Dry cough at night in a child

Attacks of night cough torment the child and prevent him and parents from sleeping. When a baby wakes up at night and coughs for a long time, it is impossible to remain calm and want to help the little one as soon as possible. But for this you need to figure out why the cough appears at night and how it is treated.

The main causes of dry cough at night are:

• The consequences of colds and SARS. A cough in such diseases can last long enough, especially if they are not treated.
• Allergy. Such a cough often appears suddenly and is not accompanied by any other symptoms. Parents can associate it with an allergen exposure, such as a flowering season or a new household chemistry.
• Whooping cough. The agonizing cough at night with whistling, reddening of the face and vomiting is a characteristic symptom of such a disease.
• Bronchial asthma. Coughing with such a disease can torment a child closer to the morning.
• Chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa or sinuses. With this type of rhinitis or sinusitis, a child is often disturbed by a long dry cough at night.
• Chronic pharyngitis. Night cough with this disease is not the only symptom. The child will also complain of severe sore throat.
• Gastric reflux. Such a reflex cough is caused by the ingress of stomach contents into the esophagus, therefore it will also have heartburn.
• Teething. For this reason, the child may cough at night due to excessive salivation.
• Too dry air in the room. Especially often this situation is typical for the heating season. When the air is dry, it irritates the airways, which is manifested by a dry cough.
• Helminthiasis Coughing can occur when infected with worms whose larvae migrate through the lungs.

A lack of fever during nighttime coughing attacks may indicate the allergic nature of this symptom. In this case, the child can often have signs such as runny nose, tickling and itching in the throat, tearing and redness of the eyes. As a rule, bouts of dry allergic cough appear due to the presence of an allergen nearby, for example, because of the new washing powder, which the mother washed the bedding or curtains, because of the down pillow, or because of the flying pollen from the plants. open window.

First of all, a child with a coughing fit should be reassured, as many babies under 5 years old with such nighttime attacks have a strong fear. Also, when coughing appears at night, the child should be given a warm drink, for example, tea with honey or raspberries. A good effect is to use at bedtime alkaline mineral water, from which the gas is released. Another popular recipe that has been shown to be effective with dry coughs is preheated milk, in which some honey and soda are added.

It is also important to moisten the room and ventilate it. Sometimes, to eliminate dry night cough, it is enough to change the position of the child in his sleep - turn him on his side or put a high pillow. If a dry cough is repeated and is not eliminated by such measures, be sure to go with the child to the doctor.

In the treatment of dry night cough, it is important to determine the cause of the occurrence of such a symptom, since in each case the treatment will be different. If the cough is allergic, it is important to eliminate the allergen and consult a doctor who will select the appropriate antihistamine. If the cough is caused by a bacterial infection, the child will need to be given antibioticsthat the pediatrician will prescribe.

Drugs used when coughing at night can affect:

• Cough center in the brain. They block the reflex itself.
• The muscles of the bronchi. Such drugs expand the bronchi and facilitate breathing.
• The mucous membranes of the bronchi. Such drugs moisturize them, relieve inflammation and promote the secretion of sputum.
• Sputum in the bronchi. These drugs make the mucus more liquid, which helps her to cough up.

A popular doctor calls cough a protective symptom and calls to treat not him, but a disease that manifests itself in this way. Komarovsky is confident that getting rid of dry cough is of great importance access of fresh air and a lot of drink. With such simple measures, a well-known pediatrician recommends that all parents treat coughing, asserting that the use of medicines has the same effectiveness.

See more about this in Dr. Komarovsky’s cough transmission.

• Do not leave attacks of night cough in a child without attention. In some cases, this may be a symptom of diseases that need to be treated very urgently. If the cough is repeated several nights in a row, be sure to consult a doctor.
• Do not buy and give your child anti-cough medication without consulting a pediatrician, especially antitussive agents with central action and antibiotics. They may be contraindicated in your child or simply be useless.
• Do not forget about the need for abundant warm drinking for a child, which will soften the throat and moisturize the mucous membranes. Let's crumble tea, milk, decoctions of herbs.
• In order to moisturize the mucous membranes with a dry cough, inhalations are often used, but parents should remember that immediately after the procedure cough usually increases. In addition, for their conduct there are age restrictions.
• Try putting your baby to bed with a high pillow. This technique will help get rid of night cough, caused by excessive drooling or runny nose.
• To make it easier for the child to breathe through the nose, clean it before going to bed. To do this, you can use a saline solution, dripping it into each nostril, 2-3 drops.

Many parents note that changing a child's diet helps relieve a night cough.

In the children's menu is recommended to include:

• Fresh juices, vegetables, berries and fruits, in which a lot of vitamin C.
• Hercules porridge with vegetable oil.
• Mashed potatoes from which milk is added.
• Radish salad with sour cream.
• Grapes with honey.

• Keep track of the temperature and humidity in the nursery. It is important to ventilate the room regularly, and to humidify the air in it if necessary.
• If you are prone to allergies, it is important to prevent contact with possible allergens, such as carefully removing dust or replacing down pillows with hypoallergenic ones.