Taking a sip of water helps to stop coughing, but avoiding the dry air and keeping the rooms in the house always well cleaned are also good strategies to calm the cough.
The nocturnal cough is a defense of the organism, having as main function the elimination of foreign elements and secretions of the airways. This cough is quite uncomfortable and tiring but can be solved with simple measures.
However, it is important to seek the doctor when the person can not sleep due to coughing, when the cough is very frequent and occurs more than 5 days a week or when it is accompanied by phlegm, fever or other symptoms that may indicate something more such as coughing up blood.
4 Strategies for Cessation of Night Cough
What can be done to end the nocturnal cough of adults and children is:
1. Hydrate the throat
You can take a sip of water at room temperature or take a sip of warm tea when the cough appears. This will keep the mouth and throat more hydrated, which helps calm the dry cough. Warm milk sweetened with honey can also be a good option, which helps even get to sleep faster because it fights insomnia.
Here are some good teas recipes to calm dry coughs.
2. Keep the airways clean
In addition to avoiding phlegm by taking all the necessary measures, it is important to avoid accumulating solid secretions inside the nose by wiping it with a damp cotton swab, for example. You can also spray or use hot steam from the bath to blow your nose hard so the nose is clear.
If you suffer from a stuffy nose, see a great solution here.
3. Avoid dry air indoors
To make your home air dry, you can leave a bucket of water near the fan or air conditioner. Another possibility is to wet a towel with warm water and leave it on a chair, for example.
Using an air humidifier can also be helpful, and this can be used to make aromatherapy, which calms the cough and imparts a pleasant aroma inside the home. A homemade way to achieve this is to put 2 to 4 drops of your favorite essential oil in a basin, fill with hot water and let the steam flow through the rooms of the house.
4. Keep the house clean
Dry, irritative cough is usually related to some type of respiratory allergy and so keeping the home and workplace clean and organized can make all the difference by soothing the cough.
Some tips that may help, are:
- Keep the house always well ventilated by opening the windows whenever possible;
- Remove the stuffed animals, curtains and carpets from the house;
- Clean the house daily, without using products with a strong smell;
- Remove excess objects and papers, especially under beds, sofas and top of cabinets;
- Save pillows and mattresses in anti-allergy covers;
- Put the mattresses and pillows in the sun whenever possible;
- Change the pillows and pillows periodically because they accumulate mites that are harmful to health.
These measures should be adopted as a new way of life and therefore should be maintained throughout life.
What gets worse at night
Nighttime coughing can be caused by flu, colds or allergy, for example. The nocturnal cough is irritating and excessive, and can make sleep difficult. Coughing worsens at night, because when the individual lies down, drainage of the secretions from the airways becomes more difficult, favoring their accumulation and stimulating the cough.
The main causes of nocturnal cough, which especially affects children, are:
- Respiratory allergy such as asthma or rhinitis;
- Recent viral infection of the respiratory tract, such as influenza, cold or pneumonia;
- Presence of foreign bodies inside the nose, such as corn kernels or small toys;
- Aspiration of smoke or vapors that may ignite the tissues of the nose and throat;
- Emotional tension, fear of the dark, fear of sleeping alone;
- Gastroesophageal reflux: when food returns from the stomach into the esophagus irritating the throat.
Another possible cause of nocturnal cough is the increase of the adenoid, a protective structure between the nose and throat, which favors the accumulation of secretions.
See more natural tips on: Lemon juice to stop coughing.
