The True Source of Your Dry Cough
It can be hard nowadays to go out in public if you have a cough. With concerns over viruses spreading throughout communities, a cough may make it seem that you have a contagious illness. However, the truth is, there are plenty of things that can cause a cough and not all of them are related to illness. In this article, experts cover some of these common causes and changes you can make in your home to enjoy a healthier and safer environment.
What’s Causing Your Cough?
It’s true that one of the main symptoms of a virus is a dry cough, but the cause of coughing can be a variety of different things. If someone is a smoker, for example, or has asthma. Perhaps it’s allergy season and dust or pollen are irritating their throats.
And of course, everyone has experienced coughing due to swallowing a drink that goes down the wrong pipe. In fact, one of the more common and overlooked reasons for a cough is cold and dry air.
Cold air can cause coughing due to the following reasons:
- Cold Air Makes Your Lungs React by Tightening
- Cold Air Is Dry Air, and Lacks Moisture
- Dry Air Leads to Dry Airways Which Can Cause Your Airways to Spasm
- Dry Airways Can Lead to Asthma Attacks
So, the next time you see someone coughing in public, remember, it could be due to a variety of things, such as cold and dry air.
AC Impacts Your Airways
If you’ve noticed that you often have a chronic cough or tend to cough more in the summer months, you’re not alone. Some of this is due to summer allergens, like increased pollen, but sometimes this is due to your home’s HVAC system, specifically your air conditioner.
Air conditioners and HVAC systems have ON and AUTO settings, and which one you choose may have an impact on your personal comfort:
- ON: This setting means that your AC fan is constantly blowing. Even if your AC system isn’t cooling or warming your air, that fan will keep running. Because of this, it may help increase humidity. Most times in summer homeowners want less humidity to help prevent mold growth and discomfort, but if the air is too dry, it can lead to airway discomfort and coughing, so this may be a setting to consider if that’s a problem you deal with.
- AUTO: The AUTO setting is the opposite of the ON setting. When your system is set to AUTO, the fan will only turn on when your system is heating or cooling your space. Once your home reaches the required temperature set by the thermostat, the fan will shut off with the system. This is a generally good setting if you’re trying to save money and reduce wear and tear on your system, but it can also dry out the air.
If you’re dealing with a cough, try to adjust your room’s temperature settings. You’ll want to keep your room warm to prevent cold-induced asthma and limit dry airways, but you won’t want your space overheated. Just remember cold air is dry air and dry air can cause coughing.
How Humidity Can Help
If you deal with a frequent or chronic cough due to dry air, no matter the time of year, adding humidity to your air may help eliminate your coughing. One of the best ways to do this is by introducing a humidifier into your space.
The added humidity will help alleviate the coughing you experience from dry air, while also providing some other benefits:
- Prevents Itchy or Dry Skin
- Causes Better Sleep Due to Less Snoring
- Reduces Cracked Lips and Nose Bleeds
- Increases the Health of House Plants
There are a variety of different humidifiers available on the market, from small units for small rooms, to entire home humidifiers you need to have professionally installed.
But adding humidity to your home may help increase your comfort and eliminate your cough.
Trust the Pros
Swick Home Services has been serving the Marquette, MI area since 1977. As a full-service company, whether you need repairs or regular AC maintenance, they’re experts you can trust. They even offer a Gold Star Service Club to take the headache out of maintenance and grant you peace of mind.
