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Nighttime Coughing:
5 Proven Ways to Stop It

Coughing is your body’s way of getting rid of irritants from your airway.116 It can also prevent infection by removing germs from your lungs.114

But if your cough happens at night, it can keep you from getting a good night’s sleep.114 It prevents you from getting sufficient rest at night, which is essential in sustaining a healthy mind and body.

A good night’s sleep plays a crucial role in making you fit and healthy throughout your life. Like breathing and eating, sleeping is a basic need.120 So if your cough is depriving you of much-needed rest and recovery, make sure to get rid of your chesty cough immediately.

Read on to learn how important sleep is and the things you can do to relieve coughing at night.




The Importance of Sleep

How you feel while you are awake will highly depend on what happens while you are sleeping. While you are asleep, your body is at work to support healthy brain functioning, optimum physical health, and excellent daytime performance.






Sleep fosters healthy brain functioning

Proper sleep helps your brain to function correctly by preparing it for the next day.

  • It forms new pathways to assist with learning and retaining information.119

  • It helps you make sound decisions, pay attention, and be creative.

Sleep deficiency, on the other hand, will alter significant activities in some parts of your brain. It can result in trouble with:

  • Solving problems

  • Making decisions

  • Coping with change

  • Controlling emotions

Sleep deprivation has also been linked to risk-taking behavior, suicide, and depression.119, 120






It enhances physical health119

Sleep benefits the body physically by:

  • Decreasing one’s risk of high blood pressure, stroke,120 diabetes,120 kidney disease, and obesity

  • Sustaining a healthy balance of hormones like insulin, leptin, and ghrelin

  • Strengthening the immune system,120 improving the body’s ability to help defend itself against harmful and foreign substances

  • Triggering the release of growth hormones to ensure healthy growth and development among children and teens






It improves daytime performance

Deep sleep helps the body function productively throughout the day by ensuring:

  • You have faster reaction times to stimuli.

  • You finish your tasks quickly without making mistakes.

  • You remember everything on your to-do list.

On the other hand, lack of sleep can result in micro-sleep.119 This refers to brief moments of sleep that happen when you are normally awake, and which you can’t control.

Sleep deficiency is something that should not be taken lightly. So if you are having trouble getting enough rest because of your cough, aim to implement the following ways to suppress coughing at night.

How to Stop Nighttime Coughing

If you are suffering from nighttime coughing, here are ways to stop it.




Use a humidifier

A cough can worsen with dry air,114 which can result from heating systems in the winter and cooling fans or air conditioning in the summer. Using a humidifier at night will:

  • Add moisture to the air115

  • Soothe your throat

  • Help prevent coughing

Be cautious about the humidity level, though, because too much moisture will promote the growth of mold – an allergen that triggers coughing. Aim for a humidity level of 50%114 in your bedroom. You can use a hygrometer to measure your room’s moisture level.




Get rid of allergens

Dust

Mold

Pollen

Animal dander

As mentioned earlier, allergens like mold, dust, and pet dander can trigger allergic reactions. Common symptoms of allergies include stuffiness, sneezing, and coughing.

Remove these allergens from your home by:

  • Cleaning your bedroom regularly116

  • Washing your beddings weekly

  • Removing things that attract dust, such as books, magazines, and trinkets

  • Taking a shower before sleeping, especially if you’ve been outdoors






Drink hot honey and lemon

A sip of hot honey118 and lemon before going to bed is highly recommended because:

  • It can reduce throat irritation and loosen mucus.114

  • It has antibacterial properties, particularly the honey content.116

  • It can relieve a sore throat.

  • It can boost your immunity due to the high vitamin C content of lemon juice.116

Alternatively, you can gargle with salt water121 as this can also ease an irritated or sore throat. You can add a half teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of warm water. Gargle this solution before going to bed to suppress coughing.






Elevate your head

If you are used to lying flat on your back in bed, consider elevating your head to:

  • Stop coughing at night

  • Decrease symptoms of GERD and post-nasal drip, which cause coughing114

Use several pillows117, 118 or a back wedge to keep your head elevated while sleeping.






Consider over-the-counter cough medicines

If coughing prevents you from having a good night’s rest, consider taking cough medicines like expectorants and cough suppressants. Chesty cough medicine works by making the mucus thin so you can easily cough it out, while the latter works by blocking the cough reflex.117

Mucosolvan chesty cough syrup can provide cough relief for up to 12 hours. It works by:

  • Loosening the mucus

  • Clearing your airways

  • Protecting your lungs

But if you want a dose that offers 24-hour cough relief, try our Mucosolvan LA capsules. With its micro-pearls, this medicine works quickly and lasts throughout the day.





When to see a doctor

If nighttime coughing persists, despite trying all these remedies, it is best to see your doctor. Other symptoms that indicate that it’s time to visit your physician are:

  • Chest pain

  • Wheezing

  • Persistent fever higher than 38.3°C

  • Coughing up blood

  • Trouble breathing

Stop nighttime coughing immediately to prevent the ill-effects of sleep deficiency with proper rest and self-care, and see a doctor should symptoms persist.