What to do about coughing neighbors?

[chariset]

Short version: Two guys (one a neighbor, one a visitor) cough LOUDLY whenever they're outside -- is there anything I can do about it?

Long version: I live in an apartment complex.  I am on the first floor -- I have an apartment next to mine and then two above, with another apartment building across a sidewalk. 

One of my upstairs neighbors is a man in his late 20s or so.  I can always tell when he's outside because every now and then I hear a loud, dry cough.  He must have a job where he works evenings, because I hear it mainly in the late mornings and in the wee hours of the morning (like right now) when he gets home from work and takes his dog outside.

One of the neighbors in the building across the way has a friend who comes to visit (early 20s in this case) and if they're not home, he hangs around and waits for them.  He too has a loud cough, and I always know when he's around.

I won't speculate on the cause of the coughing, but it's really annoying.  Is there any way to get them to stop, or is this one of those things you just have to live with when you're in an apartment?

[Nikko-chan]

It might be something you will have to live with. If the coughs are occasional, I wouldn't say anything.

[MizA]

I cough when I step outside because of the temperature differential and environmental allergies. While I would prefer to not bark like a harbour seal, it's impossible to stop. I can muffle by coughing into my elbow, but if I tried to staunch it, I might end up tossing my cookies.

People make people sounds while living in apartments. If they're right next to your window or something, you might be ok asking them to move over a bit to decrease the noise. Otherwise, you might just have to deal.

[MariaE]

Since it's a cough I would assume it's involuntary and that there's nothing they can do about it. I think you would be very unkind to point it out to them and rude to ask them to stop.

[Perfect Circle]

You can't do anything about something like coughing.

[Aeris]

How in the world would you propose to 'get them to stop'? Do you think they are coughing voluntarily outside your window and just asking them politely to please refrain is in any way reasonable?

[RingTailedLemur]

I feel your pain, OP.  I live next door to a cougher, and it sounds like vomiting.

Every single day for two years I've listened to coughcoughcoughchokeBLEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH and it makes me feel sick.  However, as I don't know the guy, I don't feel I can say anything (such as "Have you thought about seeing a doctor?").

[perpetua]

I feel your pain, OP.  I live next door to a cougher, and it sounds like vomiting.

Every single day for two years I've listened to coughcoughcoughchokeBLEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH and it makes me feel sick.  However, as I don't know the guy, I don't feel I can say anything (such as "Have you thought about seeing a doctor?").

I also live next door to a cougher (in the worst and least-soundproofed flat conversion in the world) who does this every day. However, since the poor man is about 90 and on oxygen, I figure his distress is much greater than my inconvenience at hearing it, horrible though it might be. You learn to tune it out.

OP, you can not seriously expect to be able to ask someone to stop coughing. He's not doing it for your inconvenience.

[Dalek]

Nothing you can do. Coughing is very different from loud music- he can't turn it down on request.

[TootsNYC]

How in the world would you propose to 'get them to stop'? Do you think they are coughing voluntarily outside your window and just asking them politely to please refrain is in any way reasonable?

This.


I have a chronic cough, and I *HAVE* seen a doctor. I know it's hard for other people to listen to, but it's not like I can just switch it off.

I have to breathe. Coughing makes it possible.

[camlan]

How in the world would you propose to 'get them to stop'? Do you think they are coughing voluntarily outside your window and just asking them politely to please refrain is in any way reasonable?

This.


I have a chronic cough, and I *HAVE* seen a doctor. I know it's hard for other people to listen to, but it's not like I can just switch it off.

I have to breathe. Coughing makes it possible.

Sometimes you just have to put up with stuff.

My old boss had asthma, and at times her coughing was very loud and she'd cough all day long. Her office was right next to mine and I could clearly hear every single cough. It was annoying and, frankly, sometimes the sound was unpleasant to listen to.

She was under medical treatment. In fact, her doctor was sending her to specialists to see if there was any way of relieving some of her symptoms. Asking her to stop coughing would have done nothing--she was coughing because she had to.

In any shared living situation, like apartments, there will be noises that bother us. My downstairs neighbors stay out late at night and frequently the closing of their car doors under my window at 2 am will wake me up. But they aren't slamming the doors shut, so there's nothing anyone can do about the noise.

I see the coughing as a similar noise. It's there and it's annoying and sometimes bothersome, but it is not a voluntary noise that can be controlled to any great extent. It's not loud music, it's not stomping on the floor, it's not slamming doors.

[Surianne]

Since it's a cough I would assume it's involuntary and that there's nothing they can do about it. I think you would be very unkind to point it out to them and rude to ask them to stop.

I agree, I don't think this is something you can ask.

[Shoo]

There is absolutely nothing you can do about it.  Sorry.

[onyonryngs]

Involuntary noises are a part of apartment living.  If you can, I'd suggest getting an upper floor apartment in the future, the stairs are a hassle (but yay for free exercise) but the noise is greatly reduced. 

[siamesecat2965]

I'm also a cougher; mostly in the morning due to allergies, asthma and post-nasel drip. I feel badly for my co-workers, having to listen to me hack every day, but there's absolutely nothing i can do about it.  I've been checked out by the dr., and there's nothing really to be done; its just how my body is.

So unfortunately, I don't think there's really anything you can do about it.