Although it bothers us, this reflex action is very useful for the body. We would have to worry if we did not cough. What is its function?
It is a hygiene exercise carried out by the body to clean the airways through a sudden maneuver. When the existing mucosa in the bronchi, trachea or larynx is stimulated, either by dryness, cold or by some chemical substance, the cough reflex is produced.
This reflex is activated by certain receptors, which are found in different areas of the body. The ears, sinuses, esophagus, abdomen, linings of the heart and lungs have them, although where they are most concentrated is in the throat and in the branches of the airways. When they are disturbed for any reason, we cough.
Thanks to this maneuver, we expel everything that is “left over”, so to speak , in our airways, so when we choke or are sick with a lot of congestion, coughing is highly recommended. Although there are several types of cough and not all of them are beneficial. The so-called dry cough is not healthy at all, since it does not expel anything (it does not produce expectoration) and what it does is irritate the pharynx creating a loop of irritation coughing and vice versa.
To avoid this type of cough, it is recommended to drink water regularly, avoid charged environments where there is smoke and keep the humidity in the rooms around 40%. Another harmful form is known as chronic or acute cough, when it lasts more than three weeks. So long it irritates the throat and larynx too much and can have more serious complications, and even be a symptom of some latent disease. There is also another type of cough, psychogenic, in which the problem is not physiological, but psychic. When it appears, it is essentially due to nerves, such as coughing before speaking.
When we are sick we get fed up with the cough, but in reality, it is one more defense mechanism that we have , another way to eliminate toxins. Therefore, the cough, in its fair measure, is good. But in case it gets out of hand, science always has a remedy, in this case codeine or dextromethorphan. Two compounds that inhibit the cough reflex, giving us relief.
