Do you have a cough at night?Harvard experts clarify the reasons and countermeasures

this cough it is natural mechanism Keep open airway But when it’s produced in excess, it can be very annoying. It is most commonly caused by colds or flu, and more serious respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia, or asthma. Dust mite allergies can also cause a cough when a person is irritated. Sudden changes in temperature, tobacco, or nerves (psychogenic cough) are other causes of cough. As you’ll see, there are a variety of triggers for a cough. When you have this symptom, it comes on during the day and can keep you from sleeping at night as it gets worse.However, some people They do not cough during the day and only have a chronic cough at night. They did not have any symptoms of cold or respiratory illness or allergies. So what causes nighttime coughing? Harvard experts clarified this.

postnasal drip

nasal gland constant secretion of mucus Helps clear nasal passages and remove dust and other particles. This mucus can get down your throat and be swallowed without you realizing it, but when you produce more mucus than normal, postnasal drip can be very annoying, especially at night, and cause nocturnal cough.

“During the day, when you stand upright, these fluids drain naturally with the help of gravity, you swallow them and flush them out. When you lie down, you lose the help of gravity Mucus collects in the back of the throat. If mucus reaches the vocal cords of the throat, or if some mucus is inhaled and enters the lungs, a wet cough can cause phlegm or mucus. “’, otolaryngologist Neil Bhattacharyya explained on Harvard Portal.

gastroesophageal reflux

When the stomach contracts, stomach acid moves into the intestine, but in people with reflux, stomach contents back up into the esophagus because the valve between the stomach and esophagus (the lower esophageal sphincter) doesn’t close properly.this leads to aciditya burning sensation behind the breastbone when gastric juices irritate the esophagus and throat.

he Reflux gets worse when you lie down Because stomach acid flows upward more easily due to gravity when standing.

In addition to heartburn, reflux can also be a cause of nighttime coughing. “when. . .when the acid reaches the vocal cords and you start coughing. In severe cases, the acid can reach the windpipe and cause wheezing. “, said Dr. Bhattacharya. Nocturnal cough due to gastric reflux is a dry cough that can be accompanied by burning and pain in the chest.

some drugs

Experts warn that drugs such as ACE inhibitors (lisinopril or enalapril) used in hypertension and heart disease, which can lead to dry cough as a side effect. “During the day, it looks more like a throat clearing, but at night it’s much worse.” Purpose.

heart failure

In heart failure, the heart cannot effectively pump blood throughout the body. This causes fluid to build up and leak into other tissues. “During the day, the fluid flows down the legs by gravity, but when you lie down enters the lungs and causes a cough“” said the expert.

Unexplained nighttime coughing may be the first sign of heart failure.

How to Relieve a Nighttime Cough

In addition to visiting your doctor to figure out the cause of your nighttime cough and, if necessary, treating the condition that caused it, the following tips from Harvard experts can help you ease this annoying symptom:

• use a large pillowpreferably wedge-shaped, with a slight inclination when sleeping, which prevents stomach acid from easily flowing into the throat.
• put a humidifier in the room. A dry environment dries out the airways and increases coughing.
• Take cough drops or some honey. If you have coughing attacks at night, don’t wait for the cough to go away. Suck on a cough drop or candy, or take a spoonful of honey to soothe an inflamed throat.