People with bronchial asthma, sinusitis, whooping cough, pneumonia, and gastric reflux often cough a lot at night and early morning.
Coughing is a natural reflex that helps the body remove irritants from the respiratory tract such as dust, pollen, secretions, microorganisms, and foreign objects.
Dr. Mai Manh Tam, Deputy Head of the Respiratory Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi , said that nighttime coughing is very common. Under the influence of gravity and body pressure, in a lying position, the airways tend to be narrower than normal. At night, the body secretes less epinephrine - a hormone that dilates the airways, causing mucus to accumulate in the throat, causing irritation and stimulating the cough reflex.
Colder night weather is also the time when the respiratory system works hard to eliminate mucus and pathogens. This leads to continuous coughing, disrupting sleep, affecting health. This condition, if prolonged, can be a manifestation of many of the diseases below.
Postnasal drip syndrome : Glands in the nose and throat continuously produce mucus to moisten and clean the nasal mucosa and air against infection.
If the body produces too much mucus, it will accumulate in the sinuses, flow down the back of the throat, irritate the throat, and stimulate coughing. This phenomenon is also known as postnasal drip syndrome, which often occurs with colds, flu, and allergies.
Bronchial asthma : This is a chronic inflammation of the airways, increasing spasm, edema and secretion, causing dry cough. If the cough has phlegm, it is usually at the end of an asthma attack or when the asthma is infected. Coughing often occurs at night and early morning, accompanied by symptoms such as wheezing, whistling when breathing, chest tightness or chest pain.
Sinusitis : When the lining of the sinuses next to the nose becomes inflamed, fluid or mucus builds up inside. Because it cannot be expelled through the nose, the mucus flows back down the throat, causing a lot of coughing, especially at night.
Coughing at night is a sign of many diseases. Photo: Freepik
Whooping cough : This serious respiratory infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis can affect both children and adults. Early symptoms are often mistaken for the common cold. As the infection progresses, it can cause characteristic symptoms such as difficulty breathing and coughing at night. The coughing spells are violent or spasmodic, often ending in a high-pitched, wheezing sound.
Pneumonia : This is a condition in which the lung parenchyma is infected by viruses, bacteria, fungi, or chemicals. The alveoli and airways in the lungs contain a lot of fluid or pus, causing cough with phlegm, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) : Chronic inflammation of the airways causes obstructive ventilation disorders in the lungs. The disease causes prolonged cough with phlegm, frequent difficulty breathing, wheezing, and chest pain due to the airways being narrower than normal.
COPD is divided into two forms, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, commonly found in smokers exposed to toxic air.
Tuberculosis : A respiratory infection that occurs when the bacteria Mycobacterium Tuberculosis attacks primarily the lungs. Symptoms include a severe cough with phlegm or blood that lasts for three weeks or more. The patient may have chest pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, chills, and night sweats.
Gastroesophageal reflux : The disease not only causes cough but also makes this condition worse. The disease occurs through two mechanisms: acid refluxes into the esophagus causing the body to produce a cough reflex or refluxed fluid moves up and enters the airway, causing coughing. Frequent reflux leads to pharyngitis, laryngitis, throat irritation, causing the patient to cough a lot and wheeze.
Doctor Tam noted that if a dry cough is not accompanied by other symptoms and lasts for a short time, it is not a cause for concern. To reduce coughing at night, patients can vacuum the mattress to reduce allergens (dust, animal hair, mold, etc.); change sheets and pillowcases regularly. Patients should quit smoking; drink enough water; wash their nose with saline; gargle with salt water or gargle solution before going to bed. Keeping the room temperature at 26-28 degrees Celsius and humidity at 30-60% is best; avoiding close contact with dogs, cats, and pet birds, etc. also helps reduce coughing.
Coughing that lasts for several weeks or coughs up discolored or bloody mucus, accompanied by fever, difficulty breathing or chest pain, and weight loss are warning signs of a serious health problem. When these symptoms appear, patients should see a doctor early for treatment.
Diseases that cause prolonged nighttime cough have similar symptoms. To make an accurate differential diagnosis, the doctor may order the patient to have a respiratory function test, chest X-ray or chest CT scan in addition to blood tests and sputum culture.
Trinh Mai
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