# Have a cold + fan = coughing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-cold-fan-coughing/394562 "2007-03-04T18:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-cold-fan-coughing/394562/1 "2007-03-04T18:57:44Z")
I have a cold but not much coughing. I lie down and get a bit more coughing. I turn on a fan, and I can’t stop coughing. I turn off the fan and the coughing is reduced. Why? The air temperature does not seem to be a factor. The movement of my diaphragm has not changed, so air is moving across my throat the same as it would without a fan, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-cold-fan-coughing/394562/2 "2007-03-04T19:01:55Z")
You are not of Korean origin are you? [If so, sleeping with a fan on could be fatal.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a970912.html) ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-cold-fan-coughing/394562/3 "2007-03-04T19:20:52Z")
Wild guess - the fan is starting air currents that pick up dust from surfaces into the air, and breathing in the dust makes you more likely to cough. ---
**Author:** ![indierock82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f14d63/32.png) [@indierock82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indierock82)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-cold-fan-coughing/394562/4 "2007-03-04T21:03:05Z")
Oh my goodness!! I’ve relatively recently discovered this very phenomenon! I’ve had a bout of cold for a few months now and when I lie in bed with the fan on (which is on 24/7) I start getting that itchy feeling in the back of my throat. I’ve also noticed that one doesn’t have to have a cold for this to work. I second **Chrisk** in saying that it has to do with the dust particles floating around the room. Plus the fact that you’re most likely breathing predominantly through your mouth, dust doesn’t get impeded by the cilia in your nose and can eventually stimulate your vagus nerve. After asking an anatomi professor about this, he said that if you elevate your head more you will eliminate the effect (though I asked why do I cough more when I lie down than standing up). So, pop a pillow under the mattress. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-cold-fan-coughing/394562/5 "2007-03-05T19:16:48Z")
I noticed that I started coughing when my car vents blew on my face. Is this also dust or is there something else to it? ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-cold-fan-coughing/394562/6 "2007-03-05T19:37:13Z")
Same thing with my wall heaters, I’ve spent the last couple of days with a nasty cough. So I can either leave the heater fans off and freeze my butt off under my blankets to try to sleep, or be warm and suffer coughing fits. Sucks. :mad: