8 Tips for Nighttime Cough Relief

Nighttime coughs can be sleep-wreckers. The key is to soothe your ticklish throat and over-sensitive airways before you go to bed.

Drink herbal tea with honey. Get into the habit of having a mug of non-caffeinated tea before bed. "Any warm liquid can help break up mucus in your airways," says Norman H. Edelman, MD, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association. Add a little honey. 

Sleep on an incline. 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. Try to defy gravity by propping yourself up on some pillows while you sleep.

Another trick for people with acid reflux is to stick wooden blocks under the head of the bed to raise it 4 inches. With that angle, you might keep acids down in your stomach where they won't irritate your throat. Of course, you'll have to get your partner's OK first.

Use steam cautiously. Dry airways can make your cough worse. You may find relief from taking a shower or bath before bed -- or just sitting in a steamy bathroom. Edelman has one caution: "If you have asthma, steam can actually make a cough worse."

Watch the humidity. Humidifiers can help coughs if the air is dry. But too much moisture in your bedroom can keep you coughing, too. Dust mites and mold -- both common allergens -- thrive in damp air. Edelman suggests that you keep humidity levels at 40% to 50%. To measure humidity, pick up an inexpensive device -- a hygrometer -- at your hardware store.

Prepare your bedside. In case you start coughing in the night, have everything you need by your bed -- a glass of water, cough medicine or drops, and anything else that seems to help. The sooner you can stop a coughing fit, the better. Continually coughing irritates your airways, which can make your nighttime problem last longer.

Keep bedding clean. If you have a cough and are prone to allergies, focus on your bed. Dust mites -- tiny creatures that eat dead flakes of skin and lurk in bedding -- are a common allergy trigger. To get rid of them, each week wash all your bedding in hot water, Edelman says. You may also want to wrap your mattress and pillows in plastic, as that can keep dust mites from invading.

Consider medicine. Over-the-counter cough medicines can help in two ways. An expectorant can help loosen mucus. A cough suppressant blocks the cough reflex and reduces the urge to cough. Look carefully at the label to make sure you get the medicine that's right for your cough. Ask your pharmacist or doctor if you're not sure.

See your doctor. If you've had a nighttime cough for longer than 7 days, it's time to check in with your doctor. It may take some time, but together, you and your doctor can figure out the cause -- and make your nights peaceful again.

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The Truth About the Common Cold

How long can germ live on your bathroom sink?

Germs can survive up to three hours on objects like your bathroom sink, the kitchen counter, and that doorknob your preschooler just touched after wiping his nose without a tissue. If someone in your house has a cold, you may be able to stop spreading it by wiping surfaces with a virus-killing disinfectant.

Colds are actually most contagious before symptoms appear and during the first 2-4 days after symptoms start to appear. You don't have to hide in a bubble, but try to avoid close contact with others when you have a cold and be sure to wash your hands frequently. Cover your mouth with a tissue or handkerchief when you sneeze or cough -- or use the crook of your elbow. (You don't usually touch people or objects with your elbow, so you're less likely to spread germs than if you cover your mouth with your bare hand.)

What causes colds?

There are more than 200 viruses that cause colds, with rhinovirus being the most common. Colds arenot caused by bacteria, which means that antibiotics -- designed to treat bacterial infections -- are useless against them. Treating a cold with antibiotics not only won't work, it can be hazardous.

"Don’t go out with that wet head, you'll catch your death of cold!" Despite Mom's warnings, going outside with wet hair or without a hat doesn't put you at greater risk of catching a cold. You might becold and uncomfortable, but colds are spread by germs, not the temperature.

People get more colds in winter because Colds are spread by close contact, and in the winter we spend a lot more time inside, keeping warm. That means we're more exposed to other people -- and their germs. Winter air is also much drier than the air in spring and summer, and cold viruses tend to thrive in low humidity. (Running a humidifier in your bedroom during the coldest winter months can help with cold symptoms.)

Some people swear by vitamin C or echinacea. But there is very little proof that vitamin C has any effect on the average person with a common cold. Studies have shown that very high doses of vitamin C may reduce your chance of getting a cold, but only under certain circumstances. High doses of vitamin C can also hurt the kidneys and cause nausea and diarrhea.

Echinacea is one of the best-selling herbal products in the U.S., but many researchers believe there is no proof that it has a benefit for people with colds.

What is the best treatment when you have a cough?

The best remedy for a preschooler's cold is an old-fashioned one: stay in bed and get plenty to drink to stay hydrated. Over-the-counter cold and cough medications should not be given to children under age 4. There’s no evidence that these medicines help children. Some believe the possible benefits are not worth the risk.

Grandma was right: Chicken soup can help relieve a cold?

It's not just Grandma's tale: Chicken soup helps break up nasal congestion and ease stuffiness. Some studies suggest that it inhibits the inflammatory response that leads to a sore throat. And when you're feeling run-down, the combination of lean protein and vegetables can help boost your strength to fight off illness.

What is the best way to prevent a cold?

The best way to keep from catching or spreading a cold is by washing your hands thoroughly and regularly. Wash hands frequently, and here's how: Wet your hands first, then apply soap, and scrub forat least 20 seconds. Singing "Happy Birthday" all the way through two times takes about 20 seconds. Hand sanitizers can also be a good supplement to handwashing.

Children get between 6 and 10 colds every year -- including spring and summer -- so it's not unusual for your child to be sniffling and sneezing every other month, or even more often. If they are in day care, preschool, or other settings where they spend a lot of time with other kids, they'll be exposed to lots of germs, and regular colds aren't necessarily something to worry about.

It's probably a flu -- not just a cold--- if you have a high fever: Some people do run a slight fever along with a cold, but if you have a high fever it's more likely the flu or a complication. Fatigue, while more common with the flu, also is seen with colds.

It's not just your yoga teacher trying to persuade you to take another class: Studies have found that people are more susceptible to catching colds when they're under stress. Vulnerability appears to be linked to chronic stress that lasts more than one month, like trouble at work or problems in your family relationships.

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Cough Relief: How to Lose a Bad Cough

Try these 5 tips to manage your cough at home.

Ah, the joys of winter. Eggnog, ice skating ... (cough cough cough).  

Constant cough can stop you in your tracks. 

“Even a little cough can be debilitating,” says Mark Yoder, MD, assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Cold and flu season brings on hacking coughs that can leave your chest aching. But colds and flu aren’t the only problems that cause coughing. Allergies, asthma, acid reflux, dry air, and smoking are common causes of coughs. Even medications such as certain drugs for high blood pressure and allergies can cause chronic cough.

Most of the time, people can manage their coughs at home by taking over-the-counter medicine and cough lozenges, removing potential allergens, or even just standing in a steamy shower, says Giselle Mosnaim, an allergist and immunologist also at Rush.

Try these five tips to manage your cough at home:

1. Stay Hydrated

An upper respiratory tract infection like a cold or flu causes postnasal drip. Extra secretions trickle down the back of your throat, irritating it and sometimes causing a cough, Mosnaim says. 

Drinking fluids helps to thin out the mucus in postnasal drip, says Kenneth DeVault, MD, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. 

Drinking liquids also helps to keep mucous membranes moist. This is particularly helpful in winter, when houses tend to be dry, another cause of cough, he says.

2. Try Lozenges and Hot Drinks

Try a menthol cough drop, Yoder suggests. “It numbs the back of the throat, and that will tend to decrease the cough reflex.”

Drinking warm tea with honey also can soothe the throat. There is some clinical evidence to support this strategy, Yoder says. 

3. Take Steamy Showers, and Use a Humidifier

A hot shower can help a cough by loosening secretions in the nose. Mosnaim says this steamy strategy can help ease coughs not only from colds, but also from allergies and asthma.  

Humidifiers may also help. In a dry home, nasal secretions (snot) can become dried out and uncomfortable, Mosnaim explains. Putting moisture back in the air can help your cough. But be careful not to overdo it.

“The downside is, if you don’t clean it, (humidifiers) become reservoirs for pumping out fungus and mold into the air, and bacteria,” says Robert Naclerio, MD, chief of otolaryngology at the University of Chicago.

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Preparing For Your Appointment When You Have A Cough

You can help your doctor diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared to answer the following questions:

• How long have you had the cough?
• How often do you cough?
• Does the cough have a pattern, such as worsening at night or becoming more frequent in the morning?
• What situations increase your coughing?
• Are you exposed to any irritants, such as smoke, dust, or chemicals, in your home or workplace?
• Is the cough productive (brings up sputum) or nonproductive (dry and hacking)? Be prepared to describe the color (bloody, rusty, white, yellow, or green), amount, and consistency of any sputum.
• Do you have other symptoms that may be related to your cough, such as nasal drainage, fever, shortness of breath, wheezing, or other suspected cold symptoms?
• What home treatment have you tried? Did it help?
• What prescription and nonprescription medicines or other treatments have you tried? Did they help?
• What prescription and nonprescription medicines do you take regularly?
• Have you ever been diagnosed with allergies or asthma? Does anyone else in your family have allergies or asthma?
• Have you traveled recently?
• Do you have any health risks?

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Prevention For Coughs

There is no sure way to prevent a cough. To help reduce your risk:

• Wash your hands frequently during the cold and flu season. This helps prevent the spread of a virus that may cause a cold orinfluenza.
• Avoid people who have a cold or influenza if possible.
• Don't smoke or use other forms of tobacco. A dry, hacking "smoker's cough" means your lungs are constantly irritated. For more information, see the topic Quitting Smoking.
• Avoid exposure to secondhand smoke, both at home and in the workplace.
• Increase your fluid intake. This helps keep the mucus thin and helps you cough it up. It also helps prevent dehydration.
• Get a flu shot (influenza vaccine) each year. For more information, see the topic Influenza (Seasonal Flu).
• Get a pneumococcal shot if you are age 65 or older; if you have chronic lung disease, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); if you smoke; or if you have a health risk that increases the seriousness of your symptoms.
• Make sure your immunizations are current, such as pertussis to reduce your risk of getting whooping cough. For more information, see the topic Immunizations.

Source: http://goo.gl/AGjaiG

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Natural Home Remedies For Cough

Contamination and inflammation of cells lining the respiratory tract leads to coughing. Mucus secreting cells lining the lung’s air passage are susceptible to excess mucus secretion on being contaminated or infected. The increased mucus secretion causes irritation in the air passage which in turn gives way to coughing. By way of coughing, the excess amount of mucus secreted is released.

Caused on account of infection leading to inflammation of pharynx, or larynx; contamination of the bronchial tubes by foreign waste is also one of its causes. Cough may also manifest itself as an allergic reaction to dust, pollen grains and smoking. To define scientifically coughing is a reflexive reaction caused by the stimulation of sensory nerves lining the respiratory tract. The treatment of coughing which may be either dry or phlegm based should ideally aim at curing its original cause; but in addition to the course of treatment resorted to certain natural home based remedies may prove to be effective as well.

Home Remedy for Cough - Natural Treatment for Coughing

• Lemon tea with a dash of ginger may prove to be one of the easiest home based remedies for curing prolonged spells of cough. The medicinal properties of ginger suppress various respiratory ailments like common cough and cold. With its soothing element, it helps to keep the body well hydrated which acts as an antidote to coughing. The ascorbic acid contained in lemon helps to neutralize the phlegm content of coughing. The tea leaves may be boiled with juice of grated ginger being added to it. Thereafter juice of lime may be added on to it to be sipped piping hot.
• Honey with its analgesic (pain killing) properties is also known since time immemorial for its soothingly refreshing effects on patients down with cough. One tea spoon of honey may be added to any hot beverage like tea or milk to be drunk at regular intervals. But honey works wonders if blended with hot water and lemon. Lemon juice may be mixed with honey in proportion of one is to two. The resulting mixture may be mixed with little hot water so that you can have one to two tea spoons of it at least after every hour. The resulting mixture will not only help clear mucus but it will also keep your throat well soothed.
• Honey acts as a topical anti biotic suppressing the bacterial causes of cough. If one is prone to the disgusting phenomena of night coughing two tea spoons of raw honey taken after dinner will work significantly towards reducing cough.
• A spoonful of natural honey may be enriched with black pepper to be had twice a day.
• If you are unable to take raw honey, you may add two spoons of it to a glass of carrot juice. Dilute the juice of four to five carrots with water. Drink the concoction at least thrice a day to soothe yourself from cough.
• Two spoons of honey may be added to a glass full of aloe vera juice purchased from a pharmacist’s. The said concoction helps drastically in reducing dry cough.
• Inhaling steam will give you a refreshing feeling aiding the release of mucus in the affected passage. Thus it is one of the most scientific processes helping one in the recovery of throat. Inhaling vapor accompanied by sipping the concoction of lime, water and honey will prove to be doubly effective.
• Including grapes in your diet also ensures redemption from cough, because the expectorant nature of grapes helps not only in toning the lungs but also activates the release of mucus from the affected parts of respiratory organs. In cases of cough being triggered on by asthma, grapes play a beneficial role in the healing process with its enriched phytochemical contents. Grape juice with a spoonful of honey will be relieving and effective as well.
• Gurgling in salt water always proves to be beneficial in offering relief to an infected or an itchy throat aggravated by coughing. But for an effective change one may resort to gurgling in spinach juice after extracting and warming the same with a dash of salt.
• Herbal tea enriched with basil and aniseed may turn out to be soothingly effective as a homemade remedy for sore throat.
• Nutritionally resourceful almonds also play a proactive role in the healing of cough. Paste made out of soaked almonds can be had with a touch of butter for relief from cough.
• Another medicinal herb in turmeric is also known for its therapeutic effect on cough particularly the dry one. After roasting and powdering of its root, the powder can be had at least twice a day after being duly combined with water and honey.
• A sauce of raisin, water and sugar or honey may be prepared and preserved at home for serving as a homemade expectorant against cough. Equal measures of raisin and sugar/honey may be boiled in water until it acquires a sauce like consistency. Two table spoons taken daily will help to cure cough.

Source: http://goo.gl/Ow3fCj

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Home Treatment For Coughs, Age 12 and Older

Coughing is your body's way of removing foreign substances andmucus from your lungs and upper airway passages . Productive coughs are often useful, and you should not try to eliminate them. Sometimes, though, coughs are severe enough to impair breathing or prevent rest. Home treatment can help you feel more comfortable when you have a cough.

Home treatment for adults

• Prevent dehydration. Fluids may help thin secretions and soothe an irritated throat. Dry, hacking coughs respond to honey in hot water, tea, or lemon juice.
• Elevate your head with extra pillows at night to ease a dry cough.
• Try a cough drop to soothe an irritated throat. Expensive medicine-flavored cough drops are no better than inexpensive candy-flavored drops or hard candy. Most cough drops have no effect on the cough-producing process.
• Use a humidifier to add moisture to the air. Use only water in the humidifier.
• Quit smoking and do not use other forms of tobacco, especially while you have a cough. For more information on quitting smoking, see the topic Quitting Smoking.
• Avoid exposure to inhaled irritants, such as smoke, dust, or other pollutants, or wear a face mask that is appropriate for the exposure. Many kinds of face masks are available. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to determine which type of face mask will provide you with the most benefit.
• If you suspect problems with stomach acid may be contributing to your cough, see the topic Heartburn.

Cough preparations may help your cough. Avoid cold remedies that combine medicines to treat many symptoms. It is generally better to treat each symptom separately. There are two kinds of cough medicines: expectorants and suppressants.

• Expectorants help thin the mucus and make it easier to cough mucus up when you have a productive cough.
  • Use an expectorant if you have a cough that produces thick mucus and you are having trouble coughing the mucus up. Don't depend entirely on an expectorant to thin the mucus. Drink plenty of water also.
  • Look for expectorants containing guaifenesin, such as Robitussin, Mucinex, and Vicks 44E.
• Suppressants control or suppress the cough reflex and work best for a dry, hacking cough that keeps you awake.
  • Use cough suppressants wisely. Don't suppress a productive cough too much, unless it is keeping you from getting enough rest. Coughing is useful because it brings up mucus from the lungs and helps prevent bacterial infections. People with asthma and other lung diseases need to cough.
  • If you have a dry, hacking cough, ask your doctor about an effective cough suppressant medicine. Studies show that over-the-counter cough medicines do not work very well. And some of these medicines can cause problems if you use too much of them. It is important to use medicines correctly and to keep them out of the reach of children to prevent accidental use.

• Source: http://goo.gl/BSAU7

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Cough Diagnosis and Remedies for Cough

Cough Diagnosis

The diagnosis of a cough is based largely on the information you provide. Information necessary to help make an accurate diagnosis includes the duration of the cough, associated signs and symptoms, activities or locations that make the cough worse or better, relation between the cough and time of day, past medical history, and any home therapies already attempted.

• In an acute cough the doctor may be able to make a diagnosis simply by interviewing the patient, and performing a physical examination. If the patient has an acute cough, chest X-rays typically do not add to the doctor's ability to make a diagnosis. Elderly people, people with weakened immune systems (i.e., from cancer,diabetes, or AIDS), and people with abnormal lung sounds on examination may benefit from an X-ray to check for pneumonia.
• In a chronic cough, doctors will often rely on the interview and physical examination to aid them in determining what tests, if any, are appropriate in order to make a diagnosis. Many people will receive a chest X-ray to search for problems. Beyond this, other diagnostic tests may be ordered at the doctor's discretion and based on the interview and examination. Some of these tests may be ordered by a doctor, and others will require referral to a specialist. The specialist selected will depend on the suspected source of the cough.
• It is important that the patient be an active participant in his or own own health care, and discuss with a doctor the purpose of any test ordered and what the expected results will mean.

Remedies for Cough

Home care of a cough is often directed at treating its underlying cause.

• If the patient has an acute cough and have not been to a doctor, he or she may attempt to use over-the-counter cold remedies to relieve the symptoms. If a common cold or flu is suspected, these may provide relief until the infection resolves on its own. Acute coughs that are caused by allergies are often relieved with allergy medication, and coughs due to environmental irritants will respond to elimination of the irritating agent.
• Home care of the chronic cough with a known cause is directed at treating the underlying cause of the cough. This should be done in close consultation with a doctor or with a specialist. Although not every chronic cough can be eliminated, many people can find relief of their cough by following their doctor's recommendations closely.

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Cough Symptoms and When to Seek Medical Care

Cough Symptoms

What differentiates the cause of a cough are the associated signs and symptoms. Another important factor in determining the cause of the cough is whether it is acute or chronic.

Acute coughs have been divided into infectious and noninfectious causes.

• Signs and symptoms that point to an infection include fever, chills, body aches,sore throat, nausea, vomiting, headache, sinus pressure, runny nose, night sweats, and postnasal drip. Sputum, or phlegm, sometimes indicates an infection is present, but it is also seen in noninfectious causes.
• Signs and symptoms that point to a noninfectious cause include coughs that occur when a person is exposed to certain chemicals or irritants in the environment, coughs with wheezing, coughs that routinely worsen when an indivdual goes to certain locations or do certain activities, or coughs that improve with inhalers or allergy medications.

The signs and symptoms of the chronic cough can be hard for doctors to assess, because many causes of chronic cough have overlapping signs and symptoms.

• If a cough is related to environmental irritants, it will worsen when exposed to the offending agent. If a person has an environmental allergy, the cough may improve when using allergy medications. If a person has a smoker's cough, it may improve if they stop smoking and worsens with increased smoking.
• If a person has a chronic lung disease such as asthma, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis, they may have a persistent cough or a cough that worsens with certain locations or activities. An individual may or may not have sputum with a cough, and often have improvement with the use of inhaled or oralsteroids, or other inhaled medications.
• If a cough is caused by chronic sinus infections, chronic runny nose, or chronic postnasal drip, the person will often have the signs and symptoms associated with these conditions. A person may also notice that the cough worsens when his or her problem worsens, and often the cough will improve when the underlying problem is treated.
• If a cough is associated with medications, such as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, the cough often begins after starting the medication in question, but can come on at any point during the use of the medication. The cough is often dry and improves when the medication is stopped.
• A cough associated with GERD is often associated with a sensation ofheartburn. This type of cough worsens during the day or when lying flat on the back. Furthermore, a sizable minority of people with a cough caused by GERD will note no symptoms of reflux, but most people will report improvement in their cough when GERD is treated properly.
• If a cough is a warning sign of an underlying cancer, the person may have a group of symptoms. If lung cancer or a cancer of the air passages is present, the person may cough up blood. 

  When to Seek Medical Care 

  
  

  
  

  In general, contact a doctor if you experience the following:
  • Cough is associated with a fever and sputum production
  • Cough fails to get better after other symptoms go away or lessen
  • Cough changes in character
  • Trial therapy shows no signs of reducing the cough
  • You begin coughing up blood
  • Cough interferes with the activities of daily living or sleep cycles
  • Call a doctor immediately if you have shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
  Most coughs do not require evaluation in the emergency department, and efforts should be made to discuss the situation with a doctor. But certain circumstances warrant emergency evaluation.
  • If you have a cough that is caused by a chronic condition, discuss what signs and symptoms warrant going to the emergency department with your doctor or specialist.
  • If you develop severe shortness of breath or chest pain with your cough, you could have any number of serious medical problems that require urgent intervention.
  • Elderly people or people with weakened immune systems who develop a cough and fever should be seen in the emergency department if they are unable to contact their doctor.
  • If you have lung disease and an acute worsening in your cough that does not respond to home therapy, you should go to the emergency department.

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Coughs Overview and Causes of Coughs

Coughs Overview

A cough is an action the body takes to get rid of substances that are irritating to the air passages, which carry the air a person breathes in from the nose and mouth to the lungs. A cough occurs when cells along the air passages get irritated and trigger a chain of events. The result is air in the lungs is forced out under high pressure. A person can choose to cough (a voluntary process), or the body may cough on its own (an involuntary process).

Causes of Coughs

Acute coughs can be divided into infectious (caused by an infection) and noninfectious causes.

• Infectious causes of acute cough include viral upper respiratory infections (the common cold), sinus infections, acute bronchitis, pneumonia, and whooping cough.
• Noninfectious causes of cough include flare-ups of chronic conditions such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and environmental allergies.

The easiest way to simplify the causes of chronic cough is to divide them into their locations with respect to the lungs. The categories are environmental irritants, conditions within the lungs, conditions along the passages that transmit air from the lungs to the environment, conditions within the chest cavity but outside of the lungs, and digestive causes.

• Any environmental substance that irritates the air passages or the lungs is capable of producing a chronic cough with continued exposure. Cigarette smoke is the most common cause of chronic cough. Other cough-producing irritants include dusts, pollens, pet dander, particulate matter, industrial chemicals and pollution, cigar and pipe smoke, and low environmental humidity.
• Within the lungs both common and uncommon conditions cause chronic cough. Common causes include asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. Less common causes of lung-induced chronic cough include cancer,sarcoidosis, diseases of the lung tissue, and congestive heart failure with chronic fluid build-up in the lungs.
• The passages that connect the lungs to the external environment are known as the upper respiratory tract. Chronic sinus infections, chronic postnasal drip, diseases of the external ear, infections of the throat, and use of ACE inhibitor medications for high blood pressure have all been implicated in chronic cough.
• In addition to disease processes within the lung and air passages, diseases elsewhere within the chest cavity may also be responsible for chronic cough. Conditions within the chest known to cause chronic cough include cancer, unusual growth of a lymph node, and an abnormal enlargement of the aorta, the main blood vessel leaving the heart.
• An often-overlooked cause of the chronic cough is gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). GERD occurs when acid from the stomach travels up the esophagus. This abnormal condition can cause irritation of the esophagus and larynx resulting in the reflex production of a cough.

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