloody mucus may indicate an underlying condition that requires medical attention.
A cough can have a lot of force behind it – a vigorous cough can push air through the nearly closed vocal cords at speeds that can approach 500 miles per hour! So it’s no wonder that prolonged bouts of strenuous coughing can be exhausting, interfere with our sleep, cause headaches, urinary incontinence, and even broken ribs.