system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5, if coughing is your throat's reaction to try to get rid of whatever is in there. How come we cough for days on end after getting sick with nothing coming out and then one random cough after a while the phlegm finally comes out?
gpt
When you are sick you get increased mucus production. The mucus covers the surfaces inside your throat and is usually not an issue. However if you have too much it can start to flow and clump up. When you cough you push these clumps up the throat and it mixes with the rest of the mucus. This is why there might not come anything out. Making sure to clean out as much mucus as you can will help your breathing and reduce the coughing.