Tired and embarrassed of coughing at odd hours? Read to find out possible answers:

1) The commonest reason for a chronic cough is after flu, cold or other viral illness. These viruses can cause your respiratory passages to get swollen and over-sensitive, causing cough which can last days, weeks or even months after the cold attack or the virus has gone from the body. People who are prone to repeated cold attacks are advised to take a yearly Flu shot to save themselves.

2) Underlying health problems like allergies, asthma or even acidity (acid reflux) and obstructive sleep apnoea can cause persistent cough. Most of these conditions can be treated and one must see the doctor if you snore heavily at night, burp and have heart burn and the cough is not going away.

3) Stress and not drinking enough water can dehydrate the airways and prolong the recovery from cough. Any form of liquids like juices, water, weak tea and soups are good choices. Warm fluids can loosen up the stuck mucus and help to get them out of the body quickly. But one should avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks as these can further dehydrate the nasal passage. Putting saline nose drops and getting at least 8 hours of sleep at night may help in faster recovery.

Overusing the nasal decongestant drops may cause a rebound effect by over dryness. These initially help by reducing the congestion and helping you breathe easy but after a few days they cause the nasal passages to swell, causing more irritation and post nasal drip. These sprays should not be used for more than three days in a row for best results.

4) Sometimes flu and cold lead to a bacterial infection causing bronchitis and pneumonia. So if you have fever, body ache and cough, you should see your doctor and take treatment with antibiotics promptly.

5) Some Blood pressure medicines cause chronic, dry cough as a side effect. So if you have high blood pressure and your BP medicine ends with PRIL (enalapril, captopril,ramipril etc)chances are that your medicine is the culprit and you need to switch to alternative medication.