How to Stop Coughing at Night

[🎯 Adjusting Your Sleep Habits] [🎯 Using Professional Remedies] [🎯 Using Natural Remedies] [🎯 Back]

Coughing at night can be annoying for your bed mate, and keep you up at night. Some nighttime coughs can be a sign of other respiratory issues like a cold, bronchitis, whooping cough, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, asthma, or GERD. If your cough doesn’t improve at night after a week or so, see your doctor. Most nighttime coughs are a symptom of allergies or congested airways, and can get better with the right remedy.

Method 1: Adjusting Your Sleep Habits



Sleep on an incline. Prop yourself on pillows before you go to sleep and try to sleep on more than one pillow. This will prevent all the postnasal drainage and mucus you swallow during the day from backing up in your throat when you lay down at night.[1]


2 Have a hot shower or bath before bed. Dry airways can make your coughing worse at night. So, immerse yourself in a steamy bathroom and soak up some moisture before bed.[3]


3 Avoid sleeping under a fan, heater, or air conditioner. Cold air blowing on your face at night will only make your coughing worse. Move your bed so it is not under an air conditioner or heater. If you keep a fan on in your room at night, move it to a spot opposite of your bed.[4]


4 Place a humidifier in your bedroom. Humidifiers can help keep the air moist, rather than dry, in your room. The steam opens airways and allows for better air flow. This moisture will help to keep your airways moist and less prone to coughing.[5]


5 Wash your bedding at least once a week. If you have a persistent night cough and are prone to allergies, keep your bedding clean. Dust mites, tiny creatures that eat dead flakes of skin, live in bedding and are a common allergy trigger. If you have an allergy or asthma you may be at risk for dust mites. Make sure to wash you sheets and try using sheet covers for the bed.[6]


6 Keep a glass of water on your bedside table. This way, if you wake up with a coughing fit during the night, you can clear your throat with a long sip of water.[7]


7 Try to breath through your nose when you sleep. IBefore you go to sleep, think of the proverb: “The nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating.” Train yourself to breath through your nose as you sleep by doing several rounds of conscious nose breathing. This will put less stress on your throat and hopefully lead to less coughing at night.

Method 2: Using Professional Remedies



1 Take over the counter cough medicine. ver-the-counter cough medicine can help in two ways:[9]

2 Use cough lozenges. Some cough drops use a numbing ingredient, like benzocaine, which can help to calm down your cough long enough to help you fall asleep.[10]

3 Talk to your doctor if your cough does not go away after 7 days. If your nighttime cough gets worse after several treatments or remedies or after 7 days, see your doctor. Causes of a cough at night include asthma, the common cold, GERD, taking ACE inhibitors, a viral syndrome, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, or cancer. If you have a high fever and a chronic night cough, see your doctor as soon as possible.[11]

Method 3: Using Natural Remedies



1 Have a spoonful of honey before bed. Honey is a great natural remedy for an irritated throat, as it coats and soothes the mucous membranes in your throat. Honey also has antibacterial properties, thanks to an enzyme added by bees. So if your cough is due to a bacterial illness, honey can help to fight off bad bacteria.[13]


2 Drink licorice root tea. Licorice root is a natural decongestant. It soothes your airways and loosens mucus in your throat. It also soothes any inflammation in your throat.[14]


3 Gargle salt water. Salt water can ease discomfort in your throat and clear out any mucus. If you are congested and have a cough, gargling salt water can help to dislodge any phlegm in your throat.[15]


4 Steam your face with water and natural oils. Steam is a great way to absorb moisture through your nasal passages and prevent a dry cough. Adding essential oils like tea tree oil and eucalyptus oils also gives you anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory benefits.[16]

Sources and Citations


  1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2669040/
  2. http://www.normalbreathing.com/stop-cough-at-night.php
  3. http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/nighttime-relief
  4. http://symptoms.webmd.com/cold-and-flu-map-tool/soothe-nighttime-cough
  5. http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/nighttime-relief
  6. http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/nighttime-relief
  7. http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/nighttime-relief
  8. http://www.selfication.com/how-to-breathe/
  9. ...