Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsGood SignsIs It Normal?TreatmentsWhen to Get Help
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Good Signs
Is It Normal?
Treatments
When to Get Help
A cough might also appear to get worse before it gets better. If your drycough starts producing mucus(productive cough), it could mean your body is clearing the infection. Monitor the mucus: If it becomes clearer and thinner, your cough is likely improving. If it thickens,changes color, or affects your breathing, it could be a sign that the cough is evolving into something more severe, and you should call a healthcare provider.
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Signs a Cough Is Getting Better
Coughs can have different features depending on the underlying cause and the phase of your illness. Regardless, your cough should gradually improve, not get worse. The following signs indicate your cough is getting better.
Mucus Improves
Mucus plays an important role in your body’s healing process. It provides a sticky trap for viruses and bacteria, catching them, and serving as a vessel to remove them from your body.
Even when you are not sick, your body normally produces around 1.5 liters of mucus every day. Normal mucus is thin, clear, and mostly unnoticeable.
At the peak of an infection, mucus thickens to prevent “invaders” from reaching the lungs and other sensitive parts of your respiratory system.
You might notice the mucus becomes cloudy, white, yellow, or green due to the presence of debris and deadwhite blood cells.
It’s a good sign your cough is ending if you start noticing less mucus in your throat and sinuses. The mucus should also be getting thinner and clearer again.
Do Coughs Get Worse Before Getting Better?Coughs due toupper respiratory infectionsand flus often start dry then produce mucus towards the end of the illness. Increased mucus production can be a sign that your body is effectively expelling the virus or irritant. But it can also be a sign that the cough is evolving into a more severe condition, such as bronchitis. If your cough turns from dry to wet, it’s best to see a healthcare provider for an evaluation.
Do Coughs Get Worse Before Getting Better?
Coughs due toupper respiratory infectionsand flus often start dry then produce mucus towards the end of the illness. Increased mucus production can be a sign that your body is effectively expelling the virus or irritant. But it can also be a sign that the cough is evolving into a more severe condition, such as bronchitis. If your cough turns from dry to wet, it’s best to see a healthcare provider for an evaluation.
Reduced Irritation
Other times, a dry cough can be a sign that you have a chronic condition, such as:
See a healthcare provider if you have a sore throat that worsens as your cough improves. You could have two different infections simultaneously, causing similar symptoms. However, if your sore throat improves, it could be a sign that your cough will get better too.
Cough Is Less Intense Overall
At the height of an acute (short-lived) cough, the force of the cough may be slightly painful on your chest and throat. You might feel that each cough further inflames your throat, or that the coughing even strains your abdominal muscles.
As the days and weeks pass, you should find yourself coughing less frequently throughout the day. The coughs should be getting less forceful and causing fewer disruptions. The inflammation in your throat should be improving, and the cough should feel less harsh on your throat.
If the opposite appears to be occurring—the cough becomes harsher, more painful, more frequent, and forceful—it’s likely not getting better. Call your healthcare provider for an evaluation.
Sleeping Quality Improves
It’s not uncommon for coughing to become more severe or persistent when you’re lying down, particularly as the mucus settles in your throat and increases irritation. In the most intense stages of your illness, you might find it difficult to fall or stay asleep due to the coughing.
It’s a good sign your cough is getting better if it’s disrupting your sleep less. As you begin to heal, you should find yourself sleeping more easily and waking up less. Because you’re returning to a normal sleeping pattern, you should also feel a bit more energized again.
Breathing Returns to Normal
Excessive mucus in your airways can make it harder to breathe air in and out of your lungs. Inflammation in your airways can cause them to narrow and become more sensitive. And a persistent cough reflex can strain the airways, worsening any breathing difficulties you may already be having.
One of the biggest signs that your cough is improving is if you start to breathe more comfortably. As the inflammation in your throat reduces and mucus thins and drains, it should become easier to move air through your airways. You should feel less congested, and generally less fatigued now that youroxygen levelsare returning to normal.
Fever Breaks
No Longer Need Medication
It’s a clear sign your cough is improving if you no longer needhome remediesor medications to relieve it. By this point, you’re likely noticing an improvement in any other symptoms you had, such as fever, headaches,runny nose, sleeping problems, or muscle aches.
Keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for some coughs to linger a little beyond three weeks. But you shouldn’t be needing or using medications for longer than that. For example, oraldecongestantslike Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) should not be used for longer than seven days.
If you’re unsure how long you can safely use a medication, consult a healthcare provider for guidance.
What About a COVID-19 cough?A cough is a commonCOVID-19 symptomthat decreases over time, signaling the end of the illness. However, some people with COVID-19 experience ongoing orlong-term symptoms. If you tested positive for COVID-19 and your cough does not improve after several weeks, talk to a healthcare provider about additional testing and treatment.
What About a COVID-19 cough?
A cough is a commonCOVID-19 symptomthat decreases over time, signaling the end of the illness. However, some people with COVID-19 experience ongoing orlong-term symptoms. If you tested positive for COVID-19 and your cough does not improve after several weeks, talk to a healthcare provider about additional testing and treatment.
Is Your Cough Normal?
What’s considered “normal” for a cough depends on what is causing it. Generally speaking, the following signs are a good indication that your cough is not cause for alarm:
The 3 Different Types of Cough: What They Mean
How to Speed Up Cough Recovery
Most cough remedies do more to soothe a cough or irritation than cure a cough. Some treatments that may help speed up cough recovery include:
You can also tryover-the-counter medicines to suppress your cough or clear up congestion. In severe or prolonged illness that causes a cough, you may need prescription medications like antibiotics or steroids to find relief.
Helping a Chronic CoughSome remedies can help you feel better with a chronic cough, but the best treatment method is to address the underlying problem. If you have COPD, heart failure, or GERD, changes to your diet or medications can help to keep your condition in check.
Helping a Chronic Cough
Some remedies can help you feel better with a chronic cough, but the best treatment method is to address the underlying problem. If you have COPD, heart failure, or GERD, changes to your diet or medications can help to keep your condition in check.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
It can be challenging to tell if your cough is improving since there is no objective test to assign a stage to most coughs. However, there are clear signs that you will notice if your cough is getting worse.
Call your healthcare provider if your cough:
The following red flags are signs that you should seek immediate medical treatment:
Summary
If your cough is not improving or is worsening, follow up with a healthcare provider for additional treatment. Signs a cough is getting worse are more evident than signs it is getting better, so watch for things like dark or bloody mucus, a cough that lasts longer than three weeks, or a cough that makes you short of breath.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.UCLA Health.Is a lingering cough after a cold normal?.Penn Medicine.Yuck! My snot is green: A look at what your mucus says about your health.American Lung Association.Learn about cough.Chung K, McGarvey L, Song WJ, et al.Cough hypersensitivity and chronic cough.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2022 Jun;8(1):45. doi:10.1038/s41572-022-00370-wJohn’s Hopkins Medicine.Fever.Kaiser Permanente.Decongestants.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Walter K.Cough.JAMA. 2021;325(22):2322. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.2323Kaiser Permanente.Relieving a cough.Harvard Health Publishing.That nagging cough.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of whooping cough.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.UCLA Health.Is a lingering cough after a cold normal?.Penn Medicine.Yuck! My snot is green: A look at what your mucus says about your health.American Lung Association.Learn about cough.Chung K, McGarvey L, Song WJ, et al.Cough hypersensitivity and chronic cough.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2022 Jun;8(1):45. doi:10.1038/s41572-022-00370-wJohn’s Hopkins Medicine.Fever.Kaiser Permanente.Decongestants.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Walter K.Cough.JAMA. 2021;325(22):2322. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.2323Kaiser Permanente.Relieving a cough.Harvard Health Publishing.That nagging cough.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of whooping cough.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
UCLA Health.Is a lingering cough after a cold normal?.Penn Medicine.Yuck! My snot is green: A look at what your mucus says about your health.American Lung Association.Learn about cough.Chung K, McGarvey L, Song WJ, et al.Cough hypersensitivity and chronic cough.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2022 Jun;8(1):45. doi:10.1038/s41572-022-00370-wJohn’s Hopkins Medicine.Fever.Kaiser Permanente.Decongestants.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Walter K.Cough.JAMA. 2021;325(22):2322. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.2323Kaiser Permanente.Relieving a cough.Harvard Health Publishing.That nagging cough.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of whooping cough.
UCLA Health.Is a lingering cough after a cold normal?.
Penn Medicine.Yuck! My snot is green: A look at what your mucus says about your health.
American Lung Association.Learn about cough.
Chung K, McGarvey L, Song WJ, et al.Cough hypersensitivity and chronic cough.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2022 Jun;8(1):45. doi:10.1038/s41572-022-00370-w
John’s Hopkins Medicine.Fever.
Kaiser Permanente.Decongestants.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.
Kaiser Permanente.Relieving a cough.
Harvard Health Publishing.That nagging cough.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of whooping cough.
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