home Audience 2 The child has severe coughing attacks at night. Treatment of night cough in children. Reasons why a child coughs while falling asleep while lying down

The child has severe coughing attacks at night. Treatment of night cough in children. Reasons why a child coughs while falling asleep while lying down

Active coughing attacks can torment a baby in the dark, preventing both him and his parents from sleeping. When he coughs strainedly, you need to help him quickly. A dry cough in a child at night means that the body is protecting itself from pathological microorganisms, viruses and foreign mucus in an enhanced manner.

The evening attack periodically worsens so much that it prevents sleep. However, a strong cough only helps to clear the child's throat, trachea and bronchi. The task of parents at this stage is to understand the cause of the disease and smooth out its symptoms.

There are conditions that cause a dry cough at night:

ARVI, cold results.
Allergic processes. They cause a sudden cough; the allergen can be household chemicals or flowers.
Bronchial asthma. Usually torments the child in the second half of the night.
Rhinitis, sinusitis, runny nose.
Chronic pharyngitis. It is expressed by a dry cough and sore throat.
Teething. Promotes mild night coughing.
Dry air causes irritation of the respiratory tract.
Helminthiasis. Some types of helminths migrate through the lungs.

Whooping cough is also characterized by similar symptoms. This is a type of bacterial infection of the respiratory system, which is accompanied by a buzzing “” and its characteristic tearing.

Dry cough throughout the night

The attack intensifies due to certain processes. The cause is daily fluctuations in the nervous and endocrine systems. In the evening, the activity of the vagus nerve and nervous system is increased, the bronchi become narrowed and the release of sputum becomes difficult. In a horizontal position, it is more difficult for the body to supply blood to the bronchi. If a child gets sick with rhinitis, which is not accompanied by an accumulation of sputum, when lying down, mucus suddenly flows from the nasal passages into the nasopharynx area. This causes reflex cough impulses of an intensified nature.

There are the following characteristics of dry cough in children:

Suffocating.
Gorlova.
Barking.
Whistling.

The attack is also assessed by duration and duration. There are acute, subacute and chronic forms.

Severe cough with attacks to the point of vomiting

When a child's throat, face, and neck muscles are very tense, the excessive pressure in the throat may trigger the gag reflex. Vomiting is not severe, but can recur during a prolonged attack. The reasons for this condition are:

Post-acute respiratory viral infections and their complications.
Tracheitis, tracheobronchitis.
Whooping cough.
Bronchial asthma.
Allergic reaction.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease occurs when contents from the gastric environment enter the esophagus. The juice irritates the walls of the throat, causing a dry cough, excessive salivation, and sometimes vomiting.

A dry cough is suffocating, very exhausting for the baby and takes a lot of energy from him. The urge to vomit occurs immediately at the moment of coughing. Often children are afraid of the next cough shocks, lest they vomit again.

The very phenomenon of vomiting when coughing is not dangerous, unlike vomiting during an infectious process or poisoning. However, such urges signal that the child’s condition requires immediate adult intervention.

Cough that gets worse in the morning

A persistent dry cough at normal temperature may indicate bronchial asthma. This is an allergic phenomenon of a chronic nature, which develops when the lumen of the lower respiratory tract narrows. Bronchial asthma has become increasingly diagnosed in young children. Cough attacks occur more often in the morning, as well as during and after physical activity. The pathology is characterized by a wheezing cough with shortness of breath, varying in intensity and duration.

Parents often note that after suffering from acute respiratory viral infection and the disappearance of all symptoms of the disease, after 2-3 days, coughing attacks resume and torment the child at 4-5 in the morning. Pediatricians say that due to the disease, the immune system is weakened and irritation of the mucous membranes remains. This is why “cough” relapses occur as a residual phenomenon.

Adenoiditis is another common disease characterized by a coughing attack. Adenoids in children occur as a complication after suffering from sinusitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis and other diseases. The clinical sign of adenoiditis is a cough attack, which appears against the background of irritation of the nasopharynx with mucus or pus. Pathological cough is a reflex reaction to impaired nasal breathing. It is constant in nature, disturbing at night, closer to the morning. Often, adenoids require removal so that the child stops suffering and can sleep normally.

Cough without fever

The absence of hyperthermia in the presence of a cough indicates a viral process in the child’s body. The disease begins with a slight sore throat, is accompanied by mild irritation and can gradually develop into an obsessive coughing attack. If the cause of the illness is a strain of influenza, the child will feel much weaker. Influenza often passes without fever and is characterized by a dry and hoarse cough, which becomes productive and completely disappears only 8-12 days after applying the correct therapy.

Against the background of environmental irritants, an allergic reaction may occur that is not accompanied by fever. The allergens are:

Frequent interaction with allergic pathogens will cause a chronic cough attack that cannot be treated with antitussive drugs. The only symptomatic signs of an allergy are a cough, runny nose, redness and watery eyes.

Dry air also causes sharp, spasmodic exhalations. Low indoor humidity leads to a dry cough. The baby's mucous membrane is not sufficiently moisturized. Small allergens do not have the opportunity to settle on the floor. Dust, hair, and small particles regularly enter the respiratory tract and cause irritation. Summer heat also dries out the mucous membranes. At this time, the respiratory system literally works to its limits. The baby's immunity decreases, spasmodic breathing follows a dry throat.

A dry cough attack is sometimes caused by helminths. A number of worms provoke coughing due to their accumulation in the lung tissues. Typically, helminths live in the intestines, gradually seeping into the vascular system. They travel through the bloodstream to other organs. Penetration of larvae into the upper respiratory tract (lungs, bronchi, trachea) causes dysfunction.

How to stop a child's night cough?

Sometimes during the day the cough reflex is absent, while in the evening it cannot be stopped. In such a situation, you need to help the baby and calm him down. If a child has attacks of dry cough at night, you need to move the baby to an upright position, sitting him in the crib. Warm milk, mineral water with soda, and chamomile decoction will quickly soften the mucous membrane of the throat and relieve soreness. A spoon of honey and a piece of butter, which you need to slowly dissolve, will also help to overcome the problem. To treat prolonged cough attacks, medications, folk remedies, and inhalations are used.

Medicines

Drug treatment in children is carried out based on the child’s age, etiology of the disease and its course. Medicines for the treatment of dry cough differ in composition, mechanism of action and release form. There are herbal, synthetic and combined. For painful coughs, experts most often prescribe antitussive drugs of central and peripheral action. The first act directly on the cough center located in the brain, stopping cough impulses. Peripheral agents suppress the cough reflex and have an anti-inflammatory effect without affecting the respiratory center.

Herbal medicines are better tolerated by children, thin mucus and speed up its discharge.

For therapeutic purposes, systemic drugs can also be prescribed - antibiotics, antivirals, antihistamines. Such remedies do not stop coughing, but they can cure the cause of the disease. The following tools are actively used in medical practice:

Table of cough suppressants for children

Drug name	Active substance	Features of the drug
Gedelix	Ivy extract	Herbal preparation for persistent cough prescribed from birth
Fluditek	Carbocisteine	Prescribed to children from birth
Ambroxol	Ambroxol	A mucolytic agent that thins mucus in the lungs. Prescribed from 1–1.5 months
overslept	Ivy extract	Treats both dry and wet cough. Well tolerated and can be given to infants from birth
Sinekod	Butamirate citrate	Central acting drug. Available in different forms. Drops are indicated for children from 2–3 months
Linkas	Adhatoda vasika	Designed for babies from 6 months
Gerbion	Plantain, primrose and ivy extract	Relieves cough, eliminates irritation of the respiratory tract. Applicable from 6 months
Stoptussin	Butamirate dihydrogen citrate and guaifenesin	In the form of drops it is prescribed from 6 months. The medication taken depends on the child's weight
Libexin	Prenoxdiazine	A peripheral action agent that reduces the sensitivity of nerve endings and relaxes the bronchial muscles. Indicated for children from the first year of life
Mukaltin	Marshmallow extract	Prescribed for children over one year of age
Bronholitin	Glaucine hydrobromide, ephedrine hydrochloride	Combined drug. It has antispasmodic and bronchodilator properties. Eliminates dry cough. Designed for children from 3 years old
Glauvent	Glaucine hydrobromide	Appointed from 4 years of age
Erespal	Fenspiride hydrochloride	Combined syrup with expectorant properties. Helps with allergic and bacterial coughs. Used from 5 years

In the absence of elevated temperature, specialists prescribe warming ointments to ease the attack. The means of such action are Badger, Pulmex, Eucabal. Pediatricians recommend using ointments for children over 2 years of age.

Expert opinion

Safronova Marina Arkadyevna

If a child's dry cough is caused by allergies, whooping cough or false croup, in these cases the use of warming ointments can aggravate the baby's condition. For example, the strong-smelling and allergenic components of Doctor Mom especially often contribute to an allergic reaction.

Inhalations

The procedures allow you to quickly liquefy mucus and reduce spasms of the respiratory tract. Inhalations have a direct effect on the muscles and mucous membranes of organs. They are prescribed from a very early age and are indicated for the following diseases:

Sinusitis and tonsillitis.
Bronchial asthma.
Tracheitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis of viral and bacterial etiology.
, pneumonia.
Cystic fibrosis.

Inhalation procedures are also an excellent preventive measure that helps prevent exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and avoid congestion. Steam techniques and nebulizers are widely used in home practice. The latter are a more effective option; they allow you to overcome the disease at an early stage of its manifestation; they are available in almost every medical institution. Their use is allowed even for children under 1 year of age.

The nebulizer allows you to accurately dose the drug and control the temperature. It eliminates the possibility of burns to the upper respiratory tract. The mechanism of action is the breakdown of the drug into tiny particles and their penetration deep into the respiratory tract. This ensures the possibility of acting directly on the area of inflammation. The product is diluted with saline solution in a special glass. For one procedure you will need no more than 4 ml of the finished drug.

It is worth considering that 1 ml of saline solution is consumed by the nebulizer itself for operation.

The medicine is split into small particles of different diameters, ensuring penetration to a certain level of the respiratory tract. Elements measuring 2-4 microns can penetrate directly into the alveoli. For children, the use of masks that fit closely to the face is recommended. For older children, there is a special tube-mouthpiece that is wrapped around the lips. For inhalation for dry cough, children are prescribed the following medications:

If your body temperature is above 37.5 °C, steam inhalation is prohibited.

When working with a nebulizer, you need to remember that all procedures are carried out half an hour after eating. Food intake is carried out no earlier than an hour after inhalation. The maximum duration of the therapeutic course is 12 days. Inhalations can be performed every four hours.

Folk remedies

There are ways that can help a child with a dry cough at night at home. Proven folk remedies will eliminate the cough reflex. Before starting therapy, you need to find out what type of pathogen caused the disease. Often the symptom appears during ARVI. In this case, bed rest and drinking plenty of fluids are sufficient. Parents should respond carefully to changes in the child's condition.

To calm a cough, babies under one year of age are advised to drink a warm drink - this can be milk, water, compote, linden tea, chamomile decoction. If the child is not prone to allergies, you can add ¼ teaspoon of honey to the drink. A piece of butter with milk will also effectively relieve a cough attack before bed.

Ground 100 g of barley, poured 250 ml of water, brewed in a water bath for 20–30 minutes. The drink should be rare, it is filtered and given to the child several times a day, ¼ cup. Children under one year of age are given 1–2 teaspoons.

Pine buds have healing properties. They can be purchased at a pharmacy or prepared yourself. To prepare the product, you need to bring the milk to a boil, add a tablespoon of pine buds to it and leave for at least three hours. The drink is intended for children over 3 years old. You should drink ¼ glass 2 times a day.

Another folk recipe is also intended for children over 3 years old and involves the use of onions. Its rings need to be boiled in milk. A teaspoon of honey is added to the finished drink. You need to give your child one tablespoon of water every 2-3 hours.

Mustard will help quickly get rid of a dry cough. A tablespoon of its grains is mixed with vegetable oil, honey and 9% vinegar in equal proportions. The mixture needs to be heated, add a few tablespoons of flour to it and make two. One of them is placed on the child’s chest, the other on the back. It is important to place gauze and a layer of cling film under them. Cover the top with a towel and lie with the compress for 10–15 minutes. If the child reports pain and burning, the compress should be removed immediately.

– one of the strongest remedies against colds and coughs. The root is grated or finely chopped with a knife. For a glass of boiling water you need ginger on the tip of a teaspoon. You can add currants, raspberries, honey or sugar to the finished liquid. It is better to drink the drink before bed - it perfectly relieves spasms of the respiratory tract and a sore throat. The recipe is suitable for children aged three years and older.

Komarovsky about night cough

Many doctor's videos talk about how to properly deal with a child's coughing attack. Evgeniy Olegovich claims that cough is an important component of the immune system. This is an effective way to cleanse the respiratory tract, which allows you to get rid of excessively accumulated mucus in the bronchi. The main thing when coughing is to prevent the mucus from drying out. According to the doctor, a dry cough needs cool, moist air and plenty of fluids.

There is actually no need for mucolytics until the age of two. The doctor suggests giving up expectorant medications altogether. Drinking warm liquid, rinsing your nose and constantly humidifying the air will achieve the same effect without any risk. In order to moisten a dry cough, you need to bathe your baby often - moist air thins the mucus and helps to cough.

The most common cause of a nighttime dry cough in a child is a runny nose. It is enough to place the pillow higher, and the problem will be solved - the baby will be able to sleep. It is also permissible to use vasoconstrictor drops, but only as a last resort. It is important to monitor the quality of the baby’s linen and remove dust sources, especially during illness. The doctor insists that daytime walks should not fall out of the child’s schedule. Fresh air is one of the most effective methods of treatment. However, if your body temperature is elevated, or the weather outside is “non-flying”, you should definitely stay at home.

When a child has a dry cough, it is important to create the right environmental conditions to stop it. The speed of health recovery depends on this. Humidity levels should be maintained between 50-70%. A humidifier will help adjust this indicator. If it is not available, you can hang wet cloths over the radiators and frequently wipe the floors. The air temperature in the room should not exceed 19 degrees. The room must be constantly ventilated. You need to know that the critical period from the start of therapy is considered to be 2 weeks. If during this time you have not been able to cope with the cough on your own, it does not stop and there is a dynamics of deterioration, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Golubeva Natalia Nikolaevna

Diagnosis and treatment of ENT diseases in children.

24 years of experience.

Fever, nasal congestion, difficulty breathing and other symptoms of illness often appear in children during sleep. A child’s night cough occurs due to pathologies of the oropharynx and respiratory organs, interferes with sleep, and causes anxiety for the baby and parents. Elimination of discomfort is possible only after identifying the underlying disease.

You can get rid of a night cough only by establishing the true cause of its occurrence.

Why does my child cough at night?

During sleep, all processes in the body slow down, viscous mucus accumulates in the upper respiratory tract, which has to be coughed up.

Reflux can cause night cough not only in children

Some chronic pathologies can provoke a coughing attack at night - cystic fibrosis, bronchial asthma, reflux, gastritis.

To help your child cough less at night, use high pillows during illness, periodically changing body position.

Which doctor should I contact?

If a child’s cough bothers him for more than 2 days and gets worse at night, visit him, he will conduct an examination, prescribe tests, and select safe medications. In case of severe forms of the disease, consultation will be required.

Before consulting a doctor, do not give your child cough syrups, antibiotics, or expectorants; these are strictly contraindicated for dry cough.

Diagnostics

During the examination, the doctor assesses the condition of the skin, throat, tonsils, listens to the bronchi, lungs and heart with a stethoscope, interviews parents, and finds out complaints. After which the specialist prescribes tests, makes an accurate diagnosis based on the results, and prescribes treatment.

If you have night coughs, see a doctor

Coughing attacks immediately after waking up are a sign of pathologies of the digestive or cardiovascular system.

How to treat a child's night cough?

Dr. Komarovsky claims that no medicine will help get rid of a cough if you do not follow simple rules.

The room should always be fresh, the air temperature is 18–22 degrees, humidity is 50–70%; if the illness is not accompanied by a fever, the baby feels well, then quiet walks on the street will only be beneficial.

- one of the main components in the treatment of many diseases - fruit drinks, natural juices, purified water dilute phlegm, cleanse the body of harmful substances, and promote a speedy recovery.

One of the main reasons for the appearance of a severe cough without fever in children is passive smoking, excessive accumulation of dust on furniture and toys.

Medicines from the pharmacy

To prevent coughing attacks at night, drugs are used that moisturize the mucous membranes of the oropharynx, reduce mucus secretion, and eliminate the manifestations of the underlying disease.

How to treat night cough in children:

Dolphin - nasal rinse

nasal rinsing solutions– Aquamaris, Dolphin, moisturize the mucous membrane, prevent the formation of mucus;
vasoconstrictor drops– Nazivin, Otrivin, used for a runny nose, but their use should not exceed 7 days;
rubbing ointments– Doctor Mom, Vicks Active, warms, makes breathing easier. Most of the drugs in this group are safe for children over 2–3 years of age only; they cannot be used at elevated temperatures;
antibiotics– Augmentin, Sumamed, prescribed for bronchitis, sore throat, sinusitis;
antiviral drugs– Ergoferon, Cycloferon;
antihistamines– Claritin, Zodak, used for allergic cough;
antipyretics in suppositories or syrups– Panadol, Nurofen;
syrups with anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic effects– Siresp, Askoril;
antiseptic tablets– Lizobakt, Tantum Verde, will eliminate sore throat;
antitussives– Sinekod, Bronholitin, will help stop a continuous cough;
expectorants- ACC. Lazolvan is prescribed for coughs with phlegm for better removal of mucus, but they should not be given before bedtime, otherwise coughing attacks will intensify at night;
drugs for inhalation with nebulizer– Berodual, Pulmicort.

Inhalations will help with dry and wet coughs, but steam procedures are not carried out at elevated temperatures, allergies, or laryngitis. Cold inhalations with a nebulizer can be used to treat children at any age, with low-grade fever, even the usual inhalation of sprayed particles of alkaline water before bed will help prevent coughing attacks at night.

Folk remedies

Alternative medicine methods are relevant if a child coughs at night - they will eliminate signs of the inflammatory process, reduce swelling of the mucous membrane and sputum production.

How to treat children's cough with folk remedies:

Melt 1 tbsp over the fire. l. sugar, mix with 120 ml of warm milk or water, add 5 drops of fresh aloe juice. Give 5 ml for each attack of dry cough.
Grind 1 banana into a puree, heat for 10 minutes in a steam bath, cool slightly, add 10 ml of buckwheat or linden honey. The entire portion of the medicine should be eaten during the day; the product improves sputum discharge.
For any type of cough, a compress of mashed potatoes will help - first cool the mass a little, wrap it in several layers of thin natural fabric, apply it to your back, secure it with film and a warm scarf. The duration of the session is 1 hour, the procedure is contraindicated for children under 6 months old, at high temperatures.

In case of an attack of night cough, calm the child by breathing near an open window, or over the steam in the bathroom with the hot water turned on. A glass of warm milk with honey may help if there is no allergy, but it is better not to give tea with raspberries - this drink will speed up the process of mucus discharge, and coughing will continue for a long time.

Possible consequences and complications

Constant coughing attacks at night are fraught with chronic lack of sleep, which will negatively affect the physical and psycho-emotional state of the child. In case of serious diseases, the lack of adequate therapy leads to the development of severe complications.

Consequences of a long and persistent cough:

Prolonged cough can lead to stomach ulcers

pneumonia;
bronchial asthma;
ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract;
dysfunction of the heart and blood vessels.

In children, the larynx is narrow; in case of severe diseases of the respiratory system, due to swelling of the tissues, an attack of suffocation and apnea may occur.

If attacks of night cough are accompanied by suffocation, blueness of the nasolabial triangle, the temperature is not brought down by antipyretics, the face swells, a rash appears - call an ambulance. Only a specialist will determine what is happening, tell you what needs to be done, or hospitalize the child.

With the help of coughing, the baby’s body gets rid of excess phlegm that accumulates in the bronchi. This protective mechanism also helps remove toxins, viral cells and pathogenic bacteria. Parents are often frightened by this symptom, especially the child’s severe cough at night - every caring mother knows what to do in such a situation if it is not possible to immediately visit a doctor. Therefore, it is important to always have a set of necessary medications in your home medicine cabinet, as well as stock up on medicinal herbs.

What are the causes of a child’s severe cough at night without fever?

Typically, the factors that provoke the problem under consideration are:

allergic reactions;
helminth infection;
bronchial asthma;
emotional excitability, stress;
reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus (reflux);
presence of chemicals, dust, harmful substances in the air;
heart diseases;
foreign object in the respiratory tract;
too dry, cold or hot air in the room;
chlamydia.

In addition, the causes of cough are often infectious inflammatory diseases:

The listed pathologies are usually accompanied by an increase in temperature, but due to the use of antipyretic drugs, fever may be absent.

How can I help if my child coughs a lot at night?

Of course, it is better to try to find out the exact cause of the symptom being described. Unreasonable and uncontrolled use of any medications, especially antibacterial and antihistamine drugs, can only aggravate the situation and worsen the baby’s well-being.

What to do if your child coughs a lot at night:

Change the baby's position - turn him on his side, on his stomach. Raise the pillow slightly so that the baby sleeps half-sitting.
Ventilate the room and provide access to fresh air.
Give the baby warm water or herbal tea to drink.
Use a humidifier if the room is too dry, hang wet towels in the absence of a special device.
Ask your child to blow his nose or rinse his nose with a weak saline solution.

In cases where a child's cough is a reaction to a foreign body stuck in the respiratory tract, it is important to remove it. The baby will be able to cough up small and medium-sized objects on its own. You can help him by placing the baby on your lap, face down. After this, you should tap between the shoulder blades with your palm until the foreign body falls out. Large items can only be removed by a specialist.

How to calm a child's strong dry cough at night?

When phlegm is not coughed up at all, and the baby suffers from an unproductive, debilitating cough that interferes with sleep, the following medications help:

From folk remedies you can use the following recipes:

buckwheat honey (1 teaspoon sucking);
warm water with raspberry jam;
milk with 0.25 teaspoon of soda.

How to stop a strong attack of wet cough in a child at night?

For a productive cough, the following medications are recommended to thin and facilitate the passage of mucus:

Traditional medicine suggests using a compress.

Ingredients:

Preparation and use

Boil the potatoes and mash with a fork. Combine the hot puree with the remaining ingredients. Distribute the resulting mass on a piece of cling film or wax paper and apply to the baby's back. Cover with another layer of film and a warm blanket. Leave for 1 hour.

Articles on the topic

All parents are familiar with a runny nose in a child, because it is one of the most common pathologies in children. But situations in which the baby does not produce snot and his nose does not breathe are less common, so they can confuse even experienced mothers.

A debilitating cough brings a lot of discomfort. The child cannot breathe fully. Often this undesirable symptom occurs at night. Parents often do not know how to help their child. He wakes up coughing at night. For this reason, his health deteriorates significantly. A child’s severe cough at night can occur for various reasons. It is based on the underlying disease that treatment is prescribed. Individual characteristics are also taken into account. You should immediately seek help from a medical facility if your baby starts coughing. In some cases, it may indicate the presence of serious diseases.

Before starting treatment for a child’s night cough, it is necessary to find out its cause.

Causes of the disease

A common complaint when visiting a doctor is that the child coughs at night. This undesirable symptom can occur for various reasons. With a particular disease, coughing has characteristic features. The causes of a child's night cough should be identified before treatment begins.

It is worth noting that coughing is not an independent symptom. It cannot arise on its own. Cough is a clear sign of illness.

Many parents cannot understand why their child coughs at night. This phenomenon can occur when:

Coughing at night occurs if there is an infection in the body

the presence of individual intolerance to something;
disorders in the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
inflammatory processes in the body;
enduring stressful situations;
inhalation of chemicals and toxins;
excessively hot or humid air;
foreign body entering the respiratory tract.

If an undesirable symptom occurs, you should immediately consult your doctor. He will tell you how a child’s night cough can turn out, find out the reasons for its occurrence and prescribe treatment. Parents should know how to help their baby.

Heart problems may also be accompanied by a cough at night

Night cough in children often occurs due to allergies. In this case, the baby cannot sleep due to the fact that he cannot clear his throat. Parents need to identify the allergen that triggered the onset of the disease. A child’s cough at night may occur when in contact with:

feather pillow;
poor quality bedding or underwear;
pet fur;
pajamas that were washed with low-quality powder;
carpeting;
soft toys.

A child may cough if he has an allergy, for example, to pet fur.

Allergies can occur when interacting with various surrounding objects. If a child coughs very much at night, but not during the day, the allergen is located near the bed. It is almost impossible to identify it on your own. It is advisable to get tested to understand why your baby is experiencing unwanted symptoms.

A child may develop a severe cough at night if the children's room is too stuffy or cold. It is recommended to always monitor the air temperature in the room in which the baby is located.

Varieties of symptoms

If a child coughs at night, parents are sure that this is a sign of illness. However, this phenomenon does not always signal the presence of a disease. Cough at night may have different characteristics. If coughing occurs, you need to pay attention to the accompanying symptoms. This is necessary in order to find out the characteristic features of the onset of cough.

Night coughing attacks are characteristic of bronchitis

Experts identify several types of cough at night. Each of them indicates the presence of a specific disease.

If a child suffers from a barking cough at night, there is inflammation of the upper respiratory tract.
A cough that changes from dry to wet may indicate the presence of bronchitis. This is a common diagnosis given to one or another baby who coughs regularly. This disease is especially dangerous for those children under 5 years of age. If these symptoms are present, the child should have an x-ray. A referral for the procedure can be obtained from your doctor. It is necessary to find out whether an undesirable symptom at night in a child is a sign of pneumonia.
In a child, a spasmodic cough may indicate the presence of asthma. Treatment in this case is effective only with the use of certain drugs.

Inflammation of the trachea is also a cause of night cough

The child coughs only at night, not only due to allergies. Prolonged coughing at night can be a residual sign of bronchitis. In this case, the baby can cough up without the use of medications;
At night, children often experience coughing attacks. In this case, the sputum may contain solid inclusions. Such symptoms may indicate the presence of tracheitis or whooping cough. Such diseases are suspected when a child has been coughing for more than a month.

The following types of cough are distinguished:

physiological;
pathological.

A cough without other symptoms is considered normal and does not require treatment.

A child’s cough is perceived as a disorder when other negative signs are present.

This physiological phenomenon is considered normal. It can start at any time of the day. This cough does not occur very often, on average up to 18 times a day. With physiological coughing, sleep is not disturbed. This is a natural process that is necessary to cleanse the respiratory system. Pathological coughing is always a sign of illness and is accompanied by other symptoms. Because of this, the baby may wake up at night.

How to help your baby

A child's dry and wet cough may occur during the day or evening, and may also torment him throughout the night. To get rid of this disorder, you can use various medications. Only a doctor can find out why a child has a strong cough at night and tell him what to do in this case.

Using humidifiers will help relieve coughs faster

Coughing may start suddenly and not go away for a long period of time. Very often this indicates that a foreign body is stuck in the respiratory tract. In such a situation, parents should try to remove it. Then give your child something to drink. If necessary, you need to call an ambulance.

It is necessary to reduce the air temperature in the nursery. The child does not sleep because of the cough. This unwanted symptom can occur when the room is too stuffy. The air must be humidified. The baby clears his throat faster if there is a special humidifier in the room.
A child who sleeps in different positions coughs up easier. Small children under 3 years of age often sleep in the same position. They need to be turned over periodically.

Night coughs can be caused by dust on toys, so it is important to wash them regularly

When the disease begins, which is manifested by coughing, you will need to give the small patient as much fluid as possible. You can give preference to teas made from natural ingredients. The baby easily falls asleep and hardly wakes up from coughing. Thanks to the large amount of fluid, the process of sputum discharge is enhanced.
If a child coughs heavily only at night, he has an allergy. Parents should especially carefully inspect the area around the bed. There are many different factors that can significantly affect a child’s body. Especially often, an allergic reaction is provoked by bedding, powder, animal hair and dust that collects in soft toys and carpets. After contact with them, the child begins to feel worse. The cough can be dealt with only after the allergen has been identified and eliminated.
Parents should constantly ventilate the children's room. This procedure has a positive effect and the baby almost never wakes up from coughing. Treatment also consists of daily wet cleaning. It is advisable to do it immediately before bedtime. At night, the baby should be given medications prescribed by the doctor.

Drinking warm herbal drinks will be helpful in treating cough.

What not to do

Parents become very worried if the baby wakes up coughing. They do not know how to treat the illness that has arisen correctly. They give a wide variety of medications to alleviate the baby’s condition. A cough that occurs at night in a child can signal various diseases. That is why you need to approach the treatment of such a disorder with caution.

Treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a physician. He will give recommendations, the implementation of which will promote a speedy recovery.

It is worth noting that until approximately 4 years of age, a child may experience a serious allergic reaction to many drugs. Only those medications that are selected by a specialist based on the individual characteristics of the little patient can have a positive effect.

If you experience coughing at night, you should not:

use rubbing, inhalation and compresses when treating a child under one year old, these three procedures can cause significant harm to his body;
give antibiotics without consulting a doctor;
give allergy medications without consultation with a specialist.

Many parents do not know how to treat a coughing attack. A child will be able to cough up mucus and sleep peacefully only with proper therapy. It is strictly forbidden to select medications on your own, and prescriptions should only be made by a doctor.

The barking cough will be discussed in the video below:

A child’s cough at night, but no symptoms during the day, is a sign of a certain disease. To eliminate it, it is necessary to treat the underlying ailment that caused it. You can improve the child’s condition with the help of syrups, tablets and other means, but the disease can be cured only with the help of well-chosen treatment. Let's try to figure out what contributes to this development of events and how to stop coughing at night.

Reasons why a child coughs while falling asleep while lying down

Cough is very common. Intensification at night occurs as a result of the fact that in a horizontal position, the distribution of fluid in the body is even, and not, as usual, rushing to the legs. As a result, mucus accumulates and the cough worsens.
A variety of diseases can provoke such a cough. For example, gastroesophageal reflux can cause a child to cough at night. The disease can be recognized earlier in children at an older age, as they can explain the attacks of heartburn that they experience.

In infants it occurs nocturnally. The child simply choke on saliva, which at this moment is released in large quantities, and begins to cough. During this period, put the baby to sleep on his side, and place a small mattress under his head.

A night cough may also indicate the presence of dry air in the room where the child sleeps. Fixing this problem is very simple, just ventilate the room. You can also use improvised means, for example, lay a damp towel on the radiator.

Why does a child cough and grind his teeth when he sleeps?

If, when the child goes to bed, the child still grinds his teeth during the night cough, then these are clear signs of a runny nose, inflammation of the pharynx and trachea. In addition, night creaking in combination with cough can occur for the following reasons:

Allergy.
Worm infestation.
Foreign body in the bronchi.

If the cough is accompanied by snot discharge during night sleep

Often a cough at night is accompanied by a runny nose. In this case, the child does not have a rise in temperature. The causes of such symptoms are infectious or allergic reactions.

Infections

Cough and severe rhinitis at normal temperatures indicate colds of viral origin. If bacterial diseases occur, a rise in temperature is observed. If treatment is not timely, the following consequences may occur:

sinusitis (you can read the link below);

sinusitis (symptoms of sinusitis in children have been described);
laryngitis;
pharyngitis (find out which antibiotics to take for pharyngitis in children);
tonsillitis;
bronchitis.

A viral cold greatly weakens the immune system, which facilitates the addition of a bacterial infection. Against the background of a common cold, chronic ailments can wake up and pathogenic microorganisms come into action.

Allergy

Symptoms such as coughing and snot at night are often a manifestation of an allergic reaction. As in the previous case, there is no rise in body temperature. Allergies cause the following symptoms:

dry cough;
severe nasal discharge;
swelling in the nose area;
increased lacrimation;
erythema and skin rash.

To understand the nature of cough, it is important to know the symptoms of its individual types.

Allergies can occur for the following reasons:

prolonged stay in a smoky room;
very dusty room;
smoking people are near the child;
the flowering period of trees and plants;
use of cosmetics and household chemicals;
dry air in the baby's room.

If you have recently been sick, the illness manifests itself at night

Often a cough occurs at night after a long illness. Most often these are manifestations of inflammatory and allergic bronchitis, which take a chronic form. Thus, the baby will experience a cough at the acute stage. In addition to coughing, a small patient may experience severe swelling of the bronchial mucosa. As a result, breathing becomes worse and an intense cough occurs.

Another disease that can leave a mark in the form of a night cough is called respiratory syncytial virus. It affects children during the first 2 years. This disease most often occurs when the baby attends kindergarten. Characteristic symptoms of the disease are swelling of the bronchial mucosa, poor air passage and obstruction of the lower respiratory tract. After some time, the baby may experience shortness of breath, prolonged exhalation and convulsions. A suppressive cough strikes him at night.

What to do: Your child starts coughing when he goes to bed

You should not give your child antibiotics to treat a cough. If it is wet, you should not give antitussives, and if it is dry, you should not give expectorants. Particular care must be taken when rubbing small patients. Antihistamines should not be used without a doctor's approval. If you want to make it easier for your child to sleep during a coughing attack, then you just need to change his body position.

If coughing attacks do not leave the car for a long time and all the recommendations presented above do not give the desired effect, then you need to urgently go to the clinic. There, the doctor will be able to determine the causes of night cough and prescribe effective treatment to eliminate it.

Dr. Komarovsky recommends spending more time with your child in the fresh air to relieve attacks of night cough. This is the best prevention of mucus drying out. A baby's runny nose requires special attention. The child's nose must not be allowed to breathe. Otherwise, he will inhale air through his mouth, and this contributes to the degeneration of mucus.

If a child has a high fever in addition to a cough, this also dries out the mucous secretions. In this case, Komarovsky advises giving the baby antipyretic drugs. They are produced in the form of syrup and candles. But before using them, you need to consult a specialist.

This video will tell you about the causes of cough and its treatment:

To relieve attacks of night cough, Komarovsky advises using massage. But it is allowed to be carried out only if the child has normal body temperature. Place the baby on your knees so that the head is below the fifth point. Place 2 fingers on your back in the lung area. Perform light and smooth tapping with the fingers of the other hand. Such activities will promote the removal of sputum naturally. As a result, the disease will begin to leave the child’s body.

Komarovsky does not recommend using medications that inhibit the cough reflex or dilute mucus with the help of chemical components; it is unwise to use them without a doctor’s permission. Such treatment will only allow you to forget about the symptoms, but will not eliminate the disease itself.

Cough itself is a very unpleasant symptom, especially if it occurs at night. And it doesn’t matter what nature it is - viral or allergic - it must be treated. If treatment is not started in time, the disease can take a chronic form, and it will be almost impossible to cure it.