Table of contents:
- What causes persistent cough at night?
- How to deal with coughs at night
- 1. Use a humidifier to keep the room moist
- 2. Drink herbal tea with honey before bed
- 3. Wear a high pillow
- 4. Take the appropriate cough medicine
When you have allergies or have flu and colds, your throat will also itch, so the cough continues at night. Deciding to sleep early is the right choice so that the body's immune system can focus more on fighting viral infections. Unfortunately, the persistent cough actually makes it difficult for you to sleep. So, how do you deal with a cough at night so you can sleep better?
What causes persistent cough at night?
At night, the air temperature decreases so that the air becomes drier. This inhaled dry air can cause irritation in the airways, thus triggering batik. If you have a dry cough, it can make your throat feel even more sore from the night air.
The effect of gravity due to sleeping position can also cause you to cough at night. When lying down, the mucus or phlegm secreted by cells in the upper airway descends and builds up in the back of the throat. That is why, you may feel a frequent cough when night falls.
Described in the book Nocturnal Cough , respiratory disorders such as asthma, whose symptoms are influenced by temperature and humidity, also cause coughing that gets worse at night. Continuous coughing at night often occurs in all types of coughs. From studies in 16 countries, as many as 30% showed symptoms of cough with phlegm and 10% had a dry cough.
How to deal with coughs at night
If you have a cough due to certain respiratory problems, including minor infections such as colds and flu, you need adequate rest to recover faster.
However, a cough that gets worse at night will certainly have an impact on the quality of your sleep. Not only can you not sleep well, you can even have trouble sleeping.
Several ways can be done to prevent or reduce the cough that often occurs at night. Before going to bed, you can do a simple cough treatment at night as follows:
1. Use a humidifier to keep the room moist
Dry air caused by a fan or air conditioner can make coughing worse at night. You can overcome the air condition in this room by making use of humidifier or an air humidifier.
This tool helps improve the quality and keeps the air moist while warding off the dust and irritants that keep you coughing.
However, remember to follow the directions for use and use completely clean water for the humidifier. If the water used is not sterile, the germs in the water will actually spread into the room and make your cough worse.
You should also use a hygrometer to measure air humidity. According to the Sleep Foundation, the ideal humidity level is around 30-50 percent. If it's too damp, mold will develop more easily and can actually cause allergies.
2. Drink herbal tea with honey before bed
Consuming warm drinks can help loosen phlegm that is clogged in the airways. In addition, warm drinks can also soothe your throat as well as moisturize a dry throat.
This will reduce the frequency of coughs at night and make you sleep better.
Many types of warm drinks can be selected, but you should choose one that has anti-inflammatory properties or prevents inflammation.
Herbal teas containing ginger and chamomile can be the right choice. Apart from being free of caffeine, its soothing aroma can make it easier for you to sleep .
The addition of honey to hot tea can be a natural cough medicine herb that soothes the throat, reduces irritation, and breaks down mucus in the respiratory tract.
3. Wear a high pillow
The cough gets worse at night because mucus builds up in your throat if your head is level with your lower body when you lie down. Therefore, try placing more pillows so that your head is in a higher position than the rest of your body.
Sleeping on a high pillow makes it easier for mucus and air to flow into the lower airways, preventing coughing and promoting breathing.
Sleeping in this position not only relieves persistent coughs at night due to flu or colds, but also prevents coughs due to acid reflux.
Don't forget to regularly clean your bed. Change any soiled blankets, sheets, or pillowcases.
At least replace it twice a week and wash it off with hot water. This step can prevent mites or dust from sticking to the bed that trigger coughs.
4. Take the appropriate cough medicine
You can have a cough due to allergies, flu or colds, asthma, or stomach acid reflux (GERD). Make sure that you take the cough medicine according to the cause of the cough so that it gets better faster.
Cough medicines that contain active ingredients such as decongestants can help relieve dry cough.
A class of cough suppressants such as dextromethorphan works to suppress the cough reflex so that the frequency of coughs at night is reduced.
Meanwhile, expectorant drugs containing guaifenesin can thin the phlegm that clogs the airways, thereby relieving the symptoms of cough with phlegm.
Antihistamines can treat persistent cough at night caused by allergies. To treat other asthma symptoms at night, such as shortness of breath and wheezing, you can use a corticosteroid inhaled medication.
If the cough is caused by GERD, the use of acid-lowering drugs must also be accompanied by avoiding consumption of spicy and sour foods. You shouldn't eat about four hours before bed to reduce coughing.
