Cough - a symptom of many diseases, it occurs not only for colds or inflammatory processes in the airways, various diseases of the heart, the musculoskeletal system. Cough at night can be an indicator of a serious illness, sometimes a person needs urgent help. You should be aware of the main causes of coughing at night in an adult, what accompanying symptoms may be present to immediately determine whether emergency care is needed.
- What causes night cough?
- Cardiac and bronchial asthma
- The reason is worms
- Allergy
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system
- To which doctor to apply
- How to treat
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Cough at night can be dry or wet, it all depends on the disease that caused it. Wet cough often occurs with inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx or lungs. Dry form may indicate more serious problems requiring urgent intervention by a specialist.
The increase or occurrence of cough at night, with many diseases, can be explained by several factors. In inflammatory processes in the supine position, during sleep, discharges in the lungs spread in the respiratory tract and are unable to exit. Therefore, a cough is worse, often a person wakes up from attacks.
Determine the cause of the symptom is crucial for the appointment of the right treatment. With different diseases, completely different means and methods are used, before choosing a regimen of therapy, you should get a doctor's consultation.
What causes night cough?
The emergence of this symptom is affected by various factors, they can be divided into several groups according to the nature of the manifestations and the methods of treatment. The most common causes of severe cough at night are the following diseases.
Colds, inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract and nasopharynx
Catarrhal and infectious diseases are called the main causes of this symptom. Not always cough for colds is present all the time during the day, it can occur only at night, especially at the very beginning of the disease.
In this case, the symptom is usually combined with other symptoms of colds. There is weakness and malaise during the day, drowsiness, runny nose, pain and choking in the throat. With some inflammatory diseases, the nasopharynx enlarges the size of the cervical lymph nodes. Most often cough at night is due to the following diseases:
- various rhinitis, sinusitis, sinusitis;
- inflammatory diseases of the lungs and bronchi, bronchitis, pneumonia;
- ARI, ARVI, other colds, influenza viruses.
In this case, there may be a cough without temperature or with its presence, it all depends on the type of the disease. With catarrhal diseases, coughing is usually damp, a person can wake up at night and hardly cough up the accumulated sputum.
Dry cough at night can occur at the very beginning of the disease. In this case, it gradually turns into a moist one. When you cough often there is a foreign body sensation. Pain does not cause this type of symptom, however, unpleasant sensations can occur in the chest area.
Important!It should be noted that this symptom should not be ignored in case of a cold. A catarrhal disease can lead to pneumonia and other serious consequences.
Cardiac and bronchial asthma
Cardiac and bronchial asthma differ in origin and methods of treatment, but they are extremely similar in symptomatology, therefore, without a thorough diagnosis, it is rather difficult to distinguish one attack from another. It is worth noting that both attacks are deadly and can lead to serious health consequences.
At attacks of an asthma at night the person usually wakes up from a dyspnea, occurrence of a dyspnea or short wind. A strong, hindered dry cough begins, if it becomes wet, it's a bad sign. A person immediately tries to get up or sit down, because in the prone position the cough and dyspnea intensify. A typical pose of a person with an asthma attack is sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning slightly forward, resting his feet on the floor.
In this case, it is extremely important to call an "ambulance" as soon as possible, since this condition is dangerous for health. If the attack happened for the first time, it is difficult to understand, it is provoked by a pathology in the bronchi or heart, it is impossible to take any measures independently. You can only let the patient breathe on cotton wool soaked in alcohol or vodka without additives to ease the attack.
The reason is worms
With some parasitic diseases, dry cough can occur at night. Its appearance is associated with the migration of parasites in the body, they damage tissues and irritate receptors. Coughing attacks can last up to several weeks, then wane. This is related to the life cycle of parasites.
With parasitic disease, other symptoms other than cough will appear. In the first place - various disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, bloating in the abdomen, frequent constipation. Also, parasites have chronic fatigue syndrome, frequent headaches and allergic reactions.
The appearance of parasites in the lungs often indicates that the disease is in a neglected stage. Therefore, with the emergence of a cough, you should immediately consult a doctor and begin treatment.
Allergy
In case of allergic reactions, a cough may appear at night. There are cases when a person has an allergy to the pillow filler or blanket, the contents of the mattress, bed linen, or contact with the allergen occurred during the day. To establish the exact reason of an allergy will help special tests at the doctor - the allergist.
Cough for allergies is usually accompanied by a sensation of a foreign body, usually it is dry and heavy. Sputum may appear, however, it is usually quite fluid, clear, clearing out without much difficulty.
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system
With osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic region, neuralgia of the thoracic spine may occur dry coughing at night. Usually it is preceded by pain in the back and neck area during the day, a feeling of numbness in the area of the shoulder blades and arms. Symptom can be accompanied by a sensation of a foreign body, a lump in the throat.
Diseases of the back are a common cause in women. For some reason, women are more susceptible to osteochondrosis and other similar pathologies.
To which doctor to apply
If the cause of this symptom is not clear, you should consult a therapist. After the examination and taking the tests, the specialist will redirect to a more suitable neurologist, cardiologist or orthopedist.
For colds and inflammatory processes of the nasopharynx should immediately go to the doctor - otolaryngologist. If the attack occurred at night and resembles asthma, it is better to immediately call an ambulance, because it can become fatal.
How to treat
To determine the appropriate treatment, you need to identify the cause of this symptom. Do not take any medication without a doctor's instructions, since this can only harm the body.
To relieve an attack of night cough, advise to sit down, drink a glass of water, breathe deeply. It is advised to open a window to let fresh air into the room, this is to improve the patient's condition.
You can also apply the treatment of folk remedies. A good remedy against attacks of severe cough at night is honey. One spoon is advised to dissolve in a glass of water and drink. Honey softens the cough and helps to relieve the attack, this remedy especially helps with colds.
