Do you know how to relieve a cough during fasting? This common condition can affect anyone during Ramadan. To help your fasting go smoothly, it is important to address this condition as soon as possible.
Most health conditions are easier to recover from and prevent when you maintain overall health properly. However, to explore how to help relieve a cough during Ramadan further, check out the article below!
How to Relieve a Cough During Ramadan
An itchy throat and a cough while fasting may indicate that your body is not in good condition. This can be uncomfortable, especially if you have a wet cough. The following are some ways to relieve a cough during Ramadan that you can follow:
1. Getting Enough Rest
The first way to treat a cough during Ramadan is by getting adequate rest. In particular, you need to sleep at least 7–8 hours at night. Adequate rest can help restore lost stamina and energy during fasting and maintain your immune system.
If you have enough energy, the body can effectively fight viral or bacterial infections that cause a cough. Additionally, the immune system can function better while you sleep at night, making quality sleep even more crucial in supporting the recovery process.
As a suggestion, you can use two pillows to keep your head in a higher position while sleeping. This can help reduce mucus buildup in the throat. In addition, avoid staying up late and using electronic devices before bed to help improve sleep quality.
2. Maintaining a Healthy Food and Drinks
Maintaining a healthy diet can also help relieve a cough during fasting. This is because everything you eat and drink passes through your throat first. Consuming foods and beverages that may trigger coughing, such as fried foods, caffeine, or dairy products, may also worsen throat irritation.
On the other hand, you can consume foods and drinks that support cough recovery. Although these foods may not cure the condition immediately, their nutrients can support your body's recovery process. Therefore, you can include foods that are beneficial for cough recovery, such as chicken soup, apples, spinach, and more, in your suhoor and iftar meals.
3. Avoid the Triggers of a Cough
Another way to relieve a cough during fasting is to avoid cough triggers, such as cigarettes and secondhand smoke, dust, and pollution, as these can worsen cough symptoms. Furthermore, it is recommended to wear a mask to protect yourself from these irritants.
4. Using an Air Humidifier
A cough while fasting is not only triggered by foods and dust, but also by dry air that can cause the throat to lose moisture. Therefore, using a humidifier in your room can be one way to help relieve a cough during fasting.
By using a humidifier, indoor air becomes more humid, preventing your throat from drying out. Moreover, it can be used throughout the day, which may help reduce cough symptoms.
In addition, you can also use aromatherapy oils, such as eucalyptus, cinnamon, rosemary, peppermint, or lavender. Do not forget to clean the humidifier regularly to avoid dust or mold buildup.
Read also: 7 Tips on How to Fast and Stay Fit during Ramadan.
5. Soaking with Warm Water
Taking a warm bath is also an alternative way to help relieve a cough while fasting. Warm water can help relax the airways and loosen mucus in the throat, making breathing feel more comfortable. Warm baths are also considered effective for helping relieve other respiratory conditions, such as allergies and the flu.
6. Applying Essential Oil in the Throat Area
In addition to using aromatherapy, you can also apply essential oils to areas around the throat, including the chest and neck, to help relieve a cough while fasting. This can provide a soothing sensation in the throat. You can use oils containing eucalyptus and peppermint extracts..
7. Taking Cough Medications
Unlike the options above, a medical approach to help relieve a cough during fasting is to take cough medicine according to the dosage instructions on the label or your doctor's recommendations. This can be the last alternative if the natural remedies do not help improve your symptoms.
8. Gargling with Salt Water
Gargling with salt water is another natural way to help relieve a cough during fasting. In fact, this can help soothe a sore throat, loosen mucus, and protect the body from bacterial infections or allergens.
You can try this method by mixing half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water. Then, gargle with the solution once. You can repeat this up to four times a day for optimal benefits. However, do not gargle excessively to avoid swallowing the solution.
9. Increasing Water Intake
In addition, another way to help relieve a cough during fasting is to increase your water intake. Although it does not cure a cough immediately, staying well hydrated can meet your daily fluid needs, prevent dehydration, support the immune system, loosen mucus, and keep the throat moist. Overall, these benefits can help relieve cough symptoms.
To help maintain proper daily hydration, you can drink 1–2 liters of water per day when you have a cough. During fasting, you can drink 2 glasses of water during iftar, 4 glasses after dinner, and 2 glasses during suhoor.
As a note, it is recommended to avoid drinking cold water when you have a cough, as it may worsen the condition, especially during fasting. Additionally, if you lose a lot of fluids through sweating, replenishing electrolytes may be beneficial, but adding salt to drinking water is generally unnecessary unless advised by a healthcare professional.
In this case, make sure to choose #AQUADULU because not all water is AQUA. AQUA is a drinking water with natural minerals that comes from 19 selected mountain springs in Indonesia. The water is sourced from the deepest part of the mountain and has protective layers, making it free from the risk of pollution. Therefore, when you drink AQUA, it is naturally fresh and cold without the need for a cooling process.
It is important to note that AQUA is an original Indonesian product that has been trusted for more than 50 years. Its safety is assured through Halal certification and compliance with SNI and BPOM food safety standards.
Therefore, let’s maintain health during fasting by drinking more with AQUA! AQUA is 100% Indonesian, 100% Halal, and 100% Pure.
Read also: 10 Tips to Get Rid of Feeling Sleepy while Fasting
