Dry Cough at Night

Dry cough occurs only at night; in most cases, after the person has fallen off to sleep. This illness does not have any specific causes in particular, nor it is a different condition than a normal dry cough. What happens in most cases is, a dry cough becomes worse and persistent at night and that's why it may be referred to as dry cough at night. However in some cases it has been studied that, people who suffer from dry cough at night, the cough suddenly occurs about 2 - 3 hours after the person has fallen asleep. The cough continues for a few minutes and then subsides by itself, only to reoccur after a span of 2 - 3 hours.

Dry cough at night does not seem to have any kind of symptoms during the day and the major ill effect it has on the affected person is sleep deprivation. The dry cough symptom at a later stage, may progress into a wet cough wherein there is a formation of sputum in the lungs. Dry cough at night in children has similar causes as in adults, however, the treatment may be different as the age factor comes into picture.

Dry Cough Causes

The dry cough causes which follow, are considered to be the most probable factors which may trigger a dry cough at night. The causes include sinus infection, common cold, asthma, emphysema and whooping cough. Sinus infection may cause post nasal drainage and this forms mucus which is hard to cough out. So this kind of infection makes a dry cough worse at night. Common cold has always been associated with coughing at night, and asthma is also considered to contribute to dry cough at night. Other than these, emphysema (an abnormal condition of the lungs marked by decreased respiratory function) and whooping cough (a respiratory tract infection), which is most common in children, are the most prominent causes of dry cough at night.

Other Dry Cough Causes

While the above are the common and most possible causes of dry cough at night, other responsible factors for common dry cough include post nasal drip, pollutant irritation, asbestosis (lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos particles), habitual cough, laryngitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx; characterized by hoarseness or loss of voice and coughing), tracheitis (inflammation of the trachea), lung cancer, larynx disease and certain types of allergies also trigger persistent dry cough.

Some more causes may be aftereffects of a chronic dry cough, airborne infections, seasonal weather changes, chain smoking, low humidity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Apart from all such diseases, there are certain kinds of medicines or drugs which may also contribute to dry cough.

Dry Cough Remedy

As said earlier, dry cough at night may deprive the affected person from getting a good night sleep and in general may be painful and annoying to him and for people around him. The following remedies are for dry cough at night and also at any time of the day, and they can be put to use at home, apart from administering the medicines which may be prescribed by a doctor.

Garlic is one natural medicine which has its uses in the treatment of several diseases in the human body. It is well-known for its abilities to aid good digestion, and also helps prevent simple cold and flu. There are multiple ways of taking garlic to get relief from dry cough. Although chewing one or two cloves at a time is a great remedy for the cough, however, some people prefer to take it in the form of a paste. Make a thick paste of the garlic and mix with honey. Whenever you feel the urge to cough, help yourself with a tablespoon of the paste. This will reduce the pain and the frequency of coughing.

Every morning after brushing your teeth, take a glass of warm water (not hot but just bearably warm) and mix the water with one or two teaspoons of salt and stir well. Thereafter, gargle with the water for 5 minutes or so. Take your time and gargle well. This method also helps in reducing the pain and in subsiding the cough to some extent. This method is also a great remedy for sore throat.

For dry cough at night, ginger root works miracles! Every night before you go to bed, put a small piece in your mouth and chew it slowly and swallow the juice. You may feel uncomfortable in swallowing the juice, but then you can sleep peacefully with less coughing than normal. Similar to garlic, you can also prepare a paste of ginger and honey and use it whenever the need arises.

Along with all these remedies for dry cough cure, herbal tea also helps in a speedy cure for the ailment. It not only rids your body of several antioxidants, but soothes a lingering cough also. Add a few drops of lemon juice and honey instead of sugar and take it hot. Check out more on home remedies for cough.

To conclude, it is important to take note of the fact that dry cough at night is an illness which is not common in children only. This ailment has been known to affect people of all ages. So, one should be aware of its different causes and beneficial remedies to counter the onset of dry cough at night or at any time of the day.