6 Reasons You Can't Stop Coughing

A Cold Virus

A cough you've had for three weeks or less is most likely due to the common cold. One of several viruses causes the common cold, which is very contagious, according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library. 

You may experience a mild, hacking cough with the common cold. Unfortunately, that cough can persist for a month or more after the rest of your symptoms are gone, according to Harvard Health. 

"The virus irritates nerve endings in your air passages, and they can stay sensitive for quite some time," said Dr. Dicpinigaitis.

And if the cough becomes more severe, you may actually have the flu rather than the common cold.

To Treat: There's no cure for viral infections, so you'll have to wait out this one, according to the National Library of Medicine.

But sometimes, your barking is serious, and over-the-counter (OTC) cough suppressants don't provide relief. In those cases, your healthcare provider may prescribe medicine to calm your cough reflex, said Gerard W. Frank, MD, a pulmonologist at Providence St. John's Health Center. OTC decongestants can also help thin out mucus so you can cough up more of it.

Postnasal Drip

If you have a cough (wet or dry) that has lasted eight weeks or longer, you could suffer postnasal drip, according to UpToDate. 

Postnasal drip happens when mucus accumulates in the sinuses and drips down the back of the throat, creating a tickling sensation that triggers a cough. 

Dr. Frank said there is no test for postnasal drip. Still, you may also have a runny nose or congestion (from allergies or lingering cold symptoms, for example). Other signs include frequent throat clearing.

 Because it's so common, healthcare providers will often try treating it even if they're not sure of a diagnosis, according to Dr. Frank.

To Treat: A nasal spray may help clear up the problem, or your healthcare provider may recommend steroids or antihistamines to reduce inflammation, according to Harvard Health. 

Pay attention to the color of your mucus: "Coughing up yellow or green mucus means your immune system has really kicked in, which could suggest a bacterial infection, like sinusitis," said Dr. Frank. And in that case, you'll need antibiotics.

Asthma

Asthma usually shows up as wheezing and shortness of breath. But coughing can also be a symptom, according to the National Library of Medicine. 

Symptoms are often worse at night or early morning, during or shortly after exercise, when you're breathing cold air or around an allergen, like pet dander or pollen.

To Treat: Your healthcare provider may give you breathing tests to diagnose asthma or recommend using an inhaler to see if your cough subsides, per the National Library of Medicine.

Acid Reflux

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), also called acid reflux, occurs in about 25% of chronic cough cases, according to a 2013 article from Gastroenterology & Hepatology. When acid flows back into the esophagus, which can cause a reflex that triggers a persistent cough, but it can be hard to diagnose. 

"Not everyone with GERD gets heartburn," said Dr. Dicpinigaitus. "If you're coughing after a meal when you lie down at night, or upon arising in the morning, or if you have an intermittently hoarse voice along with the cough, these are hints it might be reflux."

To Treat: Most cases of GERD are relatively easy to remedy with antacid medications. Still, cough-prevalent GERD can be more stubborn, and you'll need to get checked out by your healthcare provider, said Dr. Dicpinigaitis. 

Try elevating yourself when you sleep, too, according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library.

Pneumonia

Sometimes, a cough may signal a more severe illness. For example, pneumonia can develop when a respiratory infection spreads to the lungs, causing the air sacs to fill with pus and making breathing hard. 

In that case, your cough may produce mucus that is green or yellow or contains blood.

To Treat: A chest X-ray is the only way to know whether you have pneumonia. Still, some healthcare providers will diagnose it by listening to your lungs with a stethoscope, said Dr. Frank. Most serious cases in adults are bacterial and treated with antibiotics.

Whooping Cough

You can get whooping cough, also known as pertussis, even if you've been vaccinated (the vaccine's efficacy wanes over time). 

The highly contagious disease is a respiratory illness caused by bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you have whooping cough, you are most contagious two weeks after your cough starts.

To Treat: If you start antibiotics, it may shorten the time you are contagious, according to the CDC. They can keep you from spreading the bacteria to other people. That's crucial because an infection can lead to serious illness, even death, in infants.