Written for Stock My Medicine and clinically reviewed by Hajra Dhanchora, MPharm (GPhC 2216990).
A cough is the last guest to leave after a cold. The sore throat and blocked nose go in a week; the cough can hang around for three, which is why "how do I stop coughing" is one of the most searched health questions in the UK every autumn. Here's what a cough is doing, how to work out which kind you have, what genuinely calms it, especially at night, and the handful of signs that mean it's something more than a leftover cold.
How long does a cough last?
Longer than feels reasonable. A cough after a cold or flu usually clears on its own within three to four weeks, and the NHS puts the average at closer to three. It lingers because the lining of the airways stays inflamed and twitchy after the virus has gone, so cold air, a deep breath, talking or lying down keep setting it off. That's a post-viral cough, and it's the commonest kind by far. A cough that hasn't improved at all after three weeks, or one that started without a cold, is a different question and belongs in the GP section below.
Dry, chesty or tickly: which cough do you have?
The names on the medicine shelf describe three patterns, and matching the right one matters more than the brand.
| Type | What it feels like | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Dry cough | Nothing comes up; a scratchy, irritated feeling; worse when you talk or breathe cold air | Soothing: honey, warm drinks, a demulcent linctus that coats the throat |
| Tickly cough | A dry cough driven by a tickle at the back of the throat, often in fits, worst at night | The same as dry, plus dealing with the post-nasal drip that usually causes the tickle |
| Chesty cough | Rattly; phlegm comes up, or you can feel it sitting there | Fluids, steam and an expectorant that thins the mucus so it clears |
The trap is treating a chesty cough with a suppressant. A productive cough is doing a job, moving mucus out of the chest, and stopping it leaves the mucus where it is. Suppress only a cough that's dry.
How to stop coughing at night
Coughs are worse at night because lying flat lets mucus from the nose run down the back of the throat, and because the airways are naturally more sensitive in the small hours. The fixes follow from that:
- Prop yourself up on two pillows, or raise the head of the bed. Gravity does most of the work.
- Honey before bed. A spoonful, or in a warm drink, reduced night-time coughing in children more than cough syrup did in several trials. Fine for adults and anyone over one; never for babies under one, because of the risk of infant botulism.
- Treat the drip. If the tickle comes from a runny nose, a saline nasal spray before bed, or a decongestant spray for a few nights, often does more for the cough than anything aimed at the throat.
- Keep the bedroom air moist. Central heating dries the throat; a bowl of water by the radiator or a humidifier helps, and so does a hot shower just before bed.
- Menthol vapour. Olbas Oil on a tissue by the pillow, or a vapour rub on the chest (not for under-twos), opens the nose so you breathe through it rather than drying the throat.
- A sip of water on the bedside table for the first fit; it's as effective as a lozenge at 3am and you won't choke on it.
Which cough medicine works?
Honest answer: modestly. The NHS says cough syrups and sweets can reduce how often you cough but won't stop it, and no medicine shortens how long a cough lasts. Within that, the right product for the right cough earns its place.
| Cough | Pharmacy option | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dry or tickly | Benylin Dry & Tickly or Covonia Dry & Tickly Linctus | Glycerol-based demulcents that coat the throat; non-drowsy. For a drier mouth or a sweet tooth, Care Glycerin, Lemon & Honey is the plain version. |
| Chesty | Covonia Chesty Cough Mixture or Benylin Chesty Non-Drowsy | Guaifenesin thins mucus so it comes up more easily. Drink plenty of water with it; it needs the fluid to work. |
| Either, herbal | Bronchostop pastilles or syrup | Thyme and marshmallow root; licensed for dry and chesty coughs. Suitable from 12. |
| Cough with cold symptoms | Covonia All-in-One | Only if you also have the aches and congestion it's designed for; otherwise you're taking drugs you don't need. |
Two things the NHS is clear about: decongestant tablets don't help a cough, and codeine linctus doesn't either, which is why it's no longer sold over the counter. Antibiotics do nothing for a viral cough. And for children, most cough and cold medicines aren't licensed under six, and six to twelve need a pharmacist's advice; honey (over one), fluids and paracetamol or ibuprofen for discomfort are the children's toolkit. The full range is in our cold, flu and cough collection.
Can you get rid of a cough in five minutes?
You can stop a coughing fit in five minutes; you can't cure the cough. For a fit: sit up, sip water, swallow hard, then breathe in slowly through the nose and out through pursed lips, as if blowing on soup, for a minute or two. Physiotherapists teach exactly this as "cough suppression" for people with chronic coughs, and it works because a cough is partly a reflex you can override once you've broken the cycle. A lozenge or boiled sweet does the same job by keeping you swallowing.
What causes a cough that won't go?
If it's past three weeks, the usual culprits in order are: a post-nasal drip from rhinitis or sinusitis, acid reflux (a dry cough that's worse lying down and after meals, often with no heartburn at all), asthma (a night-time or exercise cough with wheeze or tightness), smoking, and a side effect of ACE-inhibitor blood pressure tablets such as ramipril, which cause a dry tickle in around one in ten people. Each of those has a fix, but each needs recognising first, which is a GP's job rather than another bottle of syrup.
When to see a GP about a cough
See a GP if a cough has lasted more than three weeks, you're losing weight without trying, you have a weakened immune system, or you have a long-term lung condition and this cough is different. Get an urgent appointment or call 111 if you're coughing up blood, are short of breath or have chest pain, have a swollen neck gland, or feel very unwell. Call 999 if someone is struggling to breathe or their lips are blue. For a child under five with a barking cough and noisy breathing, especially at night, think croup and call 111; a baby under three months with a cough and a temperature of 38°C needs same-day assessment. Our pharmacist can advise which cough medicines are safe with your other prescriptions, including the ones that clash with blood pressure or diabetes tablets.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a cough contagious?
The cough itself isn't; the cold or flu that caused it is, for about the first week. A cough in week three is just an irritated airway, not a virus you can pass on.
Is a cough after a cold normal?
Yes, and it's the commonest reason for a cough lasting three weeks. It should be slowly improving week on week; one that's getting worse is the one to have checked.
Why do I cough more in the morning?
Mucus pools overnight and the first upright breaths move it. A chesty morning cough that clears by mid-morning is normal with a cold; one that happens every morning for months, especially if you smoke, needs a GP.
Can I take cough medicine with paracetamol?
Usually, but check the cough product first: many "all-in-one" versions already contain paracetamol, and doubling up is the commonest way people overdose by accident. Ask the pharmacist if the label isn't clear.