Mexico City. – It’s cold and flu season. This means that if you’re not someone suffering from these symptoms, you’re likely to be surrounded by a symphony of coughs and runny noses.
No matter what your main symptoms are – cough, fever, headache or nasal congestion – you may find that you feel worse at night.
It’s not your imagination. This is caused by a number of factors, starting with the circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock.
When dusk arrives, it tells the brain to go to sleep while stimulating certain immune cells to become more active. Each night, these cells travel to different parts of the body in search of invading pathogens such as viruses and bacteria.
“When immune cells recognize viruses and try to fight them, they cause irritation and inflammation, which ultimately causes respiratory symptoms to worsen at night,” explains Diego Hijano, an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Certain hormones, such as cortisol, also follow a circadian rhythm.
Cortisol levels are highest in the morning, which helps suppress inflammation during the day, thereby reducing symptoms. When cortisol levels begin to drop during the night, symptoms may worsen.
Another factor that can worsen cough and cold symptoms at night is what’s called postnasal drip, in which mucus starts to accumulate in the back of your throat when you lie down.
“Throughout the day, mucus buildup is less of a problem because when you’re upright and As you move, gravity helps expel the mucus.”
However, mucus can build up at night and trigger an instinct to cough and clear your airways.
The lack of distractions — which is usually ideal for sleep — also makes it harder to ignore a scratchy throat at night. Additionally, indoor environmental conditions, such as dry air, can sometimes irritate the respiratory tract, Chiriboga-Hurtado said.
Other conditions, such as allergies, asthma, and gastrointestinal reflux, are also associated with coughing, which tends to be worse at night for many of the same reasons. Additionally, certain medications, such as certain blood pressure medications, can worsen coughing.
Chiriboga-Hurtado said that for most people with the common cold, nighttime coughing and other symptoms should go away within five to seven days.
In some cases, the cough may last two weeks or longer. But if you still don’t feel better after three weeks, you need to see your doctor to check if there are other causes.
No discomfort at night
There are several things you can do to help improve nighttime cough and cold symptoms. Between them:
-Drink plenty of water throughout the day to thin mucus and reduce postnasal drip before bed.
– Take a hot bath
– Using a saline nasal spray can also help thin mucus.
– Use a humidifier at night to keep your nasal passages moist. Studies show that keeping room humidity between 40% and 60% can reduce the spread of respiratory viruses and can relieve symptoms of illness, such as coughing or stuffy nose.
– Elevate your head with some extra pillows to help drain mucus while you sleep. For infants, use a wedge under the mattress or raise one side of the crib.
– Consult your doctor if you need an expectorant, cough suppressant, or antihistamine.