Coughing irks colleagues

The guy in the next cubicle sounds like he’s hacking up a lung. Annoying, eh? But, guess what? Next time you have a cough, you’ll probably go to work too.

Cadbury, the makers of Halls menthol-lyptus cough drops, did a survey of 1,000 Canadians to tickle out their feelings about coughing. One amusing result was that while 68 per cent of us are irritated by people coming to work sick, 62 per cent of us admit that we also go to work with a cold and cough.

The older we are, the crankier we get about coughing coworkers. More people aged 35 to 54 are bothered (80 per cent) than the more carefree folks aged 18 to 34 (55 per cent).

While there’s not much we can do about other people’s hacking, there are ways to diminish our own coughing fits. “You can have some control and shorten the duration of your cough,” says Dr. Brian Levine, medical director of The Cough Centre in Orange County, Calif. Here are his tips for the four stages of a cough:

1) First stage You feel a heavy head, you’re dragging. Your throat is itchy. Your have a clearing-your-throat-type cough. “This is the most infectious stage,” says Dr. Levine. “And also the stage you can do the most about.” Dial down your schedule to help you fight off infection. Get lots of rest, drink fruit juices, and increase antioxidant intake by eating more fruits and vegetables.

2) Second stage You are actually getting the cold. You’re sneezing and have a scratchy throat. This is a dry-sounding cough, which comes in short bursts. It’s infectious. “Get lots of sleep. Drink lots of fluids to hydrate and loosen secretions and flush out toxins,” says Dr. Levine.

3) Third stage Now you have a sore throat and congestion; you may have fever and chills. This cough is “deep and loud and wet and distracting” and is the one that most irritates coworkers. It is still infectious. Use saline nasal rinses twice a day and use a warm steam vaporizer at night. Don’t exercise. “Mellow out. Take it easy and build up your endorphins. Read a good book. Listen to great music.”

4) Final stage You are feeling better, but still have a tight cough with a wheeze at the end. This cough is not infectious. Emphasize protein in your diet. Get back to exercising, especially stretching and strengthening. Do deep breathing exercises.