Is Your Cough Getting Better? These Signs Mean It Is Ending (2024)

Key signs that your cough is getting better include a reduction in throat irritation, less frequent coughing fits, and better sleep quality. If your cough is caused by a viral infection, it should improve within three weeks, although some coughs can linger for up to eight weeks.

A cough might also appear to get worse before it gets better. If your dry cough 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.

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 dead white 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.

Reduced Irritation

If the cough is accompanied by a tickle or scratchiness in your throat and there is no mucus, it's known as a dry or nonproductive cough. Sometimes, a dry cough is a sign that the mucus has cleared and your illness is nearing its end.

Other times, a dry cough can be a sign that you have a chronic condition, such as:

• Irritation from smoke or pollution
• Asthma
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Bronchitis
• Chronic irritation or inflammation
  

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 your oxygen levels are returning to normal.

Fever Breaks

You can develop a cough from allergies or irritation, but when accompanied by a fever, a cough is usually the result of an infection, like a cold or flu. When your fever breaks (goes away), it is typically a sign that your body is winning the fight against the infection.

No Longer Need Medication

It's a clear sign your cough is improving if you no longer need home remedies or 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, oral decongestants like 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.

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 cough lasts less than three weeks: Coughs that last less than three weeks are usually caused by a short-term viral infection, like the common cold or other upper respiratory infection.
• Clear or mild mucus: Normal mucus is thin and clear or very slightly cloudy. If the mucus is thick, yellow or green, it could be a sign of a more severe or worsening infection. If the mucus has blood in it, call a healthcare provider right away.
• No other severe symptoms: If you don't have other concerning symptoms, like a high fever, difficulty breathing, or significant chest pain, it's likely your cough is due to something minor.
• Responds to home remedies: Most "normal" coughs respond well to home remedies, like warm tea with honey, throat lozenges, or steam inhalation. During the throws of a cough, the positive response to home remedies might be minor, but it's still a good sign.
• Seasonal patterns: For people who experience hay fever, it's very normal to develop a cough in response to seasonal allergies.
• No significant disruption: It is normal to have some difficulty getting a full night's rest when you have a cough. But your cough shouldn't be preventing you from sleep entirely, or causing significant disruptions in your daily activities.

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:

• Cough drops
• Tea or warm drinks
• Honey
• Humidified air
• Gargling warm salt water
• Sleeping with your head elevated
• Drinking plenty of fluids

You can also try over-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.

Antibiotics can help treat a cough caused by a bacterial infection but will not treat a viral illness or chronic cough. Your healthcare provider will determine if antibiotics are necessary for you.

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:

• Becomes more frequent or worsens over time
• Lasts longer than three weeks
• Is accompanied by other worrisome symptoms, like a persistent fever or significant weight loss
• Does not respond to over-the-counter treatments

The following red flags are signs that you should seek immediate medical treatment:

• Shortness of breath
• Loss of consciousness
• Coughing up blood or frothy pink mucus
• Lips or fingernails that turn blue
• Unusual barking sounds (stridor)

Summary

You can usually tell how a cough is progressing by how you feel. Your cough is likely getting better if it becomes less frequent and intense. It's also a good sign the cough is improving if you are sleeping better, feeling less fatigued, and any other symptoms you may have had are resolving.

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.