PPS#109 | Why do we cough?

Rebecca D'Souza
Feb 27, 2022
3 min read

Ahem!

Went Felix as he cleared his throat.

Only to have it clogged back up again.

With no words, but strangled sounds,

that no one could understand.

With surges of the Omicron variant and change of weather, coughing is a symptom and a major cause of paranoia. Why exactly do we cough? Here’s why through a bunch of copy-pasted info.

Dear Patient Reader,

“A cough is a sudden expulsion of air through the large breathing passages that can help clear them of fluids, irritants, foreign particles and microbes. As a protective reflex, coughing can be repetitive with the cough reflex following three phases: an inhalation, a forced exhalation against a closed glottis, and a violent release of air from the lungs following opening of the glottis, usually accompanied by a distinctive sound.”[1] (Clears throat) Which is why coughing can be loud and sharp at times, especially when it’s a dry cough.

“We cough to clear irritants and mucus from our throat. The irritant will stimulate nerves that send a message to our brain, triggering a cough. Coughs force air from our lungs at over 50 mph and can travel up to seven feet (2.13 metres). A vigorous cough’s velocity can approach 500 mph and in some cases, such as prolonged vigorous coughing, can even break a rib.”[2] Ouch. In many cases coughing is beneficial. When we’re congested, which causes feelings of discomfort, we need to cough in order to clear mucus from our airway. The mucus we expel during a cough is actually not the reason for our illness, but rather part of the cure. This is because the mucus grabs the germs that are trying to replicate. As the mucus builds, it activates our cough reflex and expels the germs from our throat.” Coughing isn’t all that bad.

Coughing includes the epiglottis, the larynx (voice box), the vocal cords, and the trachea (windpipe). “First, your vocal cords open wide to allow additional air into your lungs. Your epiglottis (the flap attached to the entrance of your larynx) then shuts off the trachea while your abdominal muscles contract, increasing pressure behind your epiglottis. As pressure increases, air is forced out, creating the sound we equate with a cough, as it passes through your vocal cords.”[3] Ahem. In addition, gravity is the reason behind why people cough more at night. “When we lie down, mucus starts to pool in our throat. This causes the gastroesophageal reflex to begin in an attempt to expel the mucus.”[4] A whole lot of reflexes to keep us alive otherwise we’d have been an extinct species a long time ago. A cough, also known as tussis, is a voluntary or involuntary act that clears the throat.[5] Plus some fun facts about coughing, something I never thought I’d look up, though I did.

Some germs use coughing to spread to new hosts. Evil microscopic things they are.
Some types of cough only occur at night.
If a cough is difficult to diagnose, a chest X-ray may be necessary.
Home remedies can soothe the majority of coughs.[6]

“Many coughs are caused by infectious diseases, like the common cold or Covid-19, but there are also non-infectious causes.”[7] Like simply having a piece of food lodged in the throat, we cough to dislodge it. If it’s not too serious, the best remedy to rely on is our trustworthy pal, our very own immune system. Coughs can clear up on their own. If your case isn’t serious, the codeine (helps to suppress the cough reflex) in cough syrup may not be necessary. Lemon and honey please.

I’d like to finish off with the old myth of “someone is talking about you” when someone suddenly starts coughing for no apparent reason. Specifically speaking, mid-meal discomfort. You are eating and not even talking and suddenly you begin choking and thus coughing on your food.[8] It can often happen with someone nearby going “so and so must be thinking and/or talking about you”. Some even go to the extent of putting in the effort of asking whomever they think it was who was doing the “thinking”, if they had been thinking about that person at the time and date that it happened. I don’t think I’ll ever know if it’s true or not, but it remains a belief I’ve experienced on several occasions.

Till the next.

P.S. I don't remember seeing thunder and lightning forecasted for today. Now the sky has opened and it's pouring.

P.P.S. The next post is titled “What it means to wake up free”.