Dry cough at night in an adult: causes and treatment

Cough due to not the most dangerous reasons

If there is no likelihood of suspecting the complex and dangerous conditions listed above with a strong night cough, one should admit the obvious - the body is affected by a respiratory tract disease, including:

allergy;
asthma;
obstructive bronchitis;
pneumonia;
tuberculosis;
whooping cough.

Dry air in the room where a person suffering from attacks of night cough sleeps can provoke irritation of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx, as a result of which the reflex act of coughing occurs.

Approximately the same thing happens in cases of allergies/asthma - irritants (pillow feathers, household dust on indoor surfaces, plant pollen entering through a window) affect the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and cause a cough attack that is quite strong and sometimes life-threatening sick.

With obstructive bronchitis and pneumonia, an infectious lesion of the respiratory system (lungs and bronchi) occurs, which begins with increased production of thick sputum, and then irritation of the nerve endings (receptors) that cause coughing.

As mentioned above, during sleep a person in a horizontal position may suffer from the inability to satisfy the need to remove sputum, as well as from its increased density, which further complicates breathing.

With tuberculosis, the pathological process affects the lungs (85% of cases) of a person, which leads to the onset of an inflammatory process, a natural sign of which is a severe cough.

This manifestation, which does not go away within several days, should pay close attention, since the lack of timely treatment can cause serious health problems and even death of the patient. .

Important: with tuberculosis, the cough is not so much a night cough as a pre-dawn cough, since it is after waking up that the abnormally accumulated sputum during the night begins to be actively released, which can take at least an hour. .

Whooping cough is an acute bacterial disease of the respiratory tract, the main symptom of which is a painful cough that occurs at night and has a paroxysmal spasmodic nature.

This disease can affect adults, although it mainly affects children. With it, the inflammatory process in the bronchi stimulates the active production of thick mucus and such strong irritation of the receptors that attacks at the peak of the disease can reach up to 40 attacks per day.

What to do for all the listed respiratory diseases? For allergies/asthma, before going to bed, perform inhalations (for example, breathe in the steam from boiled potatoes), take syrup or dissolve cough lozenges.

In case of inflammations and infections that provoke them, it is imperative to take a complex of drugs aimed at combating the disease that originally caused the cough problem - antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, mucolytic, painkillers, antipyretics.

Important: all medications can be taken only after examination and consultation with a doctor.

Night cough in an adult: causes

Night cough in adults rarely occurs without reason. There is a whole list of diseases that are accompanied by bronchospasm. Few patients know what to do during severe attacks, so self-medication does not give the desired result.

Therefore, it is important to go to the clinic. The therapist will conduct a diagnosis, send the patient for tests and establish an accurate diagnosis. Only after these manipulations will medications be prescribed to cure a severe night cough.

Here are common reasons why bronchospasm may occur:

the body's reflex to too dry indoor air. This provokes drying of the mucous membrane of the pharynx and oral cavity, causing a dry cough at night;
smoking - in this case, spasm occurs only at night, when a person is in a horizontal position for a long time;
diseases of the cardiovascular system are a serious health problem, in which case night attacks are always accompanied by shortness of breath;
diseases of the digestive system - attacks occur after a person eats a heavy meal during dinner;
allergic reaction - in this case, coughing occurs suddenly at night. It is possible that the irritant is the pillow filling, dust on soft toys, or the softener used to wash bed linen;
respiratory disease;
entry of a foreign object into the respiratory tract - vomit or insect.

Cough at night in an adult has various causes. Only after examination in a specialist’s office can effective therapy be selected.

Help with severe night coughing

Although coughing is natural for humans, the process causes serious discomfort. Often, nighttime episodes make it difficult for a person to fall asleep.

Periodically recurring attacks during rest lead to disruption of proper sleep.

There are many options describing how to treat night cough in adults. To successfully overcome a problem, you need to find and eliminate its cause. It is difficult to identify this yourself at home, so it is better to seek the help of a qualified specialist.

Medicines

Before prescribing medications, the doctor identifies the nature of the pathology. Taking mucolytic agents helps to calm a wet cough at night in an adult, as they dilute the viscosity of the secretion and facilitate its passage. These include:

"ACC" -200 and -600.
"Bromhexine."
"Ambroxol".
"Carbocisteine".

To treat nonproductive coughing, medications that stimulate mucus production are used.

It is important to select such means that would soften and reduce the severity of the pathological process: . Plant origin, based on plantain or ivy, marshmallow. Suppressing the cough reflex: “Sinekod”. Bronchodilators: Libexin, Broncholitin. Expectorant action: “Stoptussin”.

Plant origin, based on plantain or ivy, marshmallow.
Suppressing the cough reflex: “Sinekod”.
Bronchodilators: Libexin, Broncholitin.
Expectorant action: “Stoptussin”.

In some cases, it is recommended to combine several groups of medications in order to quickly obtain a therapeutic effect. With properly selected therapy, dry cough turns into wet cough. If this does not happen, pneumonia is suspected.

Sometimes asthma attacks are triggered by allergens. In this case, the use of antihistamines would be appropriate. Their action is aimed at relieving puffiness, which intensifies especially with the onset of evening. The advantage of such drugs as Tavegil, Suprastin, Diazolin is that they have a mild sedative effect. An experienced doctor specifically selects them to improve sleep.

Advice! Some, not knowing how to stop coughing at night in an adult, resort to the simplest expectorants. But this is not always the solution to the problem. This approach will help remove the symptom, but the root cause will remain unknown. Sometimes the wrong medicine will only make the situation worse. Therefore, the use of medications must be agreed with the doctor.

ethnoscience

A complex of pharmaceutical treatments can be combined with traditional medicine methods. The advantage of the latter is that they are highly effective with minimal side effects. They are easy to prepare at home, while spending little time and money.

Most people prefer to treat the disease without pills. Therefore, to relieve a coughing attack at night in an adult, many use proven alternative medicine recipes:

Black radish juice.
Herbal teas or decoctions.
Inhalations with essential oils (eucalyptus, thyme, marjoram) or soda.
Heating sugar in a hot frying pan. When it darkens, add hot water.

The prepared syrup is drunk as soon as the attack begins, helping to stop it.

Composition of hot vegetable oil with honey and egg yolk.

Drink immediately before bed.

Alcohol compresses receive good reviews. Thanks to deep heating of painful points, relapses go away

Such treatment should be used with caution, especially during pregnancy. Inhalations with herbs are contraindicated for nursing women and asthmatics

Emergency measures

Coughing attacks occur suddenly. Sometimes their sudden appearance could not foretell anything. To calm the episode, the following recommendations should be followed as emergency assistance:

Don't lie down. Take an upright position or sit down.
Have lollipops in stock; they enhance salivation and soften the throat mucosa.
Drink enough warm water.
Heat milk with honey.

Attention! Emergency remedies do not always improve the situation. The person may cough, choking

At the same time, the skin begins to turn pale or burn, and the heartbeat quickens. In this case, you need to call an ambulance.

Main causes of dry cough

Cough at night can appear for various reasons:

the air in the bedroom is very dry;
the person is infected with a viral infection;
due to some serious illness, such as pneumonia or whooping cough;
have allergies;
any heart disease;
bronchial asthma;
cough may be a manifestation of pulmonary emphysema;
there is a tumor in the lungs;
tuberculosis disease.

It is almost impossible to independently figure out why a cough occurred during sleep; only a qualified doctor, after conducting a diagnosis and examination, can accurately determine the cause and prescribe treatment. A severe cough during sleep may be a symptom of a foreign object that has entered the bronchi or lungs. An ambulance must be called immediately to prevent the person from suffocating. If coughing occurs at night and disappears during the day, then this may be an allergy to some kind of bedding, for example, down, feathers in the pillow, or the material from which the pillow, blanket or sheet is made. The cause is tracheobronchitis, and if a person coughs frequently but briefly, this is a symptom of pleural damage. Sometimes even coughing attacks can be caused by ear diseases, in which case the problem is not related to breathing. If there is a dry hacking cough, then this is a symptom of bronchitis or some other lung disease, such as tuberculosis. When a person smokes, he may also have a night cough, which is a “thumping” cough.

Dry cough at night: symptoms and treatment

Attacks of intense night cough in a child, regardless of the cause, deprive not only the child himself, but also his parents. They leave no chance for anyone to get normal deep sleep; what kind of parent would be happy that their child is suffering. A dry cough occurs at night, as a rule, due to the accumulation in the nasopharynx of a baby in a horizontal position, which slowly dissolves and clogs the respiratory system, and thereby provokes the appearance of a cough.

The following pathologies can also provoke the disease:

chronic sinusitis, runny nose (the child begins to cough due to severe sore throat);
bronchial asthma;
whooping cough;
tracheitis (inflammation of the tracheal mucosa, often involving the bronchial mucosa);
adenoiditis;
gastroesophageal reflux.

Accompanied by a dry, strong cough at night, in most cases: a slight increase in temperature, loss of voice, redness of the face, sometimes vomiting, and soreness.

A pediatrician should treat pathology in a child; therapy is prescribed after a thorough examination and establishment of the exact cause and diagnosis.

As a rule, an appointment is made:

non-narcotic antitussive drugs: Glauvet, Sinekoda, Tusuprexa;
agents acting on cough receptors: Levopront, Libexin;
antitussives of combined action: Broncholitin, Stoptussin.

In addition, it is recommended to ventilate the baby’s room more often, especially before bedtime, give him more liquid (fortified fruit drinks, teas, decoctions of medicinal plants), and rinse the nasopharynx with a weak saline solution.

Remedies made from medicinal plants and natural ingredients are an excellent complement to the treatment prescribed by the doctor:

Give your baby 10 grams of honey. Let him place it on his tongue and suck it like a lollipop.
Dissolve a quarter spoon of soda in a glass of warm milk. Give it a drink in one go.
Brew regular tea, but instead of sugar add raspberry jam.
Mix oregano, licorice and coltsfoot in equal proportions. Brew the raw material with just boiled water. Leave it to brew. Give your baby half a glass of medicine three times a day.

Respiratory diseases that cause coughing

Since dry cough is often associated with diseases affecting the respiratory tract, it is worth taking a closer look at the main causes.

Bronchitis

In this case, in the early stages, patients are bothered by a dry, raw cough, which is accompanied by pain in the sternum. During the process, a small amount of sputum may appear.

But as the disease progresses, the amount of mucus that accumulates increases and the cough becomes wet. In the chronic form of the disease, it also remains moist, with copious amounts of sputum. This type is difficult to treat.

In the acute course of the disease, it is not the only symptom. The patient experiences muscle pain in the peritoneum, aching in the chest area. A sore throat appears and the voice becomes hoarse. In this case, prompt treatment is required before the disease develops into another form that is difficult to treat.

Tracheitis

A dry cough in this case is also a sign of the initial stage of the disease. It can be called painful, since its attacks last a long time, day and night, and literally exhaust a person. It is accompanied by raw, painful sensations in the trachea and sternum. In infants, a cough may occur when the baby cries, screams or laughs.

In addition to coughing, in this condition the temperature rises, headaches occur, and the person becomes lethargic. After 3–4 days, the cough changes its character, becomes wet, and during attacks, mucus and pus are discharged. In children, they can end with vomiting. But the pain in this case is reduced.

Laryngitis

With this disease, redness and swelling of the mucous membranes of the larynx are observed, sometimes the vocal cords thicken or do not close. The disease has the following symptoms: soreness, sore throat, uncomfortable swallowing.

The person wheezes or completely loses his voice, his temperature rises, his head hurts and his joints and bones ache. The cough itself turns out to be dry, unproductive, intrusive, and resembles a dog barking.

Pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchial asthma

As in the above cases, a dry cough with pneumonia is a sign of the onset of the disease. But as the disease develops, it becomes more productive. if complications arise, the mucous discharge becomes reddish in color.

In this case, when coughing, the patient feels pain in the area of the affected organ.

With pleurisy, a dry cough at night is accompanied by symptoms such as pain and shortness of breath. Moreover, the patient complains of severe pain, and when coughing, no sputum is produced at all.

With bronchial asthma, a paroxysmal cough can turn into an attack of suffocation. This phenomenon is characterized by seasonality and small sputum discharge. The exacerbation of this symptomatology is associated with an increased accumulation of allergenic substances.

Diseases affecting the upper respiratory tract

This group includes sinusitis, rhinitis (runny nose), pharyngitis. Their symptom is a paroxysmal cough at night, which is a constant worry. At the same time, it is absolutely unproductive in nature, it is also possible to experience soreness and an uncomfortable feeling in the throat.

Infectious diseases

Cough with measles, whooping cough, false croup. It develops sharply and immediately takes the form of a dry and painful, even convulsive cough. An obvious ringing sound can be heard when the patient breathes. Very severe attacks can provoke a gag reflex.
Parainfluenza. With this acute respiratory disease of viral origin, cough is one of the obligatory symptoms. He has a dry, barking character. The patient feels soreness and dryness in the mouth and throat. In this case, a slight increase in temperature is possible.
Tuberculosis. In the initial stages, an obsessive, dry cough is observed, which gradually turns into a wet form. Mucous discharge may acquire a pinkish tint due to the presence of bloody impurities. Particularly severe attacks occur at night.

How to calm a cough at night

In case of a severe night cough attack caused by bronchitis, it is necessary to increase water consumption, maintain bed rest, quit smoking and adhere to moderation in food. Depending on the identified cause, treatment differs in its features:

Treatment of nocturnal allergic cough is recommended to be carried out using special inhalers that deliver a medicinal solution of salt, minerals and herbs to the lungs, returning respiratory function to normal. The lungs are cleansed of pathogenic microorganisms.
In case of weakened immunity, treatment with herbal medicine is recommended. In the clinic, the lung tissue is irrigated with specially prepared decoctions based on medicinal herbs and bee products.
If, as a result of diagnosis, vascular pathology is identified as the cause, then capillary therapy and lymphotherapy will help you. During treatment, ointments based on resin, henna and medicinal herbs are prescribed. By rubbing the ointment in, natural antibiotics nourish the body, strengthening the immune system and stimulating blood circulation.

Antitussives

Among the huge variety of antitussive drugs, doctors and patients identify several effective syrups and tablets:

Codeine: pronounced antitussive, sedative and analgesic effect. Recommended for hacking cough; The downside is that it is addictive.
Broncholithin: contains ephedrine, glaucine and basil oil; very effective, dilates the bronchi.
Sinekod: butamirate citrate suppresses the cough reflex well, helps reduce inflammation and causes an expectorant effect; in rare cases causes skin allergies.

Steam inhalations

Through steam inhalation, medicinal components are delivered to the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx, which, together with steam, can reach the deep cavities of the pulmonary tree. For inhalation, special devices (nebulizers) are used; at home, an ordinary bowl with a hot solution is useful. Steam inhalations moisturize the lungs, transform a dry cough into an expectorant one, improve blood circulation and speed up recovery.

Drink plenty of fluids

Saturating the body with water helps remove respiratory tract infections that cause barking cough. Drinking plenty of fluids is recommended for people suffering from dry cough. It should be alkaline - milk with butter and honey, lemon tea with honey, still mineral water. Compotes made from dried fruits are effective. The liquid should not be cold.

Traditional methods

People have invented and experienced many antitussives. Schemes of effective methods:

An egg-based product is guaranteed to relieve severe forms of cough. Boil a glass of milk and add a spoonful of honey, butter, beaten egg yolk and a pinch of soda.
The top is cut off from the radish and a small cavity is made, which is filled with honey (2-3 spoons). Within 4 hours, the juice is extracted from the radish and mixed with honey. The resulting liquid is consumed 3 times a day, 1 teaspoon for children and 2 adults.
Wash the lemon thoroughly and scald it with boiling water, then chop it and add one tablespoon of honey and glycerin. Take a teaspoon for each attack.

How to calm a night cough?

Cough at night in adults, regardless of the cause, is an unpleasant, exhausting symptom that interferes with proper rest. In this case, you can significantly alleviate your condition with the help of medications or using traditional methods of treatment.

Medicines

A dry cough occurs when inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract occurs, and the cause of a wet cough is the accumulation of sputum in them. To eliminate its symptoms, sedatives that relieve inflammation are prescribed, and the symptoms of a wet cough are combated with the help of mucolic agents, which dilute sputum for its easier removal from the respiratory tract in an adult. It is important to remember that a dry cough, in the absence of adequate treatment of the disease, over time turns into a wet cough, which indicates the further development of the inflammatory process. How to calm a cough at night? What medications are effective in treating it?

Modern drugs for the treatment of this unpleasant symptom are varied and effective. But you should not use them yourself without obtaining professional advice from a doctor. Medicines will help eliminate the symptom of the disease - cough, but the cause of the disease will remain unclear.

Herbion - plantain syrup. It has expectorant, antibacterial, antitussive and anti-inflammatory properties. As a result of using the drug, a dry cough at night becomes softer, and sputum begins to be discharged in an adult.
Sinekod is a medicine that can suppress symptoms and alleviate dry acute coughs of various origins. The drug relieves inflammation, relaxes the smooth muscles of the bronchi and improves their patency, has an expectorant effect and a moderate anti-inflammatory effect. Synecode is strictly contraindicated for children under two months, pregnant and lactating women.
Stoptusin. Prescribed to adults and children after one year of age to eliminate the symptoms of dry cough, as it locally anesthetizes, relieves inflammation of the bronchi and facilitates coughing by thinning the mucus.
Codelac Phyto. Contains licorice, thyme and thermopsis extract, as well as codeine. It has an expectorant effect and relieves attacks at night.
Bronholitin – moderately relieves pain, relieves inflammation, has an antibacterial, sedative and antispasmodic effect, relieves swelling of the bronchi, and makes breathing easier at night for an adult. Contraindicated in pregnant and lactating women, as well as persons suffering from heart failure.
Bronchicum. Relieves inflammation, facilitates mucus discharge. Prescribed for dry and wet coughs of various origins. Contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, persons with liver and kidney diseases.
Linkas is a herbal medicine. Facilitates coughing, relieves inflammation and has a mucoltic effect.
Libexin - has a local analgesic, antitussive effect, relieves inflammation and dilates the bronchi.

Folk remedies

Having consulted a doctor and holding in hand a prescription with medications that can stop coughing at night, many begin to doubt: is it possible to do without taking medications? Are there folk remedies that cure the causes of this disease and how to relieve cough thanks to them? Traditional recipes for the treatment of nocturnal attacks in adults are very diverse, but in order for their effect to be as effective as possible, the following rules must be followed.

During treatment, you need to drink plenty of fluids (herbal tea, clean water). The liquid dilutes mucus well and promotes its removal from the pulmonary tract of an adult.
Humidify the air in the room and prevent it from excessive cooling and overheating. To humidify the air, you can purchase special humidifiers, and during the heating season you can simply hang wet towels on the radiator. Such measures can significantly alleviate coughing attacks at night and help fight the causes of cough syndrome in adults.
If coughing during sleep is caused by allergies, you should additionally use antihistamines.
When sleeping, use a high pillow to avoid the accumulation of mucus in the lungs and to better remove it.
Herbal inhalations moisturize the mucous membranes very well and significantly alleviate the patient’s condition.

Mix lemon juice, glycerin and honey in equal proportions. Take one teaspoon 4 – 6 times a day.
Take chamomile and coltsfoot in equal quantities. Pour boiling water and let it brew for an hour. This infusion relieves pulmonary edema and has an expectorant effect.
A decoction of wild rosemary will help quickly relieve cough symptoms. To do this you need to take 50 ml. funds daily.
Add one teaspoon of butter to a glass of milk and put on fire. After the milk boils, you need to add a pinch of soda to it and, allowing it to cool quite a bit, drink.
Take oregano, licorice and coltsfoot in equal proportions, pour boiling water over it and let it brew. Take half a glass of infusion three times a day.
Fry one tablespoon of sugar in a small iron container on the stove until dark brown, add a quarter of a glass of water, add a few drops of aloe juice and drink before bed.
Boil one tablespoon of sage in a glass of milk, let it brew in a warm place for 40 minutes, strain. Drink hot, one glass per day before bed.
You can quickly relieve a severe cough by chewing a leaf of the “golden mustache” plant.
To prevent night coughing attacks, drink a decoction of pine buds. Pour one tablespoon of pine buds with one glass of boiling water, let it brew for 50 minutes, strain. At the very beginning of an attack, take one or two sips of this infusion.
If a cough catches you on the street or at a party, then the following remedy will help calm the attack: stand up straight, raise one arm up and raise it as high as possible above you, trying to reach your fingertips as high as possible. Pull until relief occurs.

Preventive measures against night cough

In order to encounter the causes of coughing at night in an adult as little as possible, it is necessary to follow preventive measures and carefully monitor your health.

Toughen up. You don't have to douse yourself with ice water outside. To begin with, it will be enough to simply walk barefoot at home and increase the time you spend in the fresh air.
Play sports. Even regular morning exercises can give good results.
Eat properly and nutritiously. Your diet must include fruits and vegetables.

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Causes and diagnosis of dry cough at night

Often the patient feels quite normal throughout the day, but at night cannot sleep peacefully due to severe attacks (see Why coughing gets worse at night: looking for the cause). A dry cough is fraught with serious danger, which can cause respiratory arrest at night.

Coughing causes quite unpleasant sensations and may be accompanied by shortness of breath, nausea, suffocation, rapid heartbeat, heaviness in the chest, uneven breathing

Therefore, it is very important to understand the reasons that provoke a severe night cough in an adult.

One of the reasons may be the horizontal position of the body during sleep. In such an uncomfortable position, stagnation of the mucous membrane occurs, clogging the airways, thereby causing an attack.

If the room is dominated by a dry and cold atmosphere, it is an irritant for the upper respiratory tract. It could also be an allergic reaction, for example, to the pillow filling, especially if the sleeper is allergic.

The reasons that cause coughing at night in an adult include:

ARVI;
pharyngitis;
asthma;
pleurisy;
heart failure;
laryngitis;
whooping cough;
pneumonia
tuberculosis (see What is a cough with tuberculosis and how to distinguish it from a cold).

It is important to know that when attacks of dry cough at night in an adult occur for two weeks, this indicates an acute form of the disease. If it lasts significantly longer (more than three months), the cough has become chronic. It is necessary to carry out treatment in a timely manner and try to prevent such situations, otherwise you can lead your health to irreversible consequences (tuberculosis, cancer in the lungs, bronchi, trachea).

What diseases provoke night cough?

Nocturnal coughing fits in adults are often associated with certain diseases, not only of the respiratory tract, but also of the gastrointestinal tract or cardiovascular system. They signal that not everything is in order in the human body, and he needs a doctor’s consultation and properly organized treatment.

Pathological causes of attacks of this kind include:

ARVI;
bronchitis;
various infectious and viral diseases;
asthma;
disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract;
tuberculosis;
heart failure;
allergy;
malignant lung tumors.

If a night cough is associated with a virus or infection entering the body, it, as a rule, is not the only symptom of the disease, but is accompanied by high fever, weakness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. If there are disturbances in the functioning of the heart, in addition to a suffocating cough caused by a lack of oxygen, shortness of breath, rapid pulse and blue discoloration of the nasolabial triangle occur, and in patients with tuberculosis, the sputum often contains blood impurities.

If it is not possible to independently assess the causes of the cough, consult a doctor. He will help determine which pathology is causing these symptoms and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

If there is a malfunction of the digestive system, the cough is accompanied by discomfort in the stomach - in this case it is provoked by an imbalance in the acid balance and irritation of the nerve endings of the esophagus. Also, a sudden cough can be caused by an allergic reaction to an insect bite.

Thus, it is possible to answer the question of how to treat night cough in adults only by carefully understanding its true causes - whether it is caused by unfavorable living conditions, the action of allergens, or is a symptom of disturbances in the functioning of certain internal organs.

Causes of night cough

The most common causes of cough at night in adults are the following well-known diseases: • bronchial asthma, • viral infection, • bronchitis, • whooping cough.

The most common diseases

In asthma, attacks are very long-lasting, can last more than an hour, and are worse at night. Characterized by copious sputum, severe pain in the chest and abdomen.

With a viral infection, the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx become severely swollen. At night, the patient’s breathing is especially impaired, which leads to the accumulation of sputum. A reflex cough helps clear mucus from the body.

Bronchitis and cough are two concepts that go inextricably hand in hand. It is impossible to have bronchitis and not suffer from a severe cough both day and night. During the first few nights of illness it is very frequent and dry. After a few days, mucus begins to be released, but the attacks bother the patient until recovery.

With whooping cough, it is barking, frequent, with a large amount of well-separated sputum. Spasms of the muscles of the larynx, as well as the abdominal muscles. It all ends with an attack of vomiting.

Causes of night cough without fever

The cough is tormenting, but there is no fever. Many people do not pay any attention to this fact. Days, weeks, a month pass, and then the anxiety begins. It's time to run to the doctor. But which one exactly? It depends on the reason.

Causes of cough without fever:

allergic reaction to something
smoking,
heart failure,
venereal diseases,
oncology,
tuberculosis,
esophagitis.

What are the preventive measures

The question of how to calm an adult’s cough at night may not arise if you do not forget about preventive measures and follow simple recommendations:

monitor the level of air humidity in the bedroom;
ventilate the room before going to bed;
Do wet cleaning in it every day;
treat colds and viral infections in a timely manner;
stop smoking;
avoid hypothermia;
eat well;
try not to come into contact with potential allergens.

And, of course, if the problem already exists, you should not treat it without due attention, otherwise a banal cough can, over time, do much more harm than just an interrupted night’s sleep.

Diagnosis and treatment methods for night cough in adults

The cause of a night cough can be determined using accompanying, disease-specific symptoms. This will help to suggest the correct diagnosis and begin treatment before seeing a specialist.

Inflammation of the nasal mucosa

Viral infections are characterized by fever up to 39 °C, pain in muscles and joints, dizziness, headache, nasal mucus that is clear and abundant. Sinusitis, as a rule, is accompanied by nasal congestion, pain, heaviness in the area of the maxillary sinuses - on the sides of the nose, nasal discharge is green, thick, and body temperature is elevated.

When treating an attack of night cough caused by the flow of nasal mucus, you should actively blow out the mucus and use vasoconstrictors to relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa. Medicines: Naphthyzin, Galazolin, Eucazolin (with eucalyptus oil). To reduce irritation of cough receptors, you can use throat sprays with eucalyptus, for example, Ingalipt.

If you suspect sinusitis, it is not recommended to prescribe treatment yourself, since even antibiotics are sometimes powerless, and only washing the inflamed sinuses will help.

Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract

Laryngitis is manifested by a barking cough and a sore throat; also, upon examination, the mucous membrane of the throat will be red. Tracheitis and bronchitis have similar symptoms, such as paroxysmal wet cough, wheezing when breathing. Body temperature increased to 38 °C.

Such a night cough must be treated with expectorants: tablets, injections or syrups. The most popular drugs are Lazolvan, ACC, Althea syrup. You can calm your cough at night with eucalyptus sprays and mint lozenges. Sprays - Doctor Theiss, Ingalipt, Hexoral, Chlorophyllipt. Examples of lozenges are Doctor Mom, Strepsils, regular mints.

Important! If, in addition to a severe cough, you are bothered by chest pain, a pronounced rise in body temperature, or shortness of breath, then you need to urgently consult a doctor, as these may be symptoms of pneumonia. At the same time, delay in prescribing antibiotics can cost the patient’s life.

Allergy

If there are no signs of inflammation and colds, the nasal mucus is clear and liquid, and there is conjunctivitis, then we are talking about an allergic process. First of all, you need to understand what is causing the hypersensitivity reaction and eliminate this factor. Until this moment, nighttime allergy symptoms can be relieved with the help of antihistamines Loratadine, Suprastin, Erius.

If bronchospasm or a nocturnal attack of bronchial asthma has developed, then inhalers with bronchodilators will help. The use of Salbutamol is optimal, since it begins to act less than 5 minutes after entering the respiratory tract.

Whooping cough

Symptoms of the disease in an adult may be similar to a common cold. The difference is that the recovery period takes several months, during which the patient is bothered by a debilitating cough that gets worse at night. If a coughing attack disturbs your sleep, you need to endure it, since there is no specific treatment. A night cough will begin to go away on its own after the cough center in the brain stops being irritated.

Heart failure

The key fact in diagnosing this type of night cough is that it develops against the background of advanced cardiac pathology. In this case, the patient sleeps in a semi-sitting position. You can help the patient with fast-acting diuretics - loop diuretics, such as Furosemide.

Treatment

What to do if an adult has a cough at night? To begin with, create comfortable conditions in the bedroom by making it a rule to monitor the level of humidity and air temperature, do wet cleaning on time, acquire high-quality bedding and wean pets from spending the night in the same room. Of course, it is not always possible to solve the problem only with this help, but even if the attacks are associated with a person’s existing diseases, such measures can greatly alleviate his condition. If the cough does not stop within 2-3 weeks, there is no point in postponing a visit to the doctor any further - only an experienced specialist can find out the cause of this phenomenon and select the appropriate treatment. Most often this is drug therapy in combination with traditional medicine recipes.

How to get rid of a night cough in an adult caused by excess mucus in the respiratory tract? First, give up the idea of taking one of the antitussives - it can provoke stagnation of phlegm in the lungs, not only intensifying the inflammatory process, but also creating the threat of serious breathing problems during sleep. Medicines with an expectorant effect will not improve the situation - they will dilute the mucus and promote its removal, which means that the attacks will only intensify, and you can forget about proper sleep.

The best option in this case is a remedy to eliminate bronchial spasms and irritation of the throat mucosa. But in case of severe infections, it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without antibacterial drugs that destroy pathogenic microflora and reduce the intensity of attacks. In addition, if a night cough in an adult is provoked by exposure to allergens, the patient will be prescribed antihistamines that effectively cope with chronic inflammation and swelling of the mucous membrane.