Coughs can range from slightly annoying to extremely debilitating. In the winter season, coughs and colds are commonplace and can leave you feeling exhausted from lack of sleep and aching chest muscles.
There are many different causes of coughs and most clear up by themselves in three to four weeks. However, if you have had an unexplained cough for three weeks or more, you should seek medical advice.
You should also see your GP about a cough if you have difficulty breathing or chest pain; if you feel disorientated or confused; you are coughing up blood stained mucus or you are cyanosed. This is when your lips or skin have a bluish tinge and indicates that your oxygen levels are low.
Older people, children under five, pregnant women and people with a compromised immune system should also see a doctor if they suspect that they have a chest infection.
Help your cough with a shower
Most coughs can be treated successfully at home and one way to alleviate symptoms is to make use of your shower. Steam and humidifiers have been used for many years to help with lung conditions. Standing in a steamy shower can often help to loosen sticky secretions in the nose and upper respiratory tract and moisten the passages, making them more comfortable.
Whether your cough is the result of an allergy or a viral infection such as a cold, a lovely hot shower can help to relieve your symptoms and make you feel better. If you are feeling dizzy or unsteady on your feet because you have a severe cold or flu, simply running the shower and sitting beside it to inhale the steam can sometimes help.
If you don’t have a shower or need to replace an existing one, remember that it is now possible to install an efficient and invigorating shower in a variety of places in the home and with varying water pressure. For example, if you have a loft conversion and want to install a shower higher than the level of the cold water storage tank, there are various negative head shower pumps that can be used to give you the water pressure you need for an efficient, steamy shower. In areas where the water pressure is low and all you get from your shower is a pathetic dribble of water, a shower booster pump will give you much-improved performance.
Having an efficient steamy shower is a good way to cope with an annoying cough that seems to hang around. Breathing in steam helps to loosen the phlegm and makes your cough a little more bearable.
You can also try using a shower gel that contains eucalyptus, rosemary or tea tree extracts that are sometimes helpful for coughs and colds. If your shower runs efficiently, it is easy to use it in the morning and again before bed to help to clear out your respiratory passages. Today’s shower pumps make it possible for anyone to enjoy a good showering experience and may help to treat the symptoms of a cough at home.
