Very severe cough at night. Night cough
Cough is unpleasant at any time of the day. But if it occurs or intensifies significantly only at night and lasts for a long time, then this is very bad. Firstly, a person is deprived of a full night's sleep, and if a child coughs, then his parents do not sleep either. Secondly, it may be a symptom of serious bronchopulmonary diseases, and therefore requires examination and treatment. Therefore, during an attack, you need to do everything to relieve the cough, and the next morning begin to find out its causes.
Non-infectious causes
The reasons why coughing attacks occur at night can be very different. The easiest way to check is whether the cough is caused by commonplace domestic reasons that can affect a sleeping person:
- too dry or hot air in the room, which leads to drying out of the mucous membranes;
- allergy to bedding - down or feather pillow, synthetic fabrics, etc.;
- bed mite is a tiny insect that, when it enters the respiratory system, irritates it and provokes a cough;
- incorrect head position during sleep - disrupts normal blood circulation and oxygen flow, creating the impression of lack of air;
- accumulated dust, which clogs the lungs and can become a strong allergen;
- pets, not only cats and dogs, but also any other living creatures;
- indoor plants can not only provoke allergic cough, but also create a lack of oxygen if there are too many of them in the bedroom (in the dark the process of photosynthesis does not occur, and flowers breathe oxygen just like people).
Therefore, first of all, you need to inspect the room and make sure that there are no influences from all the factors listed above. In principle, this must be done in any case, even if you are convinced infectious nature cough. Such preventive measures will contribute speedy recovery for any diagnosis.
If, after you have eliminated all possible non-infectious causes of night cough, the situation has not changed, then the situation is serious and the cough is not caused by external stimuli, but by internal inflammatory processes. The mechanism for the appearance of such a cough is completely different, and it requires mandatory treatment.
Cough as a symptom
Night cough may be a symptom of not only an infectious disease, although this is most often the case. It usually appears after an untreated cold, acute respiratory viral infection, or flu in the legs. And this is a signal that everything is still not all right in the body.
At chronic bronchitis or low-grade pneumonia increased secretion thick mucus continues - in this way the body tries to extinguish inflammatory processes. During the day, it is quietly coughed up or washed off with tea (or other liquid) and enters the stomach. Constant coughing the day after illness is considered normal and is called “ residual cough" It's really not scary if it lasts no longer than 2 weeks.
When a person takes a horizontal position, the mucus can no longer come out and accumulates in the bronchi or lungs, interfering with normal breathing. Appears reflex cough, with which the body tries to push the mucus out.
By the way, such a cough is easy to distinguish from an allergic one - it does not occur soon after falling asleep, but in the second half of the night, closer to the morning, and requires mandatory treatment.
A night cough may be an even more symptom serious illnesses:
- heart failure;
- tumors of the lungs or larynx;
- cystic fibrosis;
- emphysema;
- bronchial asthma;
- acid reflux.
To put accurate diagnosis, you need to be further examined and undergo a series of tests. Therefore, it is better not to self-medicate - you can waste time and allow the disease to move to a later stage.
Stop the attack
But what to do while the doctor finds out the real reason? Of course, look available methods How to calm a night cough and normalize sleep. Even if this gives a temporary effect, a rested body will have the strength to fight the underlying disease. After all, if a person does not get enough sleep, he immune defense decreases sharply.
Here is the easiest way to stop a coughing attack:
- Change the position of the body, giving it a semi-sitting position - this will make it easier to cough up accumulated mucus.
- Open the window, providing additional oxygen flow.
- Drink something warm, it is better if it is milk - it softens the cough faster, but herbal or green tea and even warm water.
- If you feel a lack of air, take a bronchodilator “Bronholitin”, “Gedevit”, etc.
- Restore your breathing by slowly inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth (without effort!).
When the cough calms down, you should try to fall asleep again. Soft lighting and an aroma lamp with lavender oil. It is better to replace the pillow with a higher one so that your head is in an elevated position while sleeping.
Do not forget that the only way how to alleviate the condition bronchial asthma, is the use of a special inhaler. The measures listed above will not help here, but in creating additional comfort they will be useful for such patients.
Treatment for an adult
Only a doctor can say for sure what to do to get rid of night cough forever, after making the main diagnosis. Treatment is prescribed individually and may include drug therapy, physiotherapy and proven folk remedies.
Using “grandmother’s” methods, you can try to treat a night cough on your own if it has recently appeared and was preceded by a respiratory disease.
Here are a few proven ones effective ways How to relieve cough and speed up final recovery for adults:
Except listed recipes there are others traditional methods how to stop a bad cough at night. The main thing is not to leave the problem unattended. And if the cough repeats from night to night, it is necessary to look for and treat the underlying cause.
The above “adult” methods are not suitable for children - they contain alcohol. You can prepare and give your child regular eggnog. warm milk or Herb tea with honey.
Rubbing your chest makes breathing easier camphor oil(not a massage!), which warms up the bronchi, expanding them and relieving spasms, and at the same time, entering the respiratory tract, gives the effect of anti-inflammatory inhalation.
Medications
It is important to understand that if a night cough is caused by an accumulation of mucus in the lungs, then taking antitussive drugs is strictly contraindicated! They can cause bronchostasis (stagnation of mucus in the lungs), as a result of which breathing becomes difficult and inflammatory processes develop rapidly. This is why it is so important to first find out the cause of your cough.
Expectorants in the middle of the night are also not the best the best option. They help thin the mucus and facilitate its removal, but then until the bronchi are freed from mucus accumulations, the cough will not allow you to fall asleep.
It is better to take a medicine that will relieve throat irritation and bronchial spasms:
- "Pectusin";
- "Ambroxol";
- "Pectolvan";
- "Doctor Mom";
- "ACC-100".
Most of these drugs are suitable for both adults and children (only the dosage differs).
If the cause of a night cough is bronchitis or pneumonia, quickly and effective treatment It is impossible without antibiotics. The infection has already penetrated so deeply that it is impossible to cope with it folk remedies it won't work. Antibiotics wide range the actions are destructive for most pathogenic microbes, and many of them also have excellent anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, already 2-3 days after the start of treatment with correctly selected drugs, noticeable relief occurs.
They often help to quickly cope with a cough, including a cough at night, antihistamines. Chronic inflammatory processes cause swelling of the mucous membranes, and swelling always increases at night. And if during the day it does not interfere with breathing too much, then at night it blocks the normal access of air, causing a cough. By removing it antihistamines, you can quickly alleviate the condition.
Good healing effect Physiotherapeutic procedures are also provided: ultrasound, electrophoresis, quartz, paraffin therapy, laser heating, darsonvalization. They stop inflammatory processes, activate blood circulation, stimulate immune system, significantly speeding up recovery.
Some procedures can be done at home: putting mustard plasters or vodka compress, warm the bronchi with a blue lamp or Solux, rub the feet and/or chest with warming ointment with essential oils. Performed before bedtime, such procedures, although not a direct way to calm a cough, do improve general state, speed up falling asleep and serve as an excellent prevention of nighttime coughing attacks.
It is advisable not to perform active procedures the next day after warming procedures. physical exercise and do not go outside in damp weather or sub-zero air temperatures.
During treatment, you need to protect yourself from drafts and stay away from the air conditioner on. And also make sure that the bedroom does not contain the items listed at the beginning. non-infectious causes which can cause a cough.
Cough in an adult is not a disease in itself. He's just a symptom. Its appearance may indicate that the body is fighting an infection. It happens both during the day and at night. Sometimes a person feels fine during the day, but at night cannot sleep due to severe attacks cough. It can be triggered by the onset of colds, and a person in a horizontal position cannot completely clear his throat. At night, all processes slow down in people. The mucus does not dissolve, but accumulates, and this causes bubbling.
Intended for illness, severe nocturnal coughing in an adult
He performs protective function body, which appears as a result of a disease or the presence of a foreign body inside respiratory tract person. It manifests itself in the form of jerky exhalations, which help remove infection or phlegm. Puffing helps to cleanse the bronchi and protects the patient from suffocation. The sudden onset of a cough may indicate that it has entered the body. foreign body, and if it does not go away on its own, then you should immediately consult a doctor. Prolonged attacks lasting for two weeks mean that the cough goes away in acute form, and if there is a protracted variant - more than two months, it means that it has become chronic.
A nighttime cough that does not recur during the day may indicate a serious illness. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately establish a diagnosis and carry out treatment according to it. It may turn out that it is caused allergic reaction for bedding. For example, down in a pillow. And then, when it is replaced, the night phenomenon will also pass.
A cough begins when the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs are irritated. After removing the cause of their occurrence, the bubbling will go away. And in order to figure out which of them caused it, you must first decide on the type of cough. It can be unproductive and wet.
Why does a dry cough appear at night?
This type of bubbling is fraught with danger in itself. Attacks at night nonproductive cough may lead to apnea. And the process of coughing itself brings discomfort accompanied by nausea, shortness of breath, and sometimes suffocation.
The reason for this may be:
- obstructive bronchitis;
- damage to the pleura due to tuberculosis;
- bronchial asthma;
- heart failure;
- problems in the field of gastroenterology;
- pneumonia;
- respiratory chlamydia and mycoplasmosis;
- whooping cough;
- allergy.
The negative impact on the body of the latter can lead to suffocation, which occurs due to lack of oxygen and often ends in loss of consciousness. This often occurs in people with asthma. Its causative agents can be everything around: dust, fluff, plant pollen or insect bites.
Night cough due to cardiac dysfunction is accompanied by shortness of breath, as well as rapid heartbeat. If it is associated with a malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, then its attacks will be caused by irritation of the nerve endings of the esophagus and the membranes of the respiratory tract, which may contain acid content stomach.
Also, the appearance of a cough can be affected by dry air in the room where a person sleeps. Then you need to purchase a special humidifier to prevent this from happening again.
If the cause is cardiac - vascular diseases, then they may be accompanied by shortness of breath, and the nasolabial triangle will acquire a bluish tint.
The appearance of a night cough can also be caused by localization malignant neoplasms or pulmonary tuberculosis. Because of the hit foreign bodies in the form of coarse dust or grains that settled in the throat and began to affect its mucous membranes. It can be caused by dilatation of the aorta or enlargement of the lymph nodes.
If a cough with mucus is the only symptom that is not accompanied by anything, then this indicates an inflammatory process in the lungs or tuberculosis.
Video
The video explains how to properly treat a cough.
The acute form often occurs against the background of acute respiratory infections. Protracted may indicate whooping cough, rhinitis or sinusitis. A prolonged wet cough at night should be treated only as prescribed by a doctor; this is not the case when its treatment can be delayed. Qualified specialist He will tell you in detail why the cough appears only at night and will take an individual course of therapy. You might also be interested in how to treat a cough.
Even if you know the reason for its occurrence, you don’t need to diagnose it yourself. final diagnosis. This is best left to doctors who, after following the diagnostic algorithm: examination, tests, x-rays and endoscopic examination will be able to assign what is needed. If it is completed on time, then the consequences in the form of complications will bypass. You can read about the causes of night cough in a child.
A night cough can disrupt the sleep of not only the patient, but also other people who surround him. Coughing at night in an adult is one of the most unpleasant manifestations of any illness. What are the causes of night cough in adults, why can the cough get worse, and how can it be overcome?
Cough reflex
To understand what a night cough is and the reasons for its occurrence, you need to study the very nature of this phenomenon. You need to understand that cough is not a disease, but a symptom of a disease. It can start both during the day and at night. It often happens that a person is overtaken only at night sudden attacks illness, but during the day there is nothing.
The symptom appears when the body begins to actively fight the disease. It can be characterized as a reflex reaction of the body to illness or the presence foreign object in the larynx. The reflex itself manifests itself in the form of forced exhalations through the mouth, helping to get rid of phlegm or infection. Thanks to this, the human bronchi are cleared, which prevents suffocation.
If the cough lasts more than a week, this means that it is acute. A symptom that lasts more than two months and continues day after day is called chronic.
Coughing during sleep is caused by a horizontal position of the body, due to which mucus in the throat or bronchi begins to stagnate.
Causes of attacks at night
The causes of cough depend on the underlying disease. But there are a number of other reasons that have nothing to do with respiratory diseases. Coughing during sleep may appear due to:
- obstructive bronchitis;
- bronchial asthma;
- pneumonia;
- diseases associated with gastroenterology;
- cardiac dysfunction;
- pleural lesions caused by tuberculosis;
- respiratory chlamydia and mycoplasmosis;
- whooping cough;
- allergies.
A symptom during sleep caused by the reasons described above may be accompanied by suffocation and even loss of consciousness. This applies most of all to asthmatics, in whom the reflex can start from anything: dust, fluff, an insect bite, etc. A night cough in an adult, the causes of which is caused by a disturbance in the functioning of the heart, manifests itself along with shortness of breath and an accelerated heartbeat. If the cough at night is associated with unstable work gastrointestinal tract, then along with it begins irritation of the esophagus and the membranes of the respiratory tract, which may contain stomach acid.
Main types of disease
At night it can tell you what kind of illness the patient is suffering from:
- A loud, dog-like bark indicates problems with the larynx or trachea.
- Frequent coughing indicates pleural irritation.
- A throat attack (crow), accompanied by vomiting, is a sign of whooping cough.
- Sudden attacks are a symptom of pleurisy or acute tracheobronchitis.
- A cough with a double sound most often occurs in smokers suffering from inflammation of the lymph nodes.
- Reflex attacks that have nothing to do with respiratory system, occur with ear disease.
- Persistent gurgling is a sign of lung problems.
- Cough with whistling - characteristic bronchial asthma.
- Nadsadny signals a disruption in the functioning of the bronchi.
The appearance of a wet night cough is associated with acute inflammation throat, which is accompanied by an accumulation of mucus, from it human body begins to reflexively get rid of it.
In patients, a wet cough may appear as a continuation of a dry cough. The difference between dry and wet is that the second lasts much longer and can turn into chronic form. Diseases that can cause this type of reflex:
- cold or viral disease;
- focal pneumonia;
- tumor in the trachea or heart;
- tuberculosis;
- respiratory cancer;
- sinusitis;
- sinusitis;
- problems with the digestive system;
- pleuropneumonia;
- breakthrough of an abscess in the liver (abscess);
- purulent-destructive process in the lung;
- severe stress.
The disease can be determined by the type of sputum produced. For example, viscous mucus may appear with bronchitis, asthma or tracheitis. If the sputum has bad smell, then this indicates a breakthrough of an abscess in the lung. For ARVI, in addition to night wet cough, high fever, nausea and dizziness appear. Yellow-orange mucus is a sign of pneumonia, and if coughing is accompanied by high temperature body, chills and bloody stains in sputum, then this is most likely tuberculosis or cancer.
It happens that a cough with mucus is the only sign that is not accompanied by other symptoms. This also indicates tuberculosis or pneumonia. Night attack may worsen during acute respiratory disease, and the transition to protracted occurs with whooping cough, rhinitis or sinusitis.
Ways to relieve symptoms
Many people who notice that their cough gets worse at night ask the same question: “Is it possible to get rid of it without the intervention of doctors?” We answer: “No!” Under no circumstances should you self-diagnose or self-medicate, but immediately seek help from a specialist.
Only a doctor can identify the true cause and help cope with the problem. As a rule, as auxiliary treatment The doctor prescribes a number of the following procedures:
- Drink plenty of fluids. On admission large quantity fluid into the body, the viscosity of mucus decreases, and its production increases. In addition to water, it is strongly recommended to drink decoctions from medicinal herbs and alkaline mineral water. All these drinks have a soothing effect on the throat.
- Inhalations. If the cough intensifies at night, then inhaling a steam of medicinal herbs or alkaline solution (soda solution). This procedure moisturizes the mucous membrane, affects the dilution of sputum and prevents irritation of nerve endings.
- . A special household device - an air humidifier - can significantly reduce the dry air in the room, which is what causes an attack at night in an adult. Insufficient air humidity appears due to lack of ventilation during the hot summer period; in winter, hot radiators or electric heaters significantly dry the air in the apartment. If you do not have a humidifier, then you can replace it, for example, with a container of water on the battery. Thanks to the evaporation of water, optimal air humidity will be maintained.
Prevention
All allergy sufferers first need to get rid of what causes irritation of the mucous membrane. This could be pets, plants, bedding, household chemicals. That is, everything that could cause an attack should be outside the room.
If you find an incipient symptom when colds, consult your doctor immediately and follow all his instructions. Under no circumstances be lazy in following all the doctor’s recommendations so that the disease does not worsen.
When evening comes, be sure to ventilate the room before going to bed. Make sure that the room where you sleep is not too hot and that the humidity level is optimal.
By following all the tips in this article, you can not only diagnose a night cough in time, but also understand its causes. Remember that you should always listen to the sensations of your body. If you begin to notice that something wrong is happening to your body, do not delay treatment, be sure to seek advice from a specialist and do not neglect free medical examination.
Contents of the article
Cough while sleeping - quite unpleasant symptom, causing a lot of inconvenience and interfering with a good night's rest. It not only prevents the person and his loved ones from sleeping, but also often signals the presence of serious diseases that require mandatory medical care. It is not surprising that when faced with such a problem, people begin to ask a number of important issues: why does cough worsen at night, how dangerous is it, and what can be done in such a situation?
Cough in adults at night: how to cope with the problem
First of all, you should find out exactly why a person is tormented by such attacks - they can just be the body’s response to unfavorable conditions. external conditions or sign serious problems with health. And if in the first case it will be enough just to change the microclimate in the bedroom, then in the second it is unlikely to be possible without special treatment.
Everyone knows how unpleasant it is to be sick when the temperature rises, a runny nose and cough are tormented. It is especially disgusting when it intensifies at night. A cough can deprive a person of normal sleep.
In the morning, someone with a cold wakes up with a heavy head, completely exhausted, and absolutely not rested. Why does the cough get worse at night when lying down? The thing is that after 9 pm all processes that occur in the human body slow down. And, as a result, blood circulation deteriorates significantly, so sputum almost does not resolve, mucus accumulates and irritates nerve endings. So the cough bothers me in the evening and at night, preventing me from fully falling asleep and relaxing.
Diseases that cause a person to become strong
Let's understand in more detail what can cause it and disrupt normal life:
- Croup Here the person has seizures and is not allowed to take full breaths.
- Acid reflux. This is not a cold, but a digestive phenomenon.
- Asthma or bronchitis. Here, coughing attacks at night are also accompanied by a strong whistle. This is especially true for obstructive bronchitis.
- Whooping cough. Infection, and he is characterized by a night cough. The disease is most severe in young children under one year of age.
- Sinusitis, rhinitis. Another reason for a bad night's sleep. Let us also note here chronic adenoiditis.
- Heart failure. Cough treatment here by simple means It won’t work, because it is not caused by inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx.
This general diseases which may cause coughing. Each of them must be treated and not neglected, so as not to suffer from a sore throat later.
Why does the cough get worse at night?
When a sick person goes to bed, the mucus practically stops dissolving. Phlegm begins to clog the nose and throat, causing a strong, coughing cough.
A similar process can be observed in the lungs, because when the body assumes a supine position, blood circulation slows down and is disrupted.
It was also noticed that in the dark the composition of the air changes. It becomes much drier, cooler, different from daytime. This can also lead to reflex coughing attacks because the mucous membrane begins to be irritated.
But be that as it may, cough must be treated in any case and preferably under the supervision of a specialist. After all, the nature of its appearance can be varied and choosing treatment on your own is dangerous. First of all, eliminate the cause of the disease, not its consequence.
Why does my cough get worse at night? How to fight
Of course, lying down all night and coughing is very bad. A person does not get enough sleep, the body does not fully rest, and therefore is not treated. This will help you get rid of the unpleasant condition and fall into a sound sleep.
Very good remedy- a glass of warm milk with butter and honey. Some people recommend adding a little baking soda to it.
A simple air humidifier will also help to cope with the problem.
If the cough continues to bother you, take inhalations. They will warm up the neck perfectly, and this will help cope with the disease.
Let us also remind you about effective action some medicines. These are "Sinekod", "Codelac", "Libexin" and "Dextrometofan".
But to apply them in healing process preferably after consultation with your doctor. The drugs help improve sleep, but can cause an allergic reaction.
Why does a child's cough become severe at night?
Little children are very exhausted at night by a strong cough, it literally brings them to real stress. IN daytime The tickle doesn’t bother the kids as much, the parents calm down a little and don’t turn to doctors for help, but when night comes, the cough comes again, and the insomnia comes again.
In order to stop the suffocating sounds, you need to visit a pediatrician to determine the cause of the disease, and you can also use old grandma's recipes that help fight the disease.
Causes of cough at night in babies
The body is trying to get rid of excess liquid, accumulated in it, and causes coughing. He - defensive reaction body, giving a sign that treatment is needed.
Drugs that can eliminate a child’s cough have a bad effect on the body, they eliminate the disease only superficially, sputum remains in the bronchi, and this is dangerous because the disease develops into pneumonia.
Therefore, it is advisable to use proven medications and drink plenty of fluids.
Consequences of night cough in a child
Why does a child's cough get worse at night? After a baby has suffered an acute respiratory infection or a severe cold, which most often could be caused by hypothermia or a virus, he may continue to have a severe cough at night for a long time. It especially often accompanies those whose colds have not been properly cured.
That's why this consequence must be eliminated as quickly as possible by contacting a doctor who will prescribe the necessary conservative treatment and will heal everything that was carelessly missed at one time. At the right approach The baby and his parents will forget about what a cough is in two or three days.
Why does cough get worse at night in adults?
Why does an adult's cough get worse at night? The tickle caused by asthma is different from simple cough loud whistling sounds, as well as heaviness in the area chest and severe difficulty breathing.
Dry coughing at night is also observed when there is heart failure, and shortness of breath also appears. At night it enters the lungs an insufficient amount oxygen due to horizontal position bodies.
Another reason for coughing at night may be gastroenterological problems, when the nerve endings of the patient’s esophagus are affected irritating factors, the mucous membrane becomes inflamed.
This will require adequate treatment and observation by a specialist.
Why does the cough get worse at night when you have bronchitis?
This problem is not new for most people. It is with bronchitis that a strong cough is observed in the dark.
In a supine position, the fluid that separates from the lungs stops circulating and does not come out. That is, the sputum begins to stagnate, and a severe cough and sore throat manifests itself. The body tries to get rid of mucus, trying to cleanse the lungs and bronchi.
Why does night cough worsen with whooping cough?
Why does it get worse at night?? This is a disease infectious nature, it is especially dangerous for small children. The cough is very strong, accompanied by high fever and even vomiting.
The reasons for the appearance of whooping cough at night are not particularly different from those already listed above. This and:
- Accumulated mucus in the lungs.
- Incorrect body position during sleep.
- Poorly ventilated area, too dry air.
- Drink little fluid at night.
- Lack of regular treatment.
- Vomit is not regularly expectorated and accumulates in the bronchi.
Whooping cough needs to be treated intensively, with regular inhalations, drinking plenty of fluids and taking tablets, mixtures, and herbal decoctions.
How to deal with a cough
We have found out the reasons why the cough gets worse, now we will give a few useful recommendations how to deal with it at home.
We offer a couple of simple but effective recipes.
- Honey will help cope with coughing attacks. Dissolve a teaspoon of viscous liquid in a glass hot water and drink in small sips.
- Lemon. It is rich in vitamin C, which helps block a sore throat at night. Mix the juice of half a lemon with honey and cinnamon. We take a teaspoon several times a day; it is advisable to also take a medicinal product at night.
- Radish. It's great if it's black. It has been helping in the fight against coughing attacks for many years. For treatment you will need one radish. She washes it thoroughly, cuts a hole in the vegetable, and pours it into it. warm honey. We leave the medicine to simmer for a day. Afterwards, the juice that flows out of the radish, mixed with honey, is used as a cough mixture.
- Onion and garlic. Squeeze the juice from the cloves of garlic and onion and mix it with sugar. Boil everything over low heat, at the end pour a glass of milk and keep it on the fire for another five minutes.
Now you know exactly how to cure a cough and forget about it for a while. long years. Do not get sick and do not delay the treatment process, and also seek help from specialists.
