The discomfort of children is the most troublesome thing for parents, especially coughing, which not only coughs during the day, but also coughs even harder at night, making parents worried and unable to sleep well.
So, why do children cough more severely when they sleep at night?
In clinical practice, night cough not only refers to coughs at night or at night, but also refers to coughs whose time is concentrated at night, or whose symptoms at night are more serious than during the day.
If the child's cough lasts for a long time, it cannot be cured for more than 2-4 weeks, and has been chronic night cough, it may be caused by respiratory infection , cough variant asthma, upper respiratory tract cough syndrome, post-infection cough, and gastroesophageal reflux , accounting for about 89% of the total cases, and other causes account for about 11%.
① Respiratory tract infection
It refers to the upper respiratory tract (nose, pharynx, tonsils), trachea, bronchial, and lung infection caused by various bacteria, viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae , etc., which causes the child to cough at night.
mainly manifests as cold, bronchitis symptoms (sorrow throat, fever, etc.), and throat tonsillitis. also has a few pathogens that cause nighttime coughs, such as: whooping cough , whooping cough, acute laryngitis , acute laryngeal bronchitis and respiratory syncytial virus infection , etc.
Generally, this infectious cough does not have a particularly obvious day and night routine, and you will cough during the day and at night. will also be accompanied by infection symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, dry throat, sore throat, fever, headache and general discomfort.
②Cough variant asthma
It is a special type of bronchial asthma . The main symptoms of are that you basically don’t cough during the day, start coughing after falling asleep at night, and may also start coughing in the early morning. When you encounter cold air or exercise, the cough will worsen. is generally mainly dry cough, and there is basically no phlegm.
It also has another feature that antibiotic treatment has no effect on it, and it requires diagnostic treatment with bronchodilator to significantly relieve cough symptoms.
If the child has a dry cough at night or has repeated attacks for more than one month, parents should be wary of cough mutant asthma and send them to the hospital in time.
③Upper respiratory cough syndrome
It was previously called "postnatal drip (flow) syndrome", which refers to a general term for a variety of diseases that occur in the upper airway (nose, pharynx and throat), including various rhinitis , sinusitis , nasal polyps , adenoid hypertrophy, tonsillar swollen, and chronic pharyngitis , etc.
Its main feature is that cough mainly occurs when you wake up in the morning or when your posture changes (look down at night). It may be dry cough, or there may be phlegm, which will cough up yellow-green pus phlegm or white foam phlegm. It also has symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, dry throat and foreign body sensation in the pharynx.
If the child does not cough during the day, but coughs at night, it should be caused by postnasal drip caused by rhinitis. Because the child's nose is prone to flow back to the throat when lying flat, irritating the throat, which causes coughing.
④Cough after infection
It is mainly caused by various infections, the most common cause is respiratory virus infection, as well as Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae infection.
's main feature is that it lasts for a particularly long time (after the acute phase of infection, the cough will continue for 2-8 weeks), , but it is self-healing and will relieve and subside without any treatment.
Coughs usually occur during the day and at night, but some children will have higher coughing sensitivity, which leads to a higher frequency of coughing at night.
⑤ Gastroesophageal reflux
As the name suggests, it is a cough caused by the contents of the stomach, such as gastric juice, food, etc., which reflux from the stomach to the throat, causing the trachea to be stimulated.
Its symptoms are that cough mainly occurs at night, manifested as paroxysmal dry or wet cough, especially after eating, which may aggravate the cough.
In addition to the above 5 most common causes of cough, you should also pay attention to whether the child has allergic cough and non-infectious bronchitis, and pay attention to check whether there are allergens or environmental pollutants in the lower bedroom, such as mold, pets, dust mites, etc.
So, what can parents do to relieve their children when they have a severe cough when they sleep?
① Adjust the temperature and humidity to improve the sleeping environment
The air in the bedroom is too cold, too dry, or is contaminated with tobacco smoke, etc., which will stimulate the child's respiratory mucosa and aggravate the symptoms of cough.
Parents can adjust the temperature to 20-26 degrees through air conditioners, humidifiers, air purifiers, , etc., and adjust the humidity to 40%-60%, making children sleep more comfortable and also helping relieve cough symptoms.
②Eat warm or sweet liquid.
htmlBabies over 61 years old can eat honey, which is effective for night cough caused by infection. 2.5-5ml each time, 2-3 times at a time. You can take it before going to bed or dilute it and drink honey water.
Sometimes, parents will feel that their children’s cough is cured after eating honey, but the phlegm increases. This is because honey promotes the secretion of respiratory mucosa, causing sputum to be diluted, which actually helps relieve cough.
htmlBabies under 61 years old cannot eat honey, but they can drink more breast milk and warm water. can also be appropriately supplemented with some corn hydration , apple juice (the ratio of water to pure apple juice is 1:1) and other liquids to soothe cough caused by tracheal and throat discomfort.
③Use nasal saline or sea saline
This is especially effective for coughs caused by allergic coughs, upper airway cough syndrome and environmental pollution. Parents can use normal saline to spray nasal, drip, and wash the nasal cavity to remove dust, secretions, pathogens, etc. from the nose. It can not only relieve cough, but also be very helpful for nasal congestion and runny nose.
However, if the baby has a fever, shortness of breath, irregular breathing, lethargy , poor mental health, vomiting, severe diarrhea, cough continues to worsen, or care for more than 7 days does not improve significantly, parents need to take their children to the hospital for treatment in time.
