Coughing often worsens at night because a person is lying flat in bed. Mucus can pool in the back of the throat and cause coughing. Sleeping with the head elevated can reduce the symptoms of postnasal drip and GERD. Both can cause coughing at night.
When you're lying down, mucus will start pooling in the back of your throat, aka postnasal drip. Another reason why coughs get worse at night is acid reflux. Don't forget that acid is an irritant to the throat, much like mucus, germs, or dust.
Besides a cold, the most common causes of chronic nighttime coughing are GERD, postnasal drip, and asthma, said Dr. Dass.
If your cough seems to worsen once you lie flat, try propping up your head and neck. Use a wedge pillow or multiple bed pillows to make yourself comfortable while lying in a position that keeps your head elevated above the rest of your body.
A bronchitis cough sounds like a rattle with a wheezing or whistling sound. As your condition progresses, you will first have a dry cough that can then progress towards coughing up white mucus.
Postnasal drip during the day can irritate your throat and vocal cords. But Dr. Buhr says nighttime makes it much worse. “When you're lying flat at night, mucus runs down the back of your throat and into your lungs,” he says. “It can cause chest congestion that needs to be coughed up.
People often cough at night, which wakes them up. Because acute bronchitis often occurs together with a cold, many people also have other symptoms such as a mild fever, a stuffy nose, a sore throat and a hoarse voice. Frequent coughing can lead to pain behind the breastbone, and it is sometimes harder to breathe.
Your doctor will listen to your lungs with a stethoscope. If you have pneumonia, your lungs may make crackling, bubbling, and rumbling sounds when you inhale.
The four main types of coughs are: wet, dry, paroxysmal and croup. Most coughs do go away on their own.
When it comes to nighttime cough, gravity is your enemy. All the postnasal drainage and mucus you swallow during the day backs up and irritates your throat when you lay down at night.
Dust. Environmental irritants, such as dust, air pollution, and cigarette smoke, can all cause a tickle in the throat. One of the best ways to address this is by quitting smoking and limiting exposure to smoke or other irritants where possible.
A common symptom of COVID-19 is a dry cough, which is also known as an unproductive cough (a cough that doesn't produce any phlegm or mucus). Most people with dry cough experience it as a tickle in their throat or as irritation in their lungs.
A persistent cough may be caused by: a long-term respiratory tract infection, such as chronic bronchitis. asthma – this also usually causes other symptoms, such as wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. an allergy.
In addition to lab tests, sputum or mucus from a cough can be visually examined to determine whether bronchitis is viral, bacterial, or both. Clear or white mucus often indicates a viral infection, while yellow or green mucus may suggest a bacterial infection.
Dry cough is a common symptom and may worsen at night for many reasons, including the pooling of mucus or fluids in the throat and exposure to dry air or nighttime allergens.
Occasional coughing is normal as it helps clear your throat and airway of germs, mucus and dust. A cough that doesn't go away or comes with other symptoms like shortness of breath, mucus production or bloody phlegm could be the sign of a more serious medical problem.
“Cool air from an open window can help people breathe better, unless the air is very dry,” Dr. Benninger says. Fans also can dry the air, but the soothing white noise may lead to better sleep.
After an incubation period of 1 to 3 weeks, pertussis infection typically progresses through three distinct stages: the catarrhal phase, the paroxysmal phase, and the convalescent phase.
Dozens of conditions can cause a recurrent, lingering cough, but the lion's share are caused by just five: postnasal drip, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), chronic bronchitis, and treatment with ACE inhibitors, used for high blood pressure and heart failure.