Causes of severe cough in the evening. Why does the cough get worse in the evening?

Cough is a symptom of many diseases; it occurs not only with a cold or inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract, various diseases of the heart, and the musculoskeletal system. Coughing at night can be an indicator of a serious illness; sometimes a person needs urgent help. You should know about the main causes of cough at night in an adult, what accompanying symptoms may be present, in order to immediately determine whether emergency help is needed.

A cough at night can be dry or wet, it all depends on the disease that caused it. A wet cough most often occurs with inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx or lungs. The dry form may indicate more serious problems that require urgent specialist intervention.

The intensification or occurrence of cough at night in many diseases can be explained by several factors. During inflammatory processes in a lying position, during sleep, secretions in the lungs spill into the respiratory tract and are not able to exit. Therefore, the cough intensifies, and the person often wakes up from attacks.

Determining the cause of a symptom is critical to prescribing the correct treatment. For different diseases, completely different means and methods are used; before selecting a treatment regimen, you should consult a doctor.

The occurrence of this symptom is influenced by various factors; they can be divided into several groups according to the nature of the manifestations and methods of treatment. The most common causes of severe coughing at night are the following diseases.

Colds, inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract and nasopharynx

Colds and infectious diseases are called the main causes of this symptom. A cough with a cold is not always present all the time during the day; it can occur exclusively at night, especially at the very beginning of the disease.

In this case, the symptom is usually combined with other symptoms of colds. There is weakness and malaise during the day, drowsiness, runny nose, pain and sore throat. In some inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx, the cervical lymph nodes increase in size. Most often, cough at night occurs due to the following diseases:

  • various rhinitis, sinusitis, sinusitis;
  • inflammatory diseases of the lungs and bronchi, bronchitis, pneumonia;
  • Acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, other colds, influenza viruses.

In this case, a cough may occur without fever or with its presence, it all depends on the type of disease. With colds, the cough is usually wet; a person may wake up at night and have difficulty coughing up accumulated mucus.

A dry cough at night can occur at the very beginning of the development of the disease. In this case, it gradually turns into wet. When coughing there is often a sensation of a foreign body. This type of symptom does not cause pain, but discomfort may occur in the chest area.

Important! It is worth noting that this symptom should not be ignored when you have a cold. An advanced cold can lead to pneumonia and other serious consequences.

Cardiac and bronchial asthma differ in origin and treatment methods, but are extremely similar in symptoms, so without a full diagnosis it is quite difficult to distinguish one attack from another. It is worth noting that both attacks are deadly and can lead to serious health consequences.

During asthma attacks at night, a person usually wakes up from suffocation and shortness of breath. A strong, difficult, dry cough begins; if it becomes wet, this is a bad sign. The person immediately tries to stand up or sit down, since coughing and shortness of breath intensify when lying down. A typical posture for a person having an asthma attack is sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning slightly forward, with his feet on the floor.

In this case, it is extremely important to call an ambulance as quickly as possible, since this condition is dangerous to health. If an attack occurs for the first time, it is difficult to understand that it was provoked by a pathology in the bronchi or heart; no measures can be taken on your own. You can only let the patient breathe over cotton wool soaked in alcohol or vodka without additives to weaken the attack.

Cause: worms

Allergy

In case of allergic reactions, coughing may occur at night. There are cases when a person is allergic to the filling of a pillow or blanket, the contents of a mattress, bedding, or contact with an allergen occurred during the day. Special tests from an allergist will help determine the exact cause of the allergy.

An allergy cough is usually accompanied by a foreign body sensation and is usually dry and severe. Sputum may appear, but usually it is quite liquid, transparent, and can be coughed up without much difficulty.

With osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic spine, neuralgia of the thoracic spine, a dry hacking cough may occur at night. It is usually preceded by pain in the back and neck during the day, a feeling of numbness in the shoulder blades and arms. The symptom may be accompanied by a sensation of a foreign body or a lump in the throat.

Back problems are a common cause in women. For some reasons, women are more susceptible to osteochondrosis and other similar pathologies.

Which doctor should I contact?

If the cause of this symptom is not clear, you should consult a general practitioner. After examination and testing, the specialist will redirect you to a more suitable neurologist, cardiologist or orthopedist.

For colds and inflammation of the nasopharynx, you should immediately go to a doctor - an otolaryngologist. If the attack occurs at night and resembles asthma, it is better to immediately call an ambulance, as it can be fatal.

How to treat

To prescribe appropriate treatment, it is necessary to identify the cause of this symptom. You should not take any medications without a doctor’s instructions, as this can only harm the body.
To relieve an attack of night cough, it is advised to sit down, drink a glass of water, and breathe deeply. It is advised to open the window to let fresh air into the room, this will improve the patient’s condition.

You can also use folk remedies. A good remedy against severe coughing attacks at night is honey. It is recommended to dilute one spoon in a glass of water and drink it. Honey softens coughing and helps relieve an attack; this remedy is especially helpful for colds.

In order for the painful cough to subside, you need to find and eliminate its cause. The following tips can help relieve nighttime coughing while you treat the underlying condition.

Warm drinks - herbal decoctions, milk with honey, milk with mineral water - help calm attacks of night cough. These warm drinks soften a dry, hard cough, increase the amount of sputum and have a good effect on the mucous membranes.

Install a humidifier in the room. Dry hot air can severely irritate the airways, causing a cough.

To prevent coughing from interfering with sleep, you can take a cough suppressant at night. If the cough is caused by allergies, use antihistamines. It is forbidden to take antibiotics on your own: the advisability of taking these drugs can only be determined by a doctor.

Steam inhalations can help calm a cough at night.

If a child suffers from attacks of night cough, remember that children under one year old should not be given strong antitussives to avoid respiratory arrest. In addition, breast rubbing and steam inhalations are contraindicated for babies under 6 months of age, and antihistamines are prescribed with extreme caution. Change your baby's body position frequently to prevent phlegm from accumulating. Use a taller pillow to help phlegm leave the lungs better. But the effectiveness of mustard plasters for coughs is a controversial issue; their effect is scientifically unfounded. The use of mustard plasters is prohibited if the child has a fever, has skin irritation or suffers from bronchial asthma. If you decide to use mustard plasters, remember that this procedure causes discomfort and pain for the child.

If the prescribed treatment does not provide the desired relief from night cough, you should consult your doctor again and undergo additional examination.

Cough is a symptom of many diseases, by the nature and time of occurrence of which you can try to determine the pathology that caused it. The causes of cough in the morning in an adult can be completely different; it is worth considering the most common factors leading to the development of this symptom.

If you have a single cough attack in the morning, you shouldn’t start worrying right away. Often it can be triggered by too dry air in the room, but there is no disease. However, if coughing attacks in the morning, immediately after waking up, recur for a week or two, you should consult a doctor.

There are two types of coughing in the morning: dry and wet. When a dry cough does not produce sputum, it is usually unproductive and most often indicates heart problems and other diseases not related to the respiratory system. With a wet cough, sputum is expelled; this type often indicates inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract.

A cough in an adult non-smoker with sputum in the morning can be a rather alarming symptom, especially if the sputum is thick, green or yellow, and contains blood clots. You should pay attention to other symptoms; in combination, they will tell more about your state of health.

Morning cough with sputum can be caused by colds when coughing begins. During the night, in a horizontal position, phlegm accumulates in the bronchi, so when waking up, she begins to cough up. In this case, the symptom may also manifest itself at night; the cough intensifies at night.

Similar symptoms may be present in other inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract. It occurs especially often in acute and chronic bronchitis. If mucus comes out with blood clots, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible; this symptom indicates pneumonia in most cases.

Sometimes a wet cough occurs due to inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx, in which mucus is secreted. At night, it can literally flow down, so when you wake up, the secretions that have accumulated in the throat can begin to be coughed up. A similar condition can occur with different types of rhinitis, sinusitis, and sinusitis.

If the mucus released when coughing is clear and liquid, glassy, ​​this may indicate an allergic cough. This symptom is most often caused by an allergy to dust, pollen, and other volatile substances. Also, a severe cough after waking up with watery sputum can occur due to an allergy to bedding filler.

Important! You should not start taking cough suppressants without consulting your doctor.

Smokers often experience the urge to clear their throat after waking up. In this case, sputum is most often produced; the more and longer a person smokes, the more often this condition occurs.

People who smoke most often develop chronic smoker's bronchitis, one of the main manifestations of which is a wet cough attack in the morning. In a neglected state, blood clots will appear in the sputum.

Important! The condition will normalize over time if you quit the bad habit.

Most causes of this symptom are not related to respiratory diseases. A dry morning attack most often occurs due to other factors, disturbances in the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and other diseases. You should also pay attention to the accompanying symptoms; most often the following factors lead to the occurrence of a dry cough:

  1. Diseases of the cardiovascular system. If there are disturbances in the functioning of the heart, a cough may occur, accompanied by shortness of breath and rhythm disturbances. If you suspect a cardiac cough, you should immediately consult a cardiologist, since a fatal attack of cardiac asthma may subsequently occur.
  2. Bronchial asthma. Most often, this disease develops in allergy sufferers; a cough attack usually occurs at night and is accompanied by an attack of suffocation, but it can also appear in the morning immediately after waking up.
  3. Reflux disease. This pathology occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, because of which gastric juice can irritate the esophagus, causing a cough. It usually appears in the morning and is dry in nature.
  4. Dehydration. Lack of water in the body can lead to a dry cough attack after waking up, with dry lips and oral mucosa usually present. To get rid of this condition, you need to drink enough water.
  5. Osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic spine. With this disease, nerve endings are pinched, intervertebral discs and vertebrae are displaced relative to the anatomically correct position. As a result, a dry cough occurs, accompanied by a sensation of a foreign body and back pain. With this disease, there is a cough in the morning and evening if physical activity occurs during the day.

These are the main causes of dry cough that occurs in the morning. If there are difficulties in determining its cause, you should consult a general practitioner and undergo the necessary examination.

Cough leading to vomiting

When such a symptom appears, you should not immediately start to panic; it can occur even with a common cold, if the inflammation in the respiratory tract is quite extensive, and the body is weakened. However, you should be aware of other possible causes of cough with nausea, especially if other cold symptoms are completely absent.

  1. Tuberculosis, lung tumors. These diseases are extremely dangerous, however, in addition to vomiting, there will definitely be a strong coughing attack of an annoying nature with the release of blood and sputum.
  2. Allergy accompanied by sneezing. Sneezing with allergies can be so intense that it can provoke a spasm, which can cause vomiting.
  3. Heart failure. The coughing attack that occurs with this disease and other symptoms can be so intense that they provoke severe nausea.

Constant attacks of such a symptom should definitely alert you, you should immediately consult a doctor.

How to treat

First of all, you need to treat the pathology that causes the symptom. Therapy depends on the specific disease; some pathologies can only be treated by a doctor.

However, it is worth knowing how you can relieve a single attack. First of all, you should sit down or stand up; it is advised to open the window to ensure an influx of fresh age. You should drink a glass of plain water to finally feel better.

In addition, you can dilute one spoon of honey in a glass of water. Honey is a remedy that helps soften coughing and relieve sore throat that appears with prolonged coughing. You should not take any specialized cough medications without a doctor’s prescription; if your cough does not go away or occurs every day, you should seek help.

Coughing is a complex reflex act in which a sharp contraction of the respiratory muscles occurs and a strong push-like release of air from the lungs. A cough occurs when sensitive receptors located in the trachea, larynx, pleura, and large bronchi are irritated.

The main purpose of the cough reflex is to clear the airways of liquid, foreign body or mucus. At its core, a cough is a defense mechanism that is designed to clear the airways of phlegm, foreign particles and harmful microorganisms.

Severe dry cough

A dry cough often develops against the background of various respiratory diseases. To treat a severe dry cough, both medications and folk remedies are used. A dry cough appears when the cough receptors located in the mucous membrane of any part of the respiratory tract are irritated.

The cause of a severe dry cough can be infectious agents of bacterial, viral, fungal origin, as well as protozoa. In order to establish the causative agent of the infection and its sensitivity to various drugs, it is necessary to conduct a microbiological examination of sputum. Therefore, you should transform the cough into a wet one, and after sputum begins to cough up, conduct an analysis and, if necessary, adjust the treatment.

Pharyngitis causes a dry cough that is accompanied by a burning and scratching sensation in the throat. A dry, exhausting cough often develops with pharyngitis of fungal origin.

With laryngitis, a loud, barking, dry cough appears, which, with swelling of the larynx, turns into a hoarse cough and causes suffocation. Tracheitis is accompanied by a dry cough with scratching pain in the chest, and pneumonia and bronchitis cause a duller dry cough.

With lung cancer, a dry cough can be especially long-lasting and intrusive: from small coughs to prolonged attacks.

A severe dry cough cannot be treated on your own, as its cause must be determined, so contacting a doctor is necessary. If it is possible to identify the causative agent of the disease, then treatment is carried out to suppress its vital activity. This treatment for dry cough is the most effective.

Severe cough with sputum

A severe cough with phlegm occurs when the body needs to remove phlegm, which is very difficult to separate. In order to help the body, it is necessary to take the following measures to facilitate the removal of phlegm, but only after consulting a doctor.

  • You should take expectorants: ACC, ambrohexal, bromhexine, lazolvan or ambrobene.
  • Additionally, you can take medicinal plants that have an expectorant and anti-inflammatory effect: wild rosemary decoction, St. John's wort, licorice syrup and breast tea.
  • Warming compresses in the form of mustard plasters, jars and grated black radish help well with a strong cough. In addition, you can extract juice from radish and take it by mixing it in equal parts with honey or sugar.
  • In addition, it is useful to inhale five times a day using a mechanical inhaler or nebulizer using Vintolin or Ambrobene.

Severe cough at night

If your child has a severe cough at night, but there are no other symptoms, you should pay attention to the allergens in his room. New mattress, pillow, bed linen, clothes, or you just changed the washing powder. Attacks of allergic cough disappear immediately after the cause of the allergy is eliminated.

Severe attacks of dry, obsessive cough in a child at night can be caused by whooping cough. The cough with whooping cough is whistling, with a strained sigh, the child turns red, may stick out his tongue, tears flow, often coughing attacks cause vomiting or nosebleeds. An increased body temperature may occur. For treatment you should consult a doctor.

A cough during sleep, which intensifies in the morning and is accompanied by wheezing and whistling sounds, may indicate the development of bronchial asthma. Sometimes such a cough is the only symptom of the disease. You should definitely consult a doctor.

A prolonged dry cough at night can be caused by gastrointestinal reflux. In addition, shortness of breath, wheezing, vomiting, poor appetite and weight loss should be present. A dry, obsessive cough at night can be caused by roundworm larvae migrating throughout the body. Laboratory tests can confirm the diagnosis.

Coughing during sleep can accompany tuberculosis and lung tumors. If you have even the slightest suspicion of contact with a patient with tuberculosis, or the cough has continued for more than two weeks, immediately consult a doctor and undergo an X-ray examination of the lungs.

The body's defense mechanism against viral infections of the upper respiratory tract is to produce mucus, which is cleared from the body using the cough reflex. At night, when a person is in a lying position and the cough center is not so active, mucus accumulates and causes irritation of the respiratory tract. This can provoke a night cough, and attacks that last for quite a long time.

Severe cough in the morning

The most common disease among smokers is chronic bronchitis. Its cause is chronic inflammation in the walls of the bronchi, the accumulation of mucus in the lumen of the bronchi. Symptoms of a smoker's bronchitis are a cough that is constant and dry, especially a severe cough in the morning, with viscous, thick mucus often coming out. Cough increases with colds, viral infections and flu.

Over time, in addition to the cough, the smoker begins to be bothered by shortness of breath, and the exacerbation of the disease becomes increasingly difficult to cope with, and a cough with mucus also appears in the morning. During exacerbations, body temperature may rise slightly, and whistling and wheezing may appear when breathing. Smoker's bronchitis in the later stages turns into the so-called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which in some cases leads to disability.

Severe cough to the point of vomiting

Severe coughing leading to vomiting can be caused by many diseases that develop in the upper respiratory tract. This cough can be a symptom of bronchitis or a common cold in children, and its presence in adults indicates a very serious illness.

Whooping cough is a common illness in children that causes a severe chest cough to the point of vomiting. As the disease progresses, coughing attacks can be repeated up to 50 times a day, and in addition to vomiting, hemoptysis and nosebleeds may appear. Treatment of whooping cough is possible only under the guidance of a doctor. Vomiting when coughing in a child can occur against the background of common acute respiratory viral infections and colds.

A common cause of vomiting during severe coughing in children is common snot. Mucus flows down the back wall of the nasopharynx and accumulates, and the body gets rid of it with a strong cough, causing vomiting. Bronchial asthma is manifested by night attacks of severe coughing. At first the cough is dry, gradually its intensity increases until vomiting. The attack subsides after an hour with sputum separation.

In an adult, severe coughing attacks that provoke vomiting can cause many diseases: allergies, cancer, tuberculosis, respiratory tract infections, as well as smoking, air pollution, inhalation of toxic substances and dust. A similar cough is observed with gastroesophageal reflux, heart failure, and taking ACE inhibitors.

Severe cough in a child

Often parents are lost and do not know how to effectively treat a child’s severe cough, which prevents him from sleeping, exhausts him, and sometimes leads to vomiting. Before you begin treatment for a severe cough, you should understand the reasons for its occurrence. Coughing is a protective reaction of the body that helps clear the airways. Cough is a symptom of many diseases - from the common cold to tuberculosis. Therefore, to treat a cough, you should treat the disease that caused it.

Treatment of a severe cough in a child

Three types of medications are used to treat cough in children.

  • Expectorants, which are used to remove mucus from the respiratory tract.
  • Antitussives, which suppress a child’s severe, debilitating cough by acting on certain areas of the brain, reducing the sensitivity of receptors.
  • Mucolytic agents that facilitate the removal of sputum by diluting it.

If a child has a strong dry cough, he is usually prescribed children's antitussives; when there is a strong cough with sputum, expectorants are used. It is contraindicated to use both drugs at the same time, as it can provoke the accumulation of sputum in the bronchi.

With acute respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, a cough with sputum is most often observed, for the treatment of which mucolytics are used:

  • Ambroxol;
  • Bromhexine.

The following are used as expectorants:

  • Mukaltin;
  • Pertussin;
  • Solutan.

Medicinal herbs used:

  • liquorice root;
  • coltsfoot;
  • plantain;
  • thyme.

All these herbs are sold in ready-made breast preparations in pharmacies.

During the treatment period, the child should be warmly dressed - socks or a vest made of goat or sheep wool perfectly retain heat in the body, prevent many diseases and prevent coughing attacks.

We should not forget about folk remedies:

  • tea with raspberry jam;
  • hot milk with honey and butter.

These natural remedies not only appeal to children for their sweet taste, but also help to liquefy and remove mucus.

If a severe cough worsens at night, it is useful to do compresses and other procedures that warm the chest before going to bed.

For diseases of the respiratory tract accompanied by a cough, it is usually recommended to take inhalations with mineral water, which effectively soften a strong dry cough and help alleviate the child’s condition.

Severe cough in an adult

Questions and answers on the topic "Severe cough"

Question:Hello, I have a strong dry cough that has lasted for the fifth month. Over the past two weeks, the cough has gotten worse (to the point of vomiting), and Laura’s runny nose was treated. The cough continues. I don’t have a fever, I’ve lost a lot of weight and I’m very tired. I took Ambroxol, breast milk mucaltin did not help. Now Ass, cefatoxin, Nimesulide, Loratadine. Nothing has changed yet. What should I expect, The End!

Answer: It is possible that the cough is of an allergic nature. Consult an allergist in person.

Question:Hello! My daughter is 5 years old, she has a strong “wet” cough, the doctor prescribed us Erespal 1 tbsp. spoon 2 times a day, course 10 days. Is it possible to replace Erespal with Bronchicum, and if so, how to take it? Thanks in advance!

Answer: Hello. Why do you need to change the drug? Erespal is used for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, tonsilopharyngitis, tracheitis, its effect is anti-inflammatory and antibronchoconstrictive, that is, the drug prevents the bronchi from collapsing, thus facilitating the discharge of sputum. Bronchicum has a number of contraindications; it should be used with caution in children; it contains alcohol, 29.5% drops, 1.5% elixir, and an age limit of 6 years. I think you should listen to your doctor and start the prescribed treatment.

Question:Hello, I have a severe cough and it’s hard to breathe. A couple of years ago I had pneumonia with similar symptoms. I barely made it out. Can I give myself a cefazolin injection? There are no doctors in our village.

Answer: Hello! Call an ambulance! Self-prescription of an antibiotic can blur the picture of the disease and complicate diagnosis in the future. The emergency doctor will examine you and give necessary treatment recommendations.

Question:The child is 8 full years old, a strong cough began on January 10 - they took antibiotics, Ambrobene, licorice, mucaltin (all in order, one at a time), put the cans. Got better. started going to school, everything started again. What to do? We are currently accepting Sinecode. What else can we do? How to treat?

Answer: Sinekod is a drug that suppresses the activity of the cough (and therefore respiratory) center in the nervous system, so taking it is not at all useful. You need not to suppress the symptoms (a cough is just a symptom), but to be examined in detail. First of all, consultations with an otolaryngologist and pediatrician are necessary. If the ENT doctor does not see anything in the throat, and the pediatrician says that “the lungs are clear,” you will have to additionally take an X-ray of the lungs - some problems in the lungs cannot be heard by the ear, but are visible only on an X-ray. Additionally, it will be necessary to take a general blood test to understand whether the child currently has an inflammatory process. And only on the basis of these examinations will it be possible to judge what the cause of the cough is and what drugs can be used to combat it.

Question:In the evening there is a strong dry cough indoors. When I lie down I get a lump in my throat, I need to clear my throat. During the day there is almost no cough. I haven’t been to the doctors for a check-up for a long time. I checked the thyroid gland with an ultrasound, everything is fine, no enlargements. What could it be? I am 35 years old, 1 child, weigh 105 kg, height 168 cm. Chronic pancreatitis. There are no other diseases. I take it, it helps after 1.5-2 hours.

Answer: You need to take, at a minimum, a general X-ray of the chest, external respiration function, and see an ENT doctor. Also, coughing in a lying position can be caused by the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. An allergy factor cannot be ruled out. Go to the doctors and get examined.

Question:Hello! Daughter is 5 years old. I had a runny nose and cough for two weeks. We drank Kagocel and Ascaril and washed our nose with Dolphin. The cough became wet. Afterwards, the pediatrician prescribed physio:quartz No. 5. WE only did it three times. The cough has become stronger and drier, especially at night he coughs a lot and after sleep, both at night and during the day, there is no runny nose, no wheezing. Now they have prescribed Rinofluimucil, Polydexa, Sinupred and Gedelix for cough. Is it possible that the cough has gotten worse because of the quartz and what should I do now? Why all these medications if there is no runny nose at all?

Answer: Hello! Judging by your description, the child’s cough comes from the nasopharynx. During the night and during periods of increased activity, mucus from the nasopharynx flows into the trachea and, irritating the center of the cough, causes it. Of course, quartz could cause an increase in cough symptoms due to the fact that it dries out the mucous membrane somewhat. To make an appointment, you need to examine the child and see the results of the examination. Therefore, the best way is to show the child and the examination results to the doctor for the most optimal prescription.

Question:Good afternoon My son is 3.5 years old. A week ago he had ARVI and sinusitis, took antibiotics for 6 days: Flemoklab, Sinupret and Lazolvan. After discharge, a slight wet cough and slight congestion remained; a week later a strong dry cough began, mostly starting in the morning, lasting until lunch, then a little less frequently. The cough can be dry, it can be wet, but it does not always clear the throat (sometimes he coughs with a dry cough for a long time, then clears his throat, subsides for a while, and so on until the evening). We did inhalations with Ambrobene for 2 days, then simply took Ambrobene, Erius and Erespal. Today is the fourth day, there is no improvement. Maybe it’s worth replacing the ambrobene with something else, like ACC? Should antibiotics be included and which ones? Apart from the cough, there is nothing to worry about, there is no fever, the nasal congestion has gone away, the child is playing and eating. Thank you in advance for your response!

Answer: If the child does cough up sputum, it is most likely very thick. In this case, it is really necessary to replace Ambrobene with a more effective drug. It could be ACC or children's cough syrup - Milistan. Continue taking Erespal.

Many parents have repeatedly wondered why the child coughs only at night, but everything is fine during the day? There are many explanations for this. First of all, you should understand that this is a symptom, not the disease itself. Therefore, before starting to take therapeutic measures, you should first find out what caused this illness.

Why do intensified attacks occur at night? This condition occurs due to the fact that the body assumes a horizontal position during sleep. During this process, the blood supply to all organs and tissues slows down significantly. And the sputum that accumulates in the upper respiratory tract, as well as in the lungs, resolves.

It is for this reason that cough occurs in the dark. Sometimes the child has to get up in order to cough up the phlegm that has formed on the mucous membrane, which appears during night attacks.

Among the reasons that provoke the appearance of cough in children at night, the following are usually identified:

  • Diseases of bacterial and viral origin. These include measles, various acute respiratory diseases, pleurisy, tracheitis, etc.
  • Infection of a child’s body with helminths, for example, hookworms and roundworms.
  • Bronchial asthma.
  • Reflux, in which stomach contents back up into the esophagus.
  • Allergic reactions of various origins.
  • Pathologies of the baby.
  • Inflammation.
  • Severe stress recently experienced by the child.
  • Harmful substances in the air.
  • Entry of a foreign body into the upper respiratory tract.
  • Too cold and dry, or vice versa, dry and hot air.
  • Increased salivation associated with teething in the baby.

To prevent coughing from tormenting a child, special attention must be paid to prevention, which consists of protecting the child from any allergens. In addition, at the first signs, you need to immediately treat the baby and follow all the doctor’s recommendations.

Treatment options

If a child experiences them in the dark, you can help him get rid of them so that the baby can sleep normally. Very often, such attacks appear due to the occurrence of colds. In this case, warming up the upper respiratory tract and helping with passage will help get rid of it.

You shouldn’t torment a sick baby and don’t be too zealous. It is enough to carry out one or two procedures from the list below:

  • A good method is considered to be warm drinking, which warms and softens the child's upper respiratory tract. To make your baby feel better, you can give him a decoction based on chamomile, ginger, thyme or. In addition, mineral water mixed with milk, as well as heated tea, have an excellent effect.
  • In order for the child to sleep, you need to wrap his back and chest area with a warm scarf or handkerchief. At the same time, you need to ensure that this procedure does not cause overheating or discomfort in the baby.
  • For severe coughing attacks, they help, which must be done shortly before the night's rest (2-3 hours). You can use an inhaler purchased at a pharmacy, with essential oils or herbs added to the water, or you can simply breathe in the steam from boiled potatoes.
  • To make the child breathe easier, do this two or three hours before bedtime. If you carry out this procedure immediately before your baby goes to bed, painful coughing attacks may occur.
  • Since a child’s cough in the dark appears when he is in a supine position, you need to do the following. The baby is put to sleep half-sitting, while being held in his arms, and then placed on a high pillow so that he lies on a barrel.
  • Whatever the type of cough, you must ventilate the room and humidify the air. This preparation of the room will help the child breathe easier.
  • To ensure free breathing through the nose, the baby needs to clear the nasal passages. To do this, the child is asked to blow his nose and rinse each nostril in turn with. It needs to be instilled in two or three drops. It should be remembered that the prepared solution must contain a very small concentration of salt, otherwise a burn to the mucous membrane may occur.


If not treated in time, then each of them can lead to possible:

  • If a baby develops a dry barking cough of an obsessive nature at night, acute viral inflammation may appear in the upper respiratory tract. During such attacks, sputum is completely absent, or only a small amount is produced.
  • With bronchitis, the cough smoothly changes from dry to wet. In this case, the doctor must send the little patient for an x-ray to rule out the possibility of pneumonia.
  • A spasmodic cough can develop into bronchial asthma. And in children under one year old it can be a sign of the onset of obstructive bronchitis.
  • With tracheobronchitis, whooping cough, which occurs in an atypical form, as well as tracheitis of viral origin, a paroxysmal cough occurs. This process is accompanied by the release of hard lumps. It can be very long - more than a month and a half.
  • A lingering cough appears in children who have suffered from bronchitis. This is due to a strong increase in sputum secretion. In addition, it may be a sign of inflamed palates or swelling of mucus in the nasopharynx.

What not to do during attacks

If attacks of night cough occur, doctors categorically do not recommend doing the following:

  • If the baby is not yet six months old, he is strictly prohibited from carrying out procedures and.
  • You cannot treat a child’s night cough with antibacterial agents without the necessary prescriptions from a specialist.
  • It is strictly forbidden to use expectorant drugs without prior consultation with a specialist.
  • If your baby has a wet cough, it is not recommended to suppress it with antitussive drugs.
  • You should not give your child antihistamines or allergy medications without consulting your doctor.

If a child produces green sputum, which contains blood, and this whole process is accompanied by wheezing, you should immediately visit a medical facility.Consultation with a doctor is mandatory if your baby experiences sudden and prolonged coughing attacks in the dark. In addition, urgent medical attention is required in cases where the cough is accompanied by shortness of breath and shortness of breath.

Parents should know that a prolonged cough is a symptom of some kind of cough that requires adequate and timely therapy.

Such treatment can only be prescribed by a specialist within the walls of a medical institution. Therefore, under no circumstances should you treat a sick child yourself, but rather consult a competent doctor.

Useful video for parents - How to relieve a coughing attack in a child.