Rest is one of the most important ways your body fights off infections.
But getting enough sleep can be one of the hardest things to accomplish, especially if you have a
cold or flu.
You know the scenario: You lie down after a long day of feeling lousy, only to find that you can’t stop coughing. Just when you need sleep the most, your cough gets worse, leading to a night of tossing and turning.
Fortunately, you can take some steps to cough less at night so you can get some much-needed rest and feel better soon.
Why does a cough get worse at night? These reasons explain why.
Gravity
The No. 1 factor that makes your cough worse at night is simple: gravity. “When we lie down, mucus [drips from the nose into the throat and] automatically begins to pool,” says Mitchell Blass, MD, of Georgia Infectious Diseases in Atlanta. A cough is simply the body’s natural reflex to clear the airways.
The best way to counteract this gravitational pull is elevation. “Sleep with a pillow propping you up a little,” Dr. Blass suggests. “It will help keep the mucus from collecting in the back of the throat.”
Also, some people have a nighttime cough because of acid reflux. If you’re lying on your back, it’s easy for the acid from your stomach to come up and then get into your airways, causing irritation and cough.
To help prevent this, you can:
- Avoid eating within two hours of bedtime.
- Steer clear of foods and drinks that could cause reflux, such as chocolate, coffee, spicy and fatty foods, full fat dairy, and wine.
- Keep the head of your bed elevated.
Your Sleep Environment
Dry air can aggravate an already irritated nose and throat, as well as thicken mucus, making your nighttime cough worse. To relieve a dry-air cough, you can try using a
humidifier to put moisture back into the air and make it easier to breathe. But be sure to take proper care of it by cleaning it daily and not leaving any standing water.
“Humidifiers are not always safe,” Blass says. “If the water you put in it isn’t sterile, you run the risk of cycling the germs back into the air or breeding other diseases.”
This can lead to complications like bacterial infections, Blass says. “Many flu-related deaths are caused by pneumonia that hits after people think they’re over the flu,” he says. To ensure that you use a humidifier safely, carefully follow all the directions that come with it.
Other factors related to your sleep space that may contribute to your cough getting worse at night include the presence of mold spores, dust, pets, or other potential
allergens.
Most coughs linked with colds and the flu can help clear congestion from your lungs and airways.
But sleep is also important for getting well — and it’s no fun tossing and turning all night.
When it seems like you just can’t get any shut-eye, you can try some simple tips. Here’s how to stop coughing at night:
Suck on a cough drop. Before you go to sleep, suck on a cough drop to ease a dry cough (one that doesn’t produce mucus) and soothe your throat.
Drink fluids. Be sure to sip plenty of fluids throughout the evening before bed. Liquids help thin the mucus in your throat, and
warm liquids are soothing.
Have some honey. Adding honey to warm liquids like water or tea, or just taking a spoonful or two on its own, has been shown to have modest benefits in reducing cough, says
Stephen Russell, MD, with the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Medicine. One research review found that honey appeared to reduce symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, such as colds, including cough severity and frequency.
Never give honey to children under age 1 though, Dr. Russell warns, because in rare cases it can cause infant
botulism. And keep in mind that honey is a sugar, so use it in moderation, especially if you have diabetes.
Try cough medicine. Nighttime cough medicines typically contain an antihistamine that can help you sleep, Russell says. “Benadryl does a great job stopping allergies and postnasal drip with the side effect that it makes you sleepy,” he says, adding that it dries up your nose and helps stop the cough.
But Benadryl may have some side effects for people over age 65, such as reducing stability in the middle of the night, confusion, retention of urine, and dry mouth, Russell says. Because of the risks of
Benadryl and other over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines, Russell advises exploring
drug-free remedies first, then using cough medicines with caution.
Some cold medicines contain nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or acetaminophen, so it can be easy to accidentally take a double dose if you also take pain-reliever capsules for a headache or fever.
These over-the-counter medicines may also affect some prescription drugs, such as certain antidepressants. So it’s important to check with your doctor to make sure they’re safe if you take any medication on a regular basis.
Talk to your doctor if you have asthma. If you already have asthma, it too can get worse at night and lead to more-severe coughing during sleep. Talk with your doctor about adjusting your asthma treatment if needed.
Acute or short-lived coughs, which often follow an upper respiratory tract infection such as the common cold, usually go away on their own without treatment.
But if your cough lasts for more than a week, you should call your doctor, Russell says.
Also, make an appointment with a healthcare provider if your cough:
- Makes a whooping or barking sound
- Causes you to vomit
- Happens along with a fever lasting more than two days
- Produces a green, yellow, or bloody mucus
- Rest is vital to fight off infections like colds and the flu. So if a cough is keeping you up at night, try remedies like elevating the head of your bed, staying hydrated, and sucking on a cough drop.
- A humidifier can add moisture to dry air, which may reduce nighttime coughing. Just make sure to refill it with sterile water to avoid additional health risks.
- If your cough lasts for more than a week or becomes worse, see a healthcare professional to find out if there is an underlying condition or need for further treatment.
Additional reporting by Jennifer D’Angelo Friedman.
Rachel Green
Rachel Davis
Derek Schulz
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Dr. Amara Okafor