How to relieve coughing attacks at night in a child

Coughing is a natural reflex through which the body clears the respiratory system of irritants, such as dust, dirt or mucus in diseases of the nasopharynx. Coughing attacks at night in a child can occur due to pathologies of the lungs, bronchi, stomach, allergic or mental reactions. To eliminate the problem, you need to find out the cause of the condition using characteristic symptoms. Let's consider what the symptom is associated with, how to help the patient with medications or folk remedies, and in what cases a mandatory visit to the pediatrician is required.

What childhood diseases can be accompanied by coughing attacks?

There are 7 common diseases in which this symptom is observed.

Allergic reaction

A common cause of night cough is considered to be hypersensitivity to bedding - down pillows, wool. The baby inhales small particles of these materials, they penetrate into the lungs, and in response to this, a protective mechanism is activated - the cough reflex is activated.

It is easy to suspect such a condition. If there are no symptoms during the day and coughing appears only after going to bed, then the symptom is most likely of allergic origin.

Bacterial and viral infections

A cold may be the cause of a paroxysmal cough. These processes are accompanied by increased production of sputum in the lungs. During the day it accumulates in the bronchial tree. When the baby assumes a horizontal position, mucus moves up the respiratory tract and irritates the receptors. Against this background, severe night cough and runny nose occur.

ARVI is one of the causes of cough in children

Laryngitis

Inflammatory damage to the larynx leads to the child developing a strong dry cough, the so-called “barking”. The symptom is usually worse in the evening and at night. Other manifestations of laryngitis include sore throat, nasal congestion and hoarseness, up to complete loss of voice.

Bronchial asthma

In severe cases of the disease, nocturnal attacks occur. In addition to a strong suffocating cough, they are accompanied by periods of feeling a complete lack of air. The child begins to choke, breathe shallowly and quickly, and respiratory arrest develops. The condition requires emergency treatment (for example, administration of Pulmicort).

Whooping cough

This is a rare infection, since universal vaccination against the disease is carried out in Russia. However, if the baby has not been vaccinated, it is worth suspecting its presence. The main symptom of whooping cough is a paroxysm of painful dry cough, which intensifies at night.

Reflux of gastric contents

In the absence of symptoms of infection (fever, weakness, headache), gastroesophageal reflux disease should be suspected. This pathology occurs when the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus. Gastric juice has an acidic environment, which aggressively affects the mucous membrane of the organ. The reflux of secretions leads to heartburn, sore throat and severe cough.

Tuberculosis

If your baby has been in contact with an infected patient and develops symptoms of the disease, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Possible causes of night cough in a child

Night cough has various forms of manifestation. It can begin as soon as the child goes to bed, wraps himself in a blanket and there is a rush of additional blood to the bronchi, or it can disturb the baby periodically from the evening until the morning. The most common causes of bronchial spasm at night are listed below.

Dry cough throughout the night

This is the most common type of clinical manifestation of bronchopulmonary spasm.

A child may be bothered by a dry cough without sputum discharge, which does not stop throughout sleep, if the following diseases are present:

• acute bronchitis;
• ARVI;
• flu;
• acute respiratory infections;
• initial stage of development of pneumonia;
• prolonged hypothermia of the body.

If a dry and barking cough that bothers the baby throughout the night is caused by the above diseases, then additional symptoms appear in the form of elevated body temperature, chills, and inflammation of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract. While listening to breathing, wheezing may be heard from deep in the child's chest.

Severe cough with attacks to the point of vomiting

There are clinical situations when the cough is so strong and hysterical that the child begins to vomit. Its occurrence is due to the fact that constant spasm of the bronchi and the release of air flow irritates the receptors and the mucous membrane of the larynx, which ultimately leads to a contraction of the smooth muscles of the esophagus and the walls of the stomach.

Cough with attacks of vomiting in 85% of cases is caused by an infectious disease - whooping cough. Also, the pathological condition of the bronchial tree can be associated with diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, tracheitis.

Cough that gets worse in the morning

It is most dangerous when a night cough bothers a child only in the morning. This is a sign that stagnant processes are developing in the bronchopulmonary tissue, disrupting the stable functioning of the organs of the respiratory system.

In this case, a night cough that appears in the morning may develop for the following reasons:

• foreign tumor in the lungs (both benign and malignant tumors may be present);
• the first signs of pulmonary or heart failure;
• hypothermia of the body;
• the presence of mold spores or dust mites in the room in the pillow and other elements of bedding;
• Chronical bronchitis;
• pulmonary tuberculosis;
• sluggish inflammation in the bronchial tree, which arose due to the presence of an infectious pathogen.

In the latter case, after waking up from sleep, the child continues to cough, which leads to sputum production. This is a normal physiological process indicating gradual recovery and resistance of the immune system to the pathogen.

Cough without fever

A periodically occurring night cough, without any signs of fever, should alert the baby's parents.

The reasons for the appearance of a painful symptom may be as follows:

• severe form of helminthiasis, when parasitic life forms (worms of various types) are in the bronchopulmonary tissue, irritate it and provoke spasms;
• pulmonary chlamydia;
• acute allergic reaction to food, dust, pet hair, chemical vapors, as well as other external and internal irritants;
• attack of bronchial asthma;
• oncological process in the lungs;
• tracheal obstruction;
• laryngitis.

In medical practice, there are cases where children with severely weakened immunity suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, but without signs of an increase in body temperature to subfebrile levels. Regardless of how the cough manifests itself at night, a sick child should be examined by a pediatrician. Determining the cause of bronchopulmonary spasm will allow early treatment to begin.

Why does my child cough at night?

The appearance of the symptom is explained by the physiological characteristics of the body. When sleep occurs, the regulatory activity of the nervous system decreases slightly. This leads to an increase in the severity of clinical manifestations.

At night, the child lies almost motionless, which leads to the accumulation of sputum. To prevent blockage of the bronchial tree with viscous secretions, the body triggers a protective cough reflex, which helps clear the airways. Therefore, if a symptom is present, it is not always worth using antitussives. It is much more effective to use mucolytic drugs, which dilute mucus and promote its rapid removal from the bronchi.

Types of cough

There are two main types of symptoms in children. Dry implies the absence of phlegm; it occurs due to irritation of the bronchi and a reflex reaction of the body. Another reason is the release of viscous sputum, which covers the walls of the bronchi and does not come out during coughing.

Dry cough is typical for the following diseases:

• flu;
• initial stages of development of ARVI;
• pharyngitis;
• laryngitis;
• early stage of bronchitis.

A wet cough is characterized by active sputum production. Coughing is considered a more favorable prognostic sign for the patient, since during the discharge of mucus the bronchial tree is cleared and the child recovers. Therefore, usually the wet type of symptom is found in the later stages of pneumonia or bronchitis.

Dry cough: what to do for treatment?

The main method of therapy is the prescription of mucolytic agents. The most effective drugs from this group are Ambrobene, Bromhexine and Herbion. They thin mucus and help remove it from the lungs. Medicines transform a dry cough into a wet one, which is much easier to treat. Removing mucus from the bronchi helps cleanse the airways and restore normal condition.

First aid for wet cough

In this case, expectorant drugs are prescribed. These medications accelerate the removal of mucus from the bronchi. Dr. Komarovsky recommends using the following products:

• Mucaltin is a derivative of medicinal marshmallow;
• Bronchicum and Pertussin are thyme-based forms;
• Bronchophyte is a preparation made from wild rosemary;
• Herbion is a syrup containing plantain.

Medicines for children are of plant origin, so they rarely cause side effects.

How to relieve an allergic cough

Hypersensitivity reactions are dangerous conditions that require emergency treatment. They can manifest as swelling of the larynx, which will cause an attack of suffocation that is dangerous to health, so it is important to start therapy in a timely manner. If the symptom is of allergic origin, the patient is prescribed treatment aimed at relieving the cause of the disease. It is necessary to establish the specific allergen to which the reaction developed. After this, treatment with special drugs is prescribed - antihistamines (Suprastin or Tavegil). Their use inhibits the development of allergies and eliminates severe clinical manifestations.

How to help with a neurological cough

With strong cough impulses that cannot be controlled with conventional medications, it is worth suspecting a neurogenic origin. If the symptom occurs due to a disorder of the brain, centrally acting antitussives (for example, Codeine, Omnitus) are prescribed. They affect the area of ​​the brain that stimulates the cough reflex. The remedies quickly alleviate the patient's condition.

Drugs with a central effect have contraindications. They must be taken into account when carrying out treatment. Before starting therapy, you should consult your doctor.

For what symptoms should you call an ambulance?

Signs of anxiety that should promptly take your child to the doctor include:

1. Attack of suffocation.
2. Swelling of the larynx.
3. Severe rash over the entire surface of the skin.
4. A sharp increase in temperature.
5. Severe headache.
6. Incessant vomiting and constant nausea.

The listed symptoms indicate serious violations of vital organs, so if they appear, you need to call an ambulance. At night, parents should monitor the child's condition. The presence of episodes of suffocation is a reason to hospitalize the baby, since it is not always possible to quickly respond to an attack without the intervention of a doctor.

How to help at home

Self-treatment is only permissible for mild coughs. In more severe cases of pathology, you should definitely consult a doctor. Self-medication is dangerous because home methods usually only eliminate the symptoms of the disease. They blur the picture of the infection, the parents think that the child has gotten better. In fact, the pathology continues to progress. Prolonged course without specific therapy can lead to serious consequences.

A child with a night cough should definitely be seen by a doctor. After examination and diagnosis, the specialist prescribes specialized treatment. You can use additional folk remedies, but only together with therapy, and not instead of it.

Sufficient indoor humidity

Coughing may occur due to dry air in the bedroom. The bronchial tree is irritated by dust particles that enter the respiratory tract, which leads to the appearance of a symptom. Therefore, before going to bed, it is recommended to ventilate the room and do a little wet cleaning. At the moment of ventilation, you need to take the baby to another room so that he does not get blown out. You can use special air humidifiers that quickly saturate the bedroom with moisture.

Causes of cough

Why does a baby have coughing attacks at night? The fact is that when the child lies down, the mucus accumulated in the bronchi and nasopharynx gradually resolves and the body rejects it. Sometimes the cause of a cough can be air that is less humid and warm at night than during the day.

If your baby has coughing attacks at night regularly, the problem may be due to diseases such as:

• Acute viral infection - pharyngitis, rhinitis, adenoiditis, sinusitis, etc. The first days of these diseases are characterized by a dry cough, with further transition to a wet cough. The mucus that accumulates in the bronchi has an irritating effect on the receptors located in the respiratory tract, which provokes a cough. The hardest time to endure these attacks is at night, in a supine position.
• Bronchial asthma or whooping cough. These diseases can be identified by the debilitating nature of the cough. The attacks are so strong that they sometimes lead to vomiting. Asthma usually worsens in the second half of the night; a whistling sound can be heard when the child breathes. Both whooping cough and asthma are very serious and dangerous diseases that develop quickly and can cause serious complications, so you should never delay treatment.
• Allergy. If your child starts coughing immediately after going to bed, with tears flowing and difficulty breathing, then the cause is most likely an allergic reaction. It can manifest itself in dust accumulated in a pillow or mattress, washing powder, synthetic linen, and more.
• Gastroesophageal reflux. This is a condition in which food particles move from the stomach into the esophagus. In addition to coughing, this problem is almost always accompanied by regurgitation of lumps of food. Older children may often complain of heartburn, which is another symptom of reflux.
• Teething. When a baby is teething, he or she begins to salivate excessively. Saliva enters the larynx, the child chokes and coughs. Raising the head of the bed or placing the child on his side can help here.
• Worms. One of the common manifestations of worms in a baby’s body is a severe cough, which is especially pronounced at night.

What to do when you cough for no apparent reason?

In some cases, the occurrence of coughing is not associated with infectious diseases - colds or flu. The appearance of a symptom for no apparent reason confuses parents and forces them to use cough medications uncontrollably. This cannot be done, since symptomatic treatment does not affect the factor that caused the clinical manifestations.

If coughing occurs that is not associated with obvious reasons, it is necessary to take the child to the pediatrician. The doctor will ask the parents in detail about their complaints, conduct an examination and prescribe an examination. Based on the test results, it will be possible to determine why the pathological cough appeared. This will allow you to begin specialized treatment and eliminate the unpleasant symptom.

Eliminate the possibility of allergies

The appearance of a symptom for no apparent reason is caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to a substance. This is especially true for bedding, for example, coughing often occurs due to down pillows.

Expert opinion

Prosekova Diana Igorevna

Allergist-immunologist. Doctor of the highest category. Doctor of Medical Sciences.

If a child's condition worsens immediately after he goes to bed, an allergy should be suspected and special tests should be done. If the diagnosis is confirmed, completely eliminate the harmful substance from the baby’s environment and carry out special therapy.

If a foreign body is inhaled

In case of a severe attack, it is necessary to inspect the throat for a foreign object getting into it. Small toys can get stuck there, leading to breathing problems. Parents should try to remove it themselves using tweezers. If you cannot quickly relieve attacks of dry cough in a child at night, you need to urgently call an ambulance. If there is a risk of damaging the throat tissue with a foreign body, you should not carry out the procedure yourself - it is better to trust a healthcare professional.

Arose without any reason

If the baby can cough without external reasons, you need to contact your local pediatrician and describe the condition. Were there any stress factors, did symptoms arise from other systems - for example, signs of digestive disorders. The doctor will prescribe an examination that will determine the cause of the symptom. Additional consultations with other doctors may be required for an accurate diagnosis.

How to relieve a child's cough

Alkaline drinking can be considered a recognized means of treating coughing attacks in a child, which has proven its effectiveness in practice. Since ancient times, coughs in children have been relieved with milk in combination with tea brewed with chamomile flowers. In order to achieve a greater effect, it was proposed to dissolve a certain amount of soda and honey in milk. In addition, a good effect requires the use of ordinary alkaline water. The baby should be seated in his bed, gently patted on the back and upper area of ​​his chest. Patting helps remove some mucus from the bronchi. After this, the child should be offered a dose of drink, and make sure that he drinks little by little.

In addition, resorption in the mouth of a mixture consisting of butter and honey, collected in volumes of one tablespoon of each component, has a good effect. After the child drinks his portion, you should let him take a few sips of warm, fresh milk.

How to relieve a child's coughing attack at night

Despite the fact that only a pediatrician can correctly indicate the cause of a child’s night cough, parents must understand what needs to be done in order to relieve a night cough in their child.

1. First of all, you should wake up the baby and try to determine exactly what type of cough he has, wet or dry. If there is sputum, it is necessary to determine its color. The most dangerous situation is the presence of purulent clots in the coughing discharge, indicating a serious illness. In these cases, you should definitely call a doctor.
2. For diseases of the upper respiratory system, it should be understood that a dry cough is normal. To prevent circulatory problems in the child, you should change the position of his body more often, turning from one side to the other and placing a bolster or pillow under his head.
3. A child's night cough may be a concomitant symptom of teeth cutting. In order to stop the process, you should place a couple of pillows under the child’s head, after first raising the head of the bed.
4. You can give your child a large amount of warm drink, after which he will be able to fall asleep soundly. Antihistamines help reduce swelling of the mucous membrane; you just need to make sure that they are in accordance with the age of the child.

How to relieve a dry cough in a child

To effectively relieve attacks of dry cough in a child, you must first determine the nature of its course and establish the reason why it occurs. It can cause allergic reactions to detergents or laundry preparations containing bioadditives. Also, the cause of cough can be a respiratory infection and obstructive bronchitis in the form of its complications. Other causes include pleurisy and pneumonia.

In case of attacks of dry cough, you should first of all humidify the air in the room where the child is. An appropriate humidifier is ideal for this. In addition, you can simply place a basin of water next to the baby’s crib. Special lozenges that have an antitussive effect, as well as cough syrup, are good for relieving coughing attacks. If the child does not have a high temperature, then the use of a warming compress, mustard plasters and warming ointment is allowed. Also help relieve an attack of dry cough:

• fresh air from evening airing of the room;
• wet cleaning of the child's room;
• a sufficient amount of warm drink for the child’s health;
• rinsing the child’s nasal passages with water to wash away mucous formations.

How to relieve a child's severe coughing attack

You can relieve a severe cough using the following methods:

• boiled milk with sage, it should be boiled and, after settling and straining, given to the child to drink immediately before going to bed. Recommended for regular attacks;
• if the baby’s throat is sore, you should give the child honey or butter in the amount of one tablespoon;
• if the cases are complex, it is recommended to carry out inhalations using essential oils of cedar and sage. The child will need to breathe in the vapors of oils dissolved in water. It is best to carry out these operations immediately before going to bed;
• A good folk remedy for eliminating severe coughing attacks is black radish. Cut into cubes and mixed with sugar, bake it in the oven for an hour and a half. After this, the resulting porridge must be filtered and given to the child no more than four tablespoons per day;
• It makes sense to use vodka or pure pharmaceutical alcohol. After rubbing, the child should be wrapped in a warm scarf around the neck and dressed warmly.

How to relieve a barking cough in a child

If a child develops a barking cough, accompanied by wheezing when exhaling, sometimes rough, sometimes silent, with hoarseness and shortness of breath, this indicates that the help of a doctor should be sought. The combination of all of the above symptoms may indicate the appearance of false croup in a child, leading to suffocation and very sad consequences. If all of the above is missing, help can be provided to the child using simple methods, the listing of which will not take up much space:

• Steam inhalations can reduce coughing and significantly ease breathing;
• warm drinks in large quantities;
• eliminating all factors that worry the child, as this only aggravates the situation;
• the use of mustard plasters in combination with a simple tapping massage, these measures are necessary to facilitate the discharge of sputum in the child;
• use of antitussive expectorants.

How to quickly relieve a child's coughing attack

To quickly relieve coughing attacks in a child, especially if they are systemic in nature, the use of paraffin is necessary. This measure will allow the lungs to warm up, which will allow the baby to sleep peacefully at night without suffering from coughing attacks. At the same time, it is important to constantly monitor the temperature of the paraffin, because if it is too hot, it will burn the child.

Also, if the question arises about the need to quickly relieve cough symptoms, a recipe that involves the use of licorice root can be of great help. It is able to carry out proper disinfection and healing of minor injuries characteristic of coughing in the larynx area. Since the syrup contains sugar, it should not be given to children with diabetes.

When diluting the syrup, this must be done only with clean water. You should not add syrup to tea or any other drink, since it may lose some of its properties due to increased temperature. If you are taking licorice-based syrup, then you need to drink a lot, because without this, thick mucus will form, which will make breathing difficult.

What should not be done during coughing attacks?

During treatment, it is forbidden to use mustard plasters on children aged 2-3 years. At an older age, they must be used with caution, since the use of the product can lead to an allergic reaction to skin irritation.

During attacks, you should not use medications uncontrollably. Parents must follow the doctor's recommendations. You should not self-medicate, as this is fraught with serious consequences. The admission rules must be strictly followed. It is important to avoid overdosing on medications, especially antibiotics. Violation of prescriptions leads to the development of undesirable reactions. To avoid complications, you must follow the instructions for use of the drug.

Author of the article

Pediatrician.

Diagnosis and treatment of ENT diseases in children.

24 years of experience.

Source

Sudden night coughing attacks in a child will make any parents worry. "What to do? How can I help you? Why did this happen? - this is not the entire list of questions that you will have to look for answers to when seeking help from a doctor. Regardless of age, cough is a protective mechanism responsible for clearing the airways and an indicator of trouble (a symptom of illness or pathology). The complex respiratory tract has its own childhood characteristics:

• Cough receptors are located throughout the airway and beyond - in the diaphragm, cardiac sac, pleura, and stomach. They are not found in the lung tissue itself, starting with the small bronchioles.
• Up to the level of the trachea, receptors predominate, more sensitive to mechanical stimuli, and below - to chemical stimuli (toxic gases, tobacco smoke, household chemicals).
• The air flow during a cough is so fast that it approaches the speed of sound. There are cases of self-removal of foreign bodies in the larynx when coughing, even in infants.
• The respiratory organs function fully as in adults only by the age of 7 (they reach full morphological development). In children under 3 years of age, the airway lumen is narrow, the lining mucous membrane is prone to rapid swelling during infection, and local immunity is poorly developed.
• The respiratory tract, nasal cavity, and paranasal sinuses are lined with ciliated (ciliated) epithelium. Each of its cells contains about 200 cilia on the surface, which, through their simultaneous work, create the movement of mucus towards the nose, removing foreign particles settled on it.

Causes of cough

Coughing is a reflex reaction aimed at removing mucus from the respiratory tract. Normally, a child should only cough for an obvious reason: during active games (for example, improper swallowing of saliva), when hastily eating food, being in a dusty room, etc.

If reflex shocks become unreasonable, then parents need to think about whether the child is sick?

To understand in more detail the reasons that can cause a coughing attack in a child at night, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the table in more detail.

As we can see, a child’s coughing attack at night is an unfavorable signal, which indicates to parents that they need to act immediately.

Attention! Often a paroxysmal cough leads to disturbances in heartbeat and breathing. Also, against the background of reflex shocks, a child may vomit, which is also dangerous. The fact is that vomit can accidentally enter the respiratory tract and in some cases this leads to asphyxia.

To effectively stop a severe cough, you need to find its cause and eliminate it. In a serious situation (we are talking about copious sputum mixed with pus or blood streaks, difficulty breathing, acute disturbance of health, high temperature), it is necessary to call an ambulance, because in some situations the baby’s life may actually be in danger.

Mechanism of development and characteristics of cough

Coughing at night occurs more often due to changes in position. The child turns over, causing the accumulated mucous discharge to move (for example, during an infection), which provokes irritation of the cough receptors. From them, the signal is transmitted to the “cough center” of the brain, from where the command is then sent to the muscles of the larynx, bronchi and abdominal muscles. The coordinated work of all elements first leads to a pressure difference in the respiratory tract, and then to a sharp flow of air from the lungs. The physiological goal is to remove everything that makes normal breathing difficult (sputum, dust particles, foreign bodies). The mistake of many parents is that they want to quickly suppress a strong cough in their child, forgetting about its protective function. How effective it will be depends on its nature:

• Wet or productive - it is also described as deep, characteristic of a pathological process in the lower respiratory tract (bronchitis, pneumonia) and ends with the separation of sputum. The attack repeats again when it accumulates.
• Dry or unproductive - sputum is not coughed up. It may be too viscous or absent completely (for example, an attack was provoked by bronchospasm). Due to a weak cough reflex, infants cannot remove it completely. This type of cough occurs at the beginning of ARVI, turning into a wet cough after three days.

• A barking cough indicates a pathological process in the larynx or trachea and may have a metallic tint. This species requires increased attention from parents due to the frequent development of stenosis (narrowing) of the larynx in children under 6 years of age due to swelling of its mucous membrane. This emergency condition is a complication of viral infections and is called “false croup.” It is accompanied by a specific noisy breath - stridor, which can be heard from a distance.
• Spastic - obsessive with a whistle at the end and absence or scanty discharge of sputum. Accompanies bronchial asthma and obstructive bronchitis. If with false croup it is difficult to inhale, then exhale here.
• Paroxysmal to the point of vomiting or with the urge to vomit - it occurs suddenly, the child simply “coughs” for several minutes and may vomit at the end. The cause may be whooping cough, foreign body, laryngotracheitis, cystic fibrosis, and less commonly, other diseases.

A little about cough

A cough is a reflex reaction of the body to some irritant or inflammatory process.

Never think about being afraid of coughing - this is a natural reaction of the body, and with proper treatment it does not pose any danger at all. It occurs as a physiological reflex to the appearance of irritants in the respiratory tract, often infections.

Coughing is a rather complex reaction that causes frequent contraction of the muscles of the respiratory system, which leads to the phenomenon of reverse release of air from the lungs. Irritants that appear in the body can be in the trachea, in the area of ​​the larynx, bronchi, pleura, the lungs themselves, or everywhere. That is, summing up all of the above, it becomes clear that the cough is intended to clear the airways.

There are a huge number of its varieties, but everyone knows the main one - this is based on the manifestation of the symptom:

• Dry cough - appears in children with problems in the trachea and bronchi, as well as due to the accumulation of air (gases) in the pleura. Its provocateurs can be almost any pathogenic, allergenic, etc. bacteria.
• Wet cough - occurs when various mucus or liquids accumulate in the child’s respiratory system. It will stop only when all liquid masses are eliminated.

Interesting, but as they say, fact. The body at different times of the day can react to irritants in the respiratory system, causing the child to cough with varying intensity. Therefore, it is qualified for morning, evening and night.

Useful video - How to relieve a coughing attack in a child:

To determine why your child is coughing, pay attention to the nature of this process. The type of cough can say a lot, for example:

• Bitonal - the main group of those suffering from it are patients with bronchoadenitis. Due to the process of constant narrowing of one of the bronchi and changes in the speed of air passing through the respiratory tract, the tone of such a cough often changes.
• Barking - occurs when inflammation of the vocal cords and larynx occurs. Main diseases: whooping cough or laryngitis. It is easy to identify: by the accompanying hoarseness and aphonia of the voice.
• Mild coughing – pharyngitis or tuberculosis (mostly).
• Sharp - occurs when there is a violation of the pleura. It can appear with a large number of diseases.
• Convulsive cough is one of the most common types of night cough in a child. Characterized by frequent coughing impulses with intervals for breaths. May cause vomiting.
• Physiological – is not a sign of infection in the human body. Occurs to cleanse his respiratory tract from one-time “pollution”.

Important! Never rely entirely on yourself to diagnose the type of cough or its causes. Only a specialist can do this correctly.

Why does my child cough only at night?

The child coughs at night, but not during the day or much less. This phenomenon is not uncommon and can occur for a number of reasons:

1. Upper respiratory tract infections

They are combined into the concept of postnasal drip syndrome. Inflammation of the nose, its sinuses, oropharynx, and tonsils leads to the appearance of pathological discharge, which flows down the back wall of the pharynx. During the day, the child does not cough because he blows his nose or swallows it. At night, it accumulates and enters the larynx, causing coughing attacks. It is characteristically dry, but older children may think they are coughing up “phlegm.” In fact, they cough up that accumulated mucus discharge from the nose or oropharynx. In addition, each infection has its own symptoms:

RINITIS – sneezing, nasal congestion, nasal discharge and difficulty in nasal breathing. The child begins to breathe through his mouth. The temperature is rarely high, more often it is within the normal range or low-grade (up to 38 degrees).

SINUSITIS (RHINOSINUSITIS, SINUSITIS, FRONTITIS, POLYSINUSITIS) – inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. High fever with thick nasal discharge. Older children may complain of pain in the frontal or paranasal area.

PHARINGITIS – pain and sore throat. May be accompanied by general symptoms (fever, intoxication). When examining the oropharynx, the mucous membrane is red and swollen.

LARINGITIS – hoarseness of voice or its complete loss, as the vocal cords are affected. Very young children stop talking and remain silent. Temperature is common, but not obligatory.

1. Lower respiratory tract infections

In these diseases, the cough may be predominantly nocturnal due to the accumulation of sputum, which is produced in scant quantities during the day. They rarely occur in isolation, more often it is a single process of damage to the mucous membrane, going from top to bottom (rhinopharyngotracheitis, tracheobronchitis, etc.).

TRACHETITIS – a dry, strong cough in a child at night or in the morning, usually a slight increase in temperature, pain in the chest (a symptom that school-age children report).

BRONCHITIS - at the beginning of the disease, the child coughs at night with a dry cough (less often during the day), which is paroxysmal in nature. After a few days, sputum appears. Intoxication is usually severe, the temperature can rise to 39 degrees. With obstructive bronchitis, accompanied by a narrowing of the airway, wheezing and shortness of breath appear in the lungs.

PNEUMONIA – the process involves lung tissue, in typical cases accompanied by a sharp rise in temperature, a wet cough that gets worse at night, and shortness of breath. In weakened children, the course may be atypical, beginning sluggishly, with a slight increase in temperature and a dry cough. In both cases, without treatment the disease will be a direct threat to the child's life.

1. Whooping cough

This is also an infection that is worth talking about separately from others. It is dangerous for children under 2 years of age due to possible respiratory arrest. Its pathogen does not cause damage to the respiratory tract, but creates a persistent focus of irritation in the cough center. The child coughs from any irritant (light, sound, strong emotion) to vomiting and hemorrhages in the sclera of the eyes. The attack itself is very typical: after a wheezing inhalation, a series of coughing shocks occurs, ending with a deep, sonorous inhalation. This is called reprises. With whooping cough, coughing attacks in a child occur many times more often at night, losing normal sleep and driving him to exhaustion. Now, the incidence rate has decreased due to vaccination, but new cases are recorded throughout the country every year.

1. Allergy

For this reason, a night cough can occur on pillow filling (down, feathers), bedding material, dust, or plants in the room. Small allergen particles settle on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, causing allergic inflammation in any area (from the nasal cavity to small bronchioles). Provoked by this process, cough has a number of features:

• Dry or barking (if vocal cords are affected). At the end, a scant amount of light-colored sputum may be released.
• No fever.
• Has a paroxysmal character.

Accompanied by a runny nose, sneezing, red eyes or sore throat.

1. Bronchial asthma

Nocturnal coughing attacks in a child, accompanied by wheezing in the chest, shortness of breath, and forced positioning. The temperature does not rise. Allergens are often the cause, but there is also a non-allergic form. The process is localized in the bronchi, causing their narrowing and the impossibility of normal air flow. The peak development of asthma attacks occurs, as a rule, in the morning. Children have a special form of the disease - cough bronchial asthma, without attacks, only a dry night cough.

1. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

With this pathology, acidic stomach contents are refluxed into the esophagus and higher into the oropharynx. It severely irritates the mucous membrane, causing an attack of dry or wet cough. It occurs (or intensifies) in a child at night due to the horizontal position and immaturity of the digestive sphincters. Older children may complain of heartburn and chest pain. There are no symptoms of infection.

Help with coughs that are caused by specific reasons

Pediatricians and pediatric pulmonologists who examined the baby and established the cause of the painful condition of the respiratory system know how to relieve a child’s cough at night. Below are medications that are recommended to be taken to relieve cough if you have a specific disease.

Colds and flu

If you have a cough of a cold etiology, or caused by the influenza virus, it is necessary to use local remedies to rub the chest and lower part of the neck. Doctor Mom ointment is best suited.

The drug should be applied in an even layer over the entire surface of the skin, and then slowly rubbed into the epithelial layer for 10-15 minutes. The therapeutic procedure is performed in the morning, when the child has just woken up, and also before going to bed.

Bronchitis

If you have a cough caused by bronchitis, it is necessary to use means that dilute the mucus and remove it from the respiratory system, namely:

• Ambrobene - take 1 capsule 2-3 times a day for 7-10 days;
• Mucaltin is a drug with a mucolytic spectrum of action, taken 1 tablet 3-4 times a day or immediately at the time of a coughing attack (the medication must be slowly dissolved in the mouth);
• ACC - taken 200-400 mg per day, dividing the dosage into 2 times.

What other diseases cause a child to have a severe cough?

• Adenoiditis

Adenoids are a pathologically enlarged nasopharyngeal tonsil, up to the complete closure of the lumen of the nasal passage. It often becomes inflamed, a condition called adenoiditis. Pathology of preschool children, then the amygdala undergoes atrophy. In a subacute course, the only symptom may be a morning cough or a prolonged dry cough with a sluggish process. Typically, impaired nasal breathing, snoring and snoring, and a slight fever may appear.

• Tuberculosis

What examination can the doctor prescribe?

It all depends on the specific case. Sometimes one examination of the child is enough to understand the cause (for example, a red throat due to pharyngitis) and immediately prescribe treatment. In complex cases that require differential diagnosis between diseases (for example, bronchitis or pneumonia), the doctor turns to additional examination methods:

• A general blood test can indicate the presence of an infectious process and indirectly its nature. Neutrophilic leukocytosis accompanies bacterial infections; with viral infections, the number of lymphocytes is increased. Helminthic infestation and allergies are often accompanied by eosinophilia.
• A swab from the nose and throat to identify the pathogen. A quick method is using an immunofluorescence reaction, when the pathogen is directly identified by its antigens. Or they are cultured on nutrient media (pathogenic bacteria and their sensitivity to antibiotics are determined).

• X-ray methods. X-rays are performed if pneumonia is suspected; in complex cases (common process or possible presence of a formation, diagnosis of developmental defects), a computed tomography scan of the chest is performed.
• Spirometry is a method for assessing the function of external respiration using volume and velocity indicators using a spirometer device. Prescribed to children from 6 years of age. They are used more often in the diagnosis of bronchial asthma and the presence of bronchial obstruction.
• Ultrasound - can be prescribed for suspected cardiac cough (ECHO CG) or for pathology of the pleura (ultrasound of the pleural cavities).

What to do and how to help: treatment approaches

1. Treatment of the cause, that is, the underlying disease that caused the cough.

As Dr. Komarovsky said: “A cough is only a sign of an existing disease.” In each case, the therapy prescribed by the doctor will be different. The infection, depending on the pathogen, is treated with antiviral or antibacterial drugs. In the event of an allergic reaction, it is important to eliminate the allergen. For this type of inflammation, local and systemic antihistamines and glucocorticoids are used. Bronchial asthma attacks are relieved by bronchodilators, and prokinetics are used in the treatment of GERD.

1. Treating cough

Depending on its nature, several groups of drugs can be distinguished:

• Suppresses the cough reflex - with a dry, debilitating, hacking cough. In the classic version, this cough occurs with whooping cough. These include drugs based on butamirate (Sinekod, Omnitus), Libexin and others.

Attention! This group of drugs is used in children with extreme caution, and up to one year of age - according to strict indications due to a weak cough reflex. The child can be harmed. Do not self-medicate, drug therapy is prescribed only by a doctor!

• Expectorants are mucolytics that increase the content of mucous secretions, reduce the viscosity of sputum (Ambroxol, Ambrobene) and dilute sputum without increasing its quantity (ACC, Fluditec). These are the drugs of choice. Ambrobene in young children can be used in inhalation through a nebulizer.
• Herbal preparations based on thyme, marshmallow, plantain, wild rosemary (Mukaltin, Bronchofit, Pertussin, etc.)
• Homeopathic medicines (Stodal, Aconite)

1. We create favorable conditions for recovery

Humidity levels in the room where the child is located should be at 60-80%. Use a humidifier (for allergy sufferers it is better to take a cleanser-humidifier). Don’t forget about ventilation and regular wet cleaning. Walking in the fresh air is allowed if the child does not have a fever and it is not cold outside. Eating well and drinking plenty of fluids will help you cope with the disease faster.

Attention! Call an ambulance if you notice these signs in a coughing child:

• He began to choke, had difficulty speaking (the baby could not scream), and took a forced position supporting himself on his hands
• Blue lips or nasolabial triangle
• Whistling sounds when exhaling, audible from a distance
• A hoarse voice appeared with noisy inhalation (stridor)
• Accessory muscles are involved in breathing
• Loss of consciousness with respiratory arrest

Effective treatments

What to do if a child’s severe cough at night is regular?

First of all, you need to consult a doctor and, taking into account the individual characteristics of the little patient and the nature of the disease, he will prescribe effective medications.

Here's what your doctor can recommend for you to finally get rid of the root cause of the symptom:

You should take such medications only after examination. Never give antibacterial medications to a child yourself.

• For pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, penicillins are usually prescribed: Amoxiclav, Augmentin, Flemoxin.
• If the bacterial disease occurs in a sluggish form and is not accompanied by a high temperature, then macrolides can be used: Sumamed, Azitrus.
• Cephalosporins are prescribed to children for pneumonia, acute bronchitis and other serious pathologies of the lower respiratory system.
• Antiviral drugs and immunomodulators.

Such drugs will help speed up the treatment of cough caused by a viral infection. A strong child with good immunity can completely do without them, but doctors like to prescribe at least something.

For young children, the drugs Ergoferon, Anaferon, Bronchomunal are recommended. From 4 years old you can use the popular Cycloferon, and from 7 years old the long-known Rimantadine.

You will find a complete list of antiviral drugs by age in this article.

Any treatment for cough comes down to the use of anti-inflammatory drugs that normalize the functioning of the lower respiratory system.

Askoril, Erespal, Siresp - syrups for young children. The listed agents and others like them also have an antispasmodic effect. You should not expect an instant effect from them.

Therapy usually lasts at least 5 days.

But such drugs should be given to children only with the permission of a doctor, since in some situations they can be harmful. Bronholitin, Codelac NEO, Libexin, Sinekod and other agents affect the respiratory center, calming it. The cough stops instantly. But do you need it?

• Expectorants are often used to treat night cough.

They should only be taken during the daytime. If you give Ambrobene, Lazolvan, ACC, Fluditec and other similar drugs to your child before bedtime, the cough will only get worse.

All treatment options can be supplemented with inhalations. A popular and safe medicine for young children is Berodual. It is used diluted in saline solution.

The drug has a dilating effect on the bronchi, which normalizes the child’s condition within a few minutes.

If there is no effect from the use of medications, then the pulmonologist may prescribe Pulmicort to the child.

This is a hormonal drug that has an anti-inflammatory, normalizing effect on breathing. The drug is most often used for bronchial asthma, but can also be prescribed for other diseases.

How to stop a child's cough at night: first aid remedies

• Try giving water or apple juice. If your child is school age, cough drops may help.
• Breathe in the steam in the bathroom. To do this, fill it with it, turning on the hot water, and then stay there with the child for a few minutes.

• Inhalation with saline solution using a nebulizer. The idea is the same as with steam - to moisten the airways.
• If the cause of the cough is mucus flowing down the back wall of the throat, then you should rinse your nose well and blow it away (in infants, remove it with an aspirator).
• Vibration massage of the chest will help with a “deep” cough, facilitating the release of accumulated phlegm.

If a cough appears, you should not postpone a visit to the doctor, especially self-medicate or intensively search for the cause on the forums, asking advice from experienced mothers. As a result, you can make the situation worse. Remember its protective role, do not panic, help the child clear his throat. Fear is more contagious than coughing. Correctly selected therapy by a doctor will help you quickly eliminate the problem or gain control over the situation.

Author: Yulia Tamanskaya especially for the website Matrasium.ru

Source

What not to do to stop a child's dry cough

A cough is the body’s reaction to an irritant: phlegm, mucus, dust, allergen or foreign body. Sputum is a sign of an inflammatory process or allergy. To humidify the air, the mucous membrane secretes a small amount of secretion. An increase in mucus indicates germs or viruses in the respiratory tract.

By coughing, the child clears the lungs. Seizures occur day and night, preventing the child from sleeping and being actively awake. The main task of parents is to alleviate coughing attacks, reduce their frequency and duration. To completely get rid of attacks, it is necessary to find out the cause of their occurrence and treat the disease that causes the cough.

Cough is a symptom of many diseases, so for its effective treatment it is important to correctly determine the cause.

A physiological cough is provoked by particles of dust, food or strong odors (for example, cigarette smoke). This cough appears sporadically and is short-lived.

If the cough becomes paroxysmal, occurs at night, after waking up or during quiet games, and other symptoms of the disease appear (for example, high fever), you should contact your pediatrician and conduct the necessary examination. Timely, competent treatment reduces the risk of complications.

Types of cough in children and their characteristics:

• Dry. It mainly occurs due to the onset of inflammatory processes in the throat. As a result of the infectious disease, severe and prolonged attacks occur, which are disturbing at night. Other symptoms of the disease appear - high body temperature, general malaise, discomfort in the throat, vomiting. No sputum is produced with a dry cough.
• Wet. Characterized by the production of sputum. The frequency and duration of attacks depends on the thickness of the mucus. If the discharge is thick, the child coughs for a long time, since effort is required to cleanse the respiratory system. With liquid mucus, coughing occurs faster, so attacks are short-lived. With the accumulation of sputum, a new attack begins.

The time of day when severe coughing attacks occur is directly related to the disease that caused the cough. Kinds:

• morning - appears during inflammatory processes in the upper respiratory tract;
• evening – occurs with pneumonia, bronchitis;
• nocturnal - occurs with bronchial asthma, laryngitis, whooping cough.

Spasmodic cough in children appears due to respiratory viral diseases. Then there is a fever, redness of the throat and weakness. A severe cough is a symptom of:

• Laryngitis is a disease in which the larynx becomes inflamed. There is a rough barking cough.
• Tracheitis – inflammation of the trachea. Before the cough, symptoms of acute respiratory infections are observed.
• Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi. It starts with a dry cough, then turns into a wet cough, producing a large amount of sputum.
• Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs. Children often get sick because their immune system is not strong enough. With pneumonia, an increase in body temperature above 38 degrees is observed. The disease begins abruptly, immediately after hypothermia. The sputum is yellow or green. Pneumonia requires hospital treatment; it is very difficult to cope with the disease at home - there is a high risk of complications.
• Whooping cough is a childhood disease that causes a barking cough. It is accompanied by other symptoms: blue discoloration of the skin and swollen veins. Treatment is carried out under the supervision of a doctor.
• Diphtheria is a dangerous infectious disease that causes plaque to appear on the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract and trachea. Coughing with diphtheria can provoke an attack of suffocation and asphyxia. If symptoms are detected, you must call an ambulance.

READ ALSO: How to treat if a child has a barking cough? A cough together with a runny nose can be allergic in nature. READ ALSO: how to treat a child’s cough that appears at night?

Allergies can also be the cause of a cough. Allergic cough attacks are sudden. You need to pay attention when they occur: during contact with pets, in a dusty room, or outdoors when plants are flowering. These are the most common allergens.

If the cough begins while eating food, particles may enter the respiratory tract. It is necessary to help the child get rid of the foreign object. In children under one year of age, a cough may begin due to teething, as a large amount of saliva is released.

Depending on the type of cough and the reasons causing the attacks, the pediatrician will prescribe appropriate treatment. Strict adherence to the doctor’s recommendations contributes to a quick recovery.

How to stop a child’s cough (more details in the article: how to treat an allergic cough in a small child?)? You need to act depending on the type of cough. First steps for dry cough:

• Calm the child. If he coughs at night, sit him on the bed or pick him up. Speak in a calm voice so that your anxiety is not passed on to your baby.
• To moisturize the mucous membranes, you need to give a warm drink. Water, juice, compote or fruit drink will do. You can prepare a decoction of chamomile with sage; warm milk with a spoon of honey also relieves coughing.
• It is necessary to moisturize the nasal passages. Use a saline solution from a pharmacy or prepare it at home using saline drops in your nose.
• Increase the air humidity in the room, ventilate the room more often.
• To achieve better results, you can turn on the water in the bath and sit in the room with the child so that he can breathe well-humidified air.
• If the baby stops crying, inhale with saline solution.

READ ALSO: signs of whooping cough in a child under one year of age or older

Children's cough at night is a real torment for the baby. This symptom sometimes confuses moms and dads. I want to quickly help my child, but not all parents know what measures to take to effectively cope with an unpleasant symptom.

Most often, attacks occur during acute respiratory viral infections. In this case, the inflammatory process can occur in both the upper and lower respiratory tracts. You can try to figure out the reasons yourself before consulting a pediatrician. As a rule, if the cough is dry and sputum is not released, then the upper respiratory tract is inflamed.

During laryngitis, a characteristic cough appears, which is difficult to confuse with other types - it is also called “barking”. If a baby complains of difficulty breathing, then he may have a severe form of laryngitis - serious swelling of the mucous membrane occurs, due to which the lumen of the upper respiratory tract significantly narrows. In this case, call an ambulance immediately.

You should definitely consult a doctor if your child is suffering from a severe cough that accompanies sputum production. This symptom may indicate an inflammatory process in the bronchi.

If there are no other symptoms, and the attack began suddenly, then some kind of foreign body has probably entered the respiratory tract. There is no need to hesitate; it is better to call an ambulance immediately. But the reasons are not always so serious. Babies may start coughing due to too dry air in the apartment or an irritating odor.

Parents often turn to pediatricians with the question: why does the child’s cough get worse at night? There are also situations where during the day nothing torments the baby, but at night attacks suddenly begin. What's the matter?

There are several scientific explanations for this phenomenon. The first of them is fluctuations in the state of the endocrine and nervous systems at different times of the day. At night, the activity of the vagus nerve increases. The bronchi narrow, and sputum discharge becomes more difficult than during the day. In addition, cortisol and adrenaline are produced in smaller quantities, which also causes a narrowing of the bronchi.

The blood supply to the lungs changes depending on the posture. In a horizontal position it worsens significantly compared to a vertical one. The sputum thins more slowly, making it difficult to cough up.

A nighttime cough may indicate an allergy. At night, contact with various household allergens increases. For example, a child may have such a reaction to dust or pet hair.

Night cough can occur with such serious diseases as bronchial asthma, whooping cough, gastroesophageal reflux. It often appears during ARVI.

It is important to establish the root cause and take the necessary measures in a timely manner, so be sure to consult your doctor. The pediatrician will advise the necessary treatment depending on the type of reflex.

Coughing attacks in an adult or child that keep you awake at night can cause severe suffering. They are usually accompanied by other symptoms that indicate the development of the disease.

In this case, you must definitely consult a doctor to understand the cause of this condition.

But what to do before visiting a doctor so as not to suffer and not to suffocate? How to stop coughing at night in adults and children?

Dry cough

It usually occurs with diseases of the larynx and may be accompanied by an increase in body temperature. If a small amount of sputum is released, this indicates that the inflammatory process has affected the pharynx, larynx or trachea. A strong and rough cough usually causes inflammation of the trachea.

With a dry “barking” cough, the larynx often becomes inflamed, which indicates laryngitis. This disease is dangerous because a serious complication may occur - laryngeal stenosis. This is swelling of the upper respiratory tract, leading to a narrowing of the space between them, making it difficult to breathe. In this case, you need to urgently call a doctor and not self-medicate.

A dry cough can occur with mild asthma, or if there is cold air in the room, which during sleep begins to irritate the laryngeal mucosa, causing a cough. If an adult or child has a runny nose, then when the person sleeps, mucus begins to accumulate in the nasopharynx. Since there is nowhere else for it to go, it slides down to the larynx, provoking a coughing attack.