What if a child coughs at night?

If a child has a cough at night, then this situation is of some concern. The fears of parents on this score are fully justified, because such a symptom may indicate the presence of serious problems in the child’s body. Even during the day the baby had a completely healthy appearance, and at night he developed a cough. It is necessary to act at the same time immediately and the first sensible step would be to seek advice from a local pediatrician. In order to prescribe the correct treatment, it is necessary to establish a causal relationship to the occurrence of such a condition.

Cough during sleep is burning that the body is struggling with some kind of painful condition. This may be an infection or any other inflammatory process. Night cough is not the cause, but the consequence of the disease. To establish the cause requires serious thorough examination.

What can cause coughing?

Cough can be a manifestation of a serious illness or have a purely domestic property. At the very beginning of the development of any infectious process, manifestations can take place only at night, which is observed in this case. Requires immediate treatment to a specialist. To delay with this should not be, because in most cases the acute stage of the process can easily become chronic. In this case, it will be much more difficult to get rid of such a state, and in some cases it is simply impossible. The reasons may be the following states:

Allergic cause
Night cough can be one of the manifestations of an allergic reaction. If the cough manifests itself only at night, then it can be completely assumed that the source of the allergy (allergen) is located directly in the crib. Poor quality bedding, pajamas or pillow stuffing may well play this role. For some reason, these materials are not perceived by the naturally childish organism, and in response to contact with them, it responds with just such a reaction.In the role of the allergen can act and washing powder, which was used when washing clothes.

In the end, allergies can cause toys in the crib. Any objects can become such things, but one thing is clear that the child begins to contact with them only when she goes to bed.

Sometimes in the bedroom of a child can surround such items, the chemical composition of which is simply not tolerated by a child's weakened body. Therefore, the room in which the child will sleep, you must first thoroughly ventilate. If the suspicion falls on a particular object, it should be removed from the premises. It also happens that along with this disappear signs of an allergic reaction, including cough. In addition to coughing, the face may swell, watery eyes, other manifestations occur.

Viral nature of cough
If the child is sick with ARVI, then the appearance of cough is a circumstance quite explicable. The activity of viruses leads to increased production and accumulation of mucus. She, accumulating in the bronchi of the lungs, causes irritation of nerve endings, which causes coughing fits.Moreover, when a child has a cold, his nose is often clogged. He is more breathing with his mouth. Inhalation is accompanied by spasm of the respiratory muscles, leading to choking and coughing. Coughing can cause sputum. If this situation occurs, it is necessary to think about the fact that the cause of cough has become a viral infection.

Note! Adenoids, pharyngitis, sinusitis or banal rhinitis can provoke coughing attacks.

Bronchial asthma - one of the causes of night cough
The appearance of a night cough may indicate that the child has the beginning of the development of such an unpleasant and dangerous disease as bronchial asthma. At first, it manifests itself as a night cough. At the beginning of development, bronchial asthma is characterized by a phenomenon in which a characteristic whistle is heard during the inhalation phase of a child. This manifests itself mainly at night, because during this period the baby’s body is in a relaxed state. Therefore, its reaction to any external stimulus is more pronounced.

Whooping cough
The disease is infectious in nature and is caused by the Borde-Zhangu pertussis.The disease is manifested by a strong cough with characteristic attacks and a period of recrises. Prevention consists in performing specific vaccinations.

It is important! Vaccinations against pertussis are included in the national vaccination schedule.

Bronchitis
In the initial stages of the disease is accompanied by a night cough. Cough may be worse in the morning. It was at this time that the likelihood of a pulmonary attack is much higher. The disease can occur in acute and chronic form, in which periods of exacerbation are replaced by remission. If the cough in the morning is very strong and is not accompanied by sputum production, then you should think that the child has developed bronchitis.

False croup
It is a diphtheria-like disease with the formation of a film on the larynx.

Reflux esophagitis
When it takes place throwing acidic gastric contents into the respiratory tract, which can also cause cough.

Cough, as a residual phenomenon after illness
Often, many diseases can be resolved by a happy outcome, but for a long time to remind myself of themselves with residual effects in the form of cough.You can get rid of this condition if you give a child a warm drink in sufficient quantity. You can use warm tea. Drug medications that have a calming effect on the respiratory tract mucosa may be prescribed.

Inhalation of foreign body
In this case, along with attacks of breathlessness, there is a cough.

Cutting milk teeth
This condition can also cause coughing at night. Severe pain may result in a process in which saliva is swallowed. It can accumulate and cause a strong cough. For prevention it is necessary to lay the child on its side. You can put an extra pillow so that the head of the child is high.

Prevention and treatment

For successful effective treatment, it is necessary to establish for certain the reason why such conditions arise. If this can be done, then it is necessary to take all measures to eliminate it. If the cough is caused by a viral cause, it should be treated until it disappears completely. But in this case, without the help of a specialist is clearly not enough.

Important! Do not treat a viral infection on your own. This can only aggravate the situation.

For the prevention of resorting to the use of vitamin-mineral complexes with a sufficient content of ascorbic acid. She in this plan is a fundamental component. Of course, pharmaceutical vitamins are good, but they will be better absorbed by the body if they come with food. If parents do not want the child to have a cough, you should give him more foods high in vitamin C.

Not only fruits, but also vegetables and other foods that contain a lot of ascorbic acid will be useful. But they should not be abused either. Excess vitamins are not less harmful than their lack. Such actions will not have the desired effect, and they can do harm. It would not be superfluous to look at the table, where the daily need for vitamins is given depending on the age of the child.

If the cause of cough does not lie in the viral nature, it is enough just to moisten the air in the room where the child sleeps. It is no secret that too dry air can irritate the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, and this can cause coughing. It is also necessary to regularly perform wet cleaning in the sleeping area.This fully applies to all other rooms.

If the cause is an allergy, then anti-histamine drugs are prescribed. An example would be claritin.

Discharged cough reflex inhibitors are prescribed to young patients. Their appointment is carried out depending on the type of cough. With a dry cough, Libexin, Tusuprex may be prescribed. If the cough is wet, such agents as Dr. IOM, Lasolvan, Bromhexine, and other medications are shown.

In addition, therapy should be aimed at correcting the underlying disease, which is the cause of the night cough in a child. Only in this case the treatment will be successful.

Video: how to remove an attack of dry cough in a child