What to do about coughing neighbors?

[SpikeMichigan]

 Probably something you'll have to deal with. Maybe leave a present of some cough syrup outside their door.

 I suffer from really bad hay fever and one afternoon I was sneezing constantly, when my neighbour yelled through the wall, 'Stop f'ing sneezing!'...well, without the censorship....which I thought was out of line, it really wasn't something I could help.

[Perfect Circle]

 Probably something you'll have to deal with. Maybe leave a present of some cough syrup outside their

I really don't think that would be advisable.

Life noises is something you just have to live with.

[Aeris]

 Probably something you'll have to deal with. Maybe leave a present of some cough syrup outside their door.

 I suffer from really bad hay fever and one afternoon I was sneezing constantly, when my neighbour yelled through the wall, 'Stop f'ing sneezing!'...well, without the censorship....which I thought was out of line, it really wasn't something I could help.

This would be really odd, honestly. I can't imagine how self-conscious and weirded out I would feel if I found cough syrup outside my door some morning.

I mean, really, if plain old cough syrup were enough to fix the problem, don't you think the neighbor would already have done that? Surely the coughing is more irritating to the one who is actually coughing than it is to the one listening.

[Yvaine]

 Probably something you'll have to deal with. Maybe leave a present of some cough syrup outside their door.

 I suffer from really bad hay fever and one afternoon I was sneezing constantly, when my neighbour yelled through the wall, 'Stop f'ing sneezing!'...well, without the censorship....which I thought was out of line, it really wasn't something I could help.

This would be really odd, honestly. I can't imagine how self-conscious and weirded out I would feel if I found cough syrup outside my door some morning.

I mean, really, if plain old cough syrup were enough to fix the problem, don't you think the neighbor would already have done that? Surely the coughing is more irritating to the one who is actually coughing than it is to the one listening.

This, and there's no way I'd take a drug without knowing where it came from.

[chariset]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.  I'd pretty much come to that conclusion too.  It's annoying, and I wish they would cover their mouths at the very least, but I suppose that's apartment living for you.

[Yvaine]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.  I'd pretty much come to that conclusion too.  It's annoying, and I wish they would cover their mouths at the very least, but I suppose that's apartment living for you.

Can you tell for sure whether someone is covering their mouth if you can't see them? I guess I've never really thought about whether there's a difference in the sound. A lot of coughs are still loud even with mouth-covering, and I thought the point of mouth-covering was to stop the spread of germs rather than to muffle.

[Cat-Fu]

I think the best thing you can do about it is to get a white noise machine. Sorry, OP. 

[TootsNYC]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.  I'd pretty much come to that conclusion too.  It's annoying, and I wish they would cover their mouths at the very least, but I suppose that's apartment living for you.

Can you tell for sure whether someone is covering their mouth if you can't see them? I guess I've never really thought about whether there's a difference in the sound. A lot of coughs are still loud even with mouth-covering, and I thought the point of mouth-covering was to stop the spread of germs rather than to muffle.

Also, if they're the great outdoors, and there's no one in their immediate vicinity, why should they cover their mouth?

I suppose it might muffle the noise, but really, most of us think of that as an anti-germ measure.

It's just not important out in the open.

Not that many germs are affected by deflecting them with your hand, anyway.

[Amava]

For me, covering my mouth when I sneeze or cough is just sort of a reflex; one of those things that are so ingrained to do in public, that I just do them automatically even when I'm alone. Also maybe because I'm scared my brains will fly out if I don't.  XD Not sure about that though. 

One thing is sure, covered and all I'm sure I still make a heck of a noise sometimes. Can't be helped.

[CakeBeret]

My mom is a chronic cougher. 10+ years of doctor visits and medical treatments and while it's somewhat better, it's still very much there. She particularly coughs when stepping outside.

I agree with PPs. As much as it stinks for you, I don't see any solution other than living with it.

[Moray]

I'm sorry, OP, this is one of those things you'll have to learn to live with. It would be inappropriate to complain or even mention.

[Lynn2000]

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.

Generally I agree that you can't ask them to stop; them's the breaks of apartment life, as you said. But, if they're standing right outside your window, and there's room for them to stand farther away from your window, I think you could sometime mention something like, "Oh, hey, neighbor, I was wondering if you guys could stand farther away from my window in the future? Sounds carry so easily through it and things like talking, the dog barking, etc. wake me up in the middle of the night." I wouldn't mention the coughing just because they really can't help doing that, but maybe they could not hang around your window so much.

[BabyMama]

One of my friends' ex-relatives moved in two doors down from me. (Long doors too, our side yard is a quarter acre and the house between us has a large yard too.) He makes gross, throaty, gaggy cough-noises every time he's outside--I've heard him clear as day in my backyard before. I like to update her on his hawking-up-a-loogie noises 

Unfortunately, yeah, I agree, there's not much you can do about it. At this point it's probably an ingrained habit too, so even if they agree to stop, it's doubtful you'll be cough-free.

[TootsNYC]

you know, coughing is not a habit.

[JeanFromBNA]

you know, coughing is not a habit.

Well, it can be.  My husband has a nervous cough, like a tic.  He doesn't do it all of the time, but it's a habit, all right.

Whether the cough has a medical or psychological origin, I don't think that there's anything that you can say to them about it.