What about cough medicine? The reality is that most over-the-counter and prescription medications numb the cough reflex rather than treat the true cause of the cough.
While lung disease is treated by prescription medications, these cases are rare. Remember that coughing is a protective reflex: your upper airway protects you from choking, and your lungs help you eject unwanted substances. When is it time to see a doctor?
These symptoms could be signs of a more serious issue. Note: Parents — if your child has a persistent cough, be aware that it could be due to foreign body aspiration. Children are susceptible to swallowing small objects such as marbles or figurines. If you believe this could have happened, take your child to the doctor.
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Get tips from Ohio State experts right to your inbox. Email address. First name. Last name. Date of birth. This symptom often accompanies a cold, as well as the flu, allergies, and sinus infections.
Lying on your back can worsen postnasal drip, which may be why you notice worse coughing at night. Medical professionals have not yet found a cure to the common cold, but they recommend obtaining plenty of rest as you recover. Sleep and the immune system are closely linked, so receiving adequate sleep generally promotes healing. Research suggests sleep improves immunity because of its effects on hormones in the body and the inflammation response.
Sleeping enough before you fall ill could be the best way to avoid the common cold. Healthy adults should sleep for seven or more hours each night. Research shows that people who are sleep deprived in the week before being exposed to the cold virus are more likely to develop symptoms than people who receive adequate sleep.
Studies suggest that those who sleep less than five hours per night are more than twice as likely to become symptomatic than those who sleep more than seven hours per night.
Those who sleep less than seven hours per night are almost three times more likely to develop a cold than those who sleep at least eight hours. Although a cough is the symptom that is most likely to wake you up at night when you have a cold, other cold symptoms such as aches and pains , a sore throat, runny nose, and the need to sneeze might also disturb your sleep. People experiencing a fever may have fever dreams.
These unusual, negative dreams could also make sleeping more difficult while you are sick. Although you may not succeed in entirely eliminating your symptoms overnight, there are some habits that may help you enjoy more restorative sleep as you recover.
If your cough is made worse by asthma, seasonal allergies, or other conditions, you may also need to treat these conditions to help relieve your cough. Before reaching for cold medication, experts recommend parents give children over 12 months of age honey as a safer treatment for upper respiratory infections like the cold. For non-infant children, consuming honey before bedtime has been shown to reduce how often and how severely a child coughs at night.
Children and parents alike may enjoy improved sleep when a sick child takes honey before sleeping. Researchers focus their honey studies on children in particular because over-the-counter cough medicines pose more risks to children than they do to adults, so finding an alternative treatment is more important for this age group. However, adults can also try honey to treat a cough. Honey is known to have multiple protective effects, including being antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial.
Although many people naturally reach for cough medicine when they are experiencing a cold-related cough, research studies demonstrate mixed results when it comes to the effectiveness of cough medicines. Many studies have found that cough medicines do not provide any more of a benefit than a placebo does, and many cough medicines are associated with unpleasant side effects.
Some medical experts caution that overusing medication that suppresses coughing could impact how long a person takes to recover from their illness. Cough medicine is commonly available over-the-counter.
If you find that cough medicine helps you sleep, then it may be worthwhile to use it in moderation, keeping in mind the potential side effects. For a dry cough, a lozenge may be sufficient to calm the cough reflex so you can fall asleep. Nasal decongestants contain substances that target the blood vessels in order to open up the nasal passages and decrease postnasal drip, which indirectly helps reduce coughing at night. Most nasal decongestants are available over-the-counter in the form of tablets, drops, or nasal sprays.
Like cough medicine research, studies on using nasal decongestants to treat the common cold have produced mixed results. Although they may work for some people, they can also bring side effects such as high blood pressure, headaches, nausea, dizziness, and insomnia. They should not be used for longer than five days, and they should not be used by children younger than six years old.
Hot tea and chicken soup are popular home remedies often said to relieve cold symptoms, though the effect of hot liquids on a cold has not been widely studied.
One study from the s found that ingesting hot liquids, such as hot water or chicken soup, reduced nasal congestion. A more recent study found that a hot drink did not have any objective effect on the ability to breathe easily through the nose, but it did lead to people reporting that they could breathe more easily.
Both a hot drink and the same drink at room temperature helped improve runny noses, sneezing, and coughs. Additionally, people who drank the hot drink reported that they felt less chilly and tired, and their throats were not as sore. Having a warm cup of tea or bowl of soup in the evening when you are feeling under the weather is worth a try.
Even if the positive effects you experience are a placebo, they could temporarily help you feel better and experience improved sleep. Coughs related to postnasal drip can become a greater problem once a person lies down, due to gravity. If your cough seems to worsen once you lie flat, try propping up your head and neck. Use a wedge pillow or multiple bed pillows to make yourself comfortable while lying in a position that keeps your head elevated above the rest of your body. While this may help adults, it is not a recommended therapy for young children.
Some studies have found that higher humidity levels are more favorable for clearing the nasal passages, though other studies have found a lack of evidence on whether using a humidifier affects nasal symptoms. That said, a house that is too humid can also aggravate airway symptoms for some people, so it is best to stay within the recommended limits. If you do choose to use a humidifier, it is important to clean it regularly and only use distilled water. The common cold and its associated symptoms, such as a cough, typically last for about seven to 10 days.
If your cough or cold symptoms persist beyond this timeframe or feel particularly severe, make an appointment with your doctor. Although many people recover from a cold easily, those with a compromised immune system or certain illnesses are at risk of the cold developing into a more serious infection, such as pneumonia or bronchitis. Jay Summer is a health content writer and editor. She holds a B. Keeping hydrated helps keep your throat moist, which is key to protecting it from irritants.
Aim to drink about eight large glasses of water each day. Consider adding herbal tea or warm lemon water to the menu. If you think you might have GERD, then you should speak with a doctor about your treatment options. In the meantime, there are a few OTC medications that may help prevent symptoms like nighttime cough, these include:. Sometimes, home remedies are not enough.
If you want to be a bit more aggressive, take a look at the following medicinal options. Decongestants are OTC medications that treat congestion. Viruses like the common cold and the flu cause the lining of your nose to swell, making it hard to breathe. Decongestants work by constricting blood vessels, so that less blood flows to the swollen tissue. Without that blood, the swollen tissue shrinks, and it becomes easier to breathe. There are two types of cough medicine available over-the-counter: cough suppressants and expectorants.
Cough suppressants antitussives prevent you from coughing by blocking your cough reflex. Expectorants work by thinning out the mucus in your airway, making it easier to cough up. Cough suppressants are better suited for dry nighttime coughs, because they prevent your cough reflex from being triggered while you sleep. Make an appointment with a doctor if your cough lasts longer than two months or if it gets worse over time.
See a doctor right away if you have any of the following:. Most dry coughs are lingering symptoms of colds and flus, but there are a few other possible causes. Learn about 10 different remedies and lifestyle changes that can help relieve your nighttime cough. Learn about the differences between types of coughs, such as wet and dry coughs, croup coughs, and violent coughing fits.
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