Children often have various infections and colds. They have a weakened immune system to fight diseases and their symptoms. Many parents notice a cough when the baby goes to bed. Strong attacks weaken the body, so you need to find out the cause of this phenomenon and cure it in a timely manner.
About coughing
In itself, this symptom is considered a protective reaction of any person. It appears in infancy. Its manifestation begins with the need to cleanse the airways. Sputum, mucus can penetrate there. Because of this, breathing is complicated, therefore a cough reaction appears.
With severe attacks, the respiratory apparatus contracts. This is the same as the reflex, due to which air is expelled from the lungs. There is relief of breathing, but only for a while.
Causes
Why does a cough appear when a child goes to bed? The cause of this phenomenon may be a cold, allergies, chronic acute inflammation in the bronchi, lungs, as well as health problems - heart failure, gastrointestinal problems, oncology.
Night cough is considered dangerous. During the day, children move, therefore, blood circulation and oxygen flow to the inflamed area improves. Therefore, coughing fits will be mild. And in the evening there is an increase in coughing when the child goes to bed. Attacks will last until the application of methods of its blockade.
A cough in a horizontal position in a child appears due to the fact that the airways take this position. The intake of air is inhibited, the alveoli of the bronchi appear oxygen starvation. The body in this period intensely responds to the focus of inflammation. A severe dry cough is recognized as dangerous when the child goes to bed, as shortness of breath and severe asphyxia may appear due to it.
Only a specialist is able to determine the causes leading to this condition. Therefore, do not postpone the visit to the clinic. With prolonged attacks, when a person suffocates, an ambulance should be called and the patient should be sent to a medical facility.
Lying cough
When determining the cause of coughing, when the child goes to bed, the doctor excludes probable pathologies. A specialist examines the patient. He must check the purity of the lungs, the absence of allergies. Then it is revealed when the attacks begin, and how it manifests itself. If the symptom manifests itself when going to bed, then this is due to the accumulation of mucus in the respiratory tract. It is from sputum, which the lungs cannot adsorb at night, that cough builds up and irritates the mucous membrane.
Why does a wet cough appear when the child goes to bed, but the rest of the time it does not appear? This may be due to acute respiratory illness, obstructive bronchitis, inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. If there is a tickle in the throat, then the cough is periodically repeated. Coughing while lying down appears with whooping cough. This is an infectious disease, so attacks can torment after sleep.
Pathogenesis
In the supine position, the cough may be stronger even when changing the posture, for example, when lying on your back or turning sideways. The symptom is complicated by:
- the presence in the bronchi of foreign bodies;
- bronchospasm with the accumulation of viscous sputum;
- pneumonia
- the presence of an allergen.
A strong cough on the side appears in the presence of cardiac and vascular problems. The danger of this attack is that it can be considered a symptom of a heart attack.
With a cold, mucus quickly accumulates in the inflammatory pathways of the respiratory system, so there is an increase in cough. The bronchi, relaxed and blocked by sputum, at night can not cope with this accumulation of mucus and can not bring it out.
When children cough at night, they usually do not sleep, which complicates the condition. Insomnia, shortness of breath, asphyxia can torment. Only a cough will not give this reaction. It is urgent to visit the child's doctor with the child to identify the cause and purpose of treatment.
Treatment
How to stop a coughing fit? First, the doctor determines its type - dry or wet, as well as its causes. With a strong dry form of the disease, drugs are prescribed that block brain areas that lead to coughing attacks.
If the cough is wet, then drugs with an expectorant effect are recommended. So that the child has a good rest at night, warming compresses, inhalations with essential oils at night are prescribed. If there is still a high temperature, then compresses and inhalations are not used.
Preparations
What can children do from coughing from medicines depends on the type of ailment. In acute illness during colds, antiviral drugs are effective. With wet cough, mucolytic agents are used that are able to dilute and excrete sputum.
With a dry cough, a child needs antitussive and complex drugs in the evening, due to which inflammation decreases and mucus secretion increases. If a bacteriological ailment is detected (pneumonia, whooping cough, tuberculosis), then antibiotics are used. But this treatment is performed only under the supervision of doctors in a hospital. Antibiotics have many side effects, so experts choose the necessary drugs individually.
Inhalation
When coughing with a whistle, doctors can prescribe inhalations. The main thing is not to have a high temperature. Do not wait for the night, inhalations are performed several times during the day:
- For infusion, dry thyme, sage, coltsfoot, chamomile (in equal amounts) are required. They are poured with boiling water, soda (1 tsp) and essential oil (a few drops) are added to the hot broth. For inhalation, a special device is suitable. The procedure can be performed by the type of steam bath.
- A steam bath is arranged over boiled potatoes, which must be kneaded and breathed over it, covered with a scarf. The procedure takes several minutes.
- Saline solution is also suitable, in which there are no side effects.
If you are interested in how to treat a cough in a child of 3 years old, then you should pay attention to inhalation. They significantly improve the condition of the baby in a short time. After inhalation, the cough reflex intensifies, so the procedure must be performed several hours before bedtime. Then the child will sleep better, because he will not be tormented by unpleasant symptoms.
ethnoscience
How to stop a coughing fit at home? For this, traditional medicine is used. They are used in most cases, if there is no allergy:
- Thanks to warm drinking, the mucous membranes are softened day and night: milk with mineral water, milk with honey, decoctions of medicinal herbs are used.
- Warming compresses in the absence of temperature help: boiled potatoes with honey and mustard.
- It is useful to rub the chest with balms with essential oils, tinctures from sage, thyme, plantain, mint.
Alternative methods can be used as an additional treatment for the underlying ailment, which leads to coughing with or without whistling. Therefore, consultation with a doctor will be mandatory so that the recovery is not delayed.
Propolis
Honey, zabrus, propolis - better cough remedies for children, used in traditional medicine. They have antibacterial and antiviral components, vitamins, minerals. With SARS, a cold, the child is allowed to chew for 15 minutes a lump of propolis, if there is no allergy to bee products. Then you need to spit out the chewing gum. The procedure can be carried out several times a day.
For grinding, ointment with badger or bear fat is used. Propolis must be added in a ratio of 1: 5. The product is heated in a water bath. Propolis tincture is prepared with 60-70% medical alcohol (1:10). After insisting for 10 days, strain, add 10 drops to a cup of warm milk. Such a medicine a child should drink.
Mustard plasters
With a dry cough, when sputum discharge is complicated, mustard plasters are used. Contraindication is high fever (from 37.5 degrees), as well as the presence of skin irritation, psoriasis, neurodermatitis, tumors, asthma, age up to a year.
Mustard plasters can not be applied to the area of the heart, spine, small children it is advisable to put them in these places through gauze. The duration of the procedure depends on age:
- up to 3 years - 2 minutes;
- up to 7 years - 3;
- up to 12 - 5.
After the session, the skin is wiped with a softening cream, with strong redness, you need to remove the product and remove the remaining powder with a damp warm towel. Mustard plasters are used in the evening, and then the child is dressed up in tansy and covered with a blanket.
Effective drugs
Not only expensive drugs can eliminate a cough. For dry type suitable:
- mucolytics - “Falimint”, “Halixol”, “Lazolvan”, “Libexin”;
- antitussive drugs - Codelac, Herbion, Stroptussin;
- anti-inflammatory - Omnitus, Ambrohexal;
- antipyretic - "Lorraine."
The best remedy for children from a wet type cough is “ATSTS”, “Bromhexin” tablets, as well as Ambroxol and Mukaltin syrups. Used ointment "Doctor Mom", an antitussive drug "Broncholitin", "Ambrobene", "Gedelix".
Antibiotics
Only a doctor can prescribe antibiotics if a cough comes from a bacterial infection. The most popular are the following:
- Penicillins - help with prolonged cough, are considered the safest for children ("Augmentin", "Amosicillin", "Flemoklav").
- Macrolides - are used at an early stage, because they fight viruses well (Sumamed, Aksetin, Macropen).
- Cephalosporins - have the properties of the previous 2 species ("Suprax", "Ixim", "Cefazolin").
Take antibiotics only according to the attached instructions. Usually, the course of treatment lasts 5-7 days. It is important to consider the negative effect of funds on the microflora of the stomach, so they are taken with medications that protect the gastrointestinal tract.
Homeopathy
This type of treatment is considered unusual for many people. But more and more people all over the world use this particular method. Homeopathic remedies are considered safe for children, the main thing is to use them correctly. Pediatricians may prescribe the following:
- “Aconit” is a medicine effective at different stages of the disease with dry cough.
- "Belladonna" - helps with paroxysmal cough.
- "Opium" - used for sore throat and dry night cough.
- "Phosphorus" - is used in the presence of pain in the chest or back when coughing.
- "Sepia" - the medicine helps with a serious course of the disease.
Although the means are safe, before using it is nevertheless necessary to consult with a specialist so as not to harm health.
Rinse
This type of treatment is used for dry cough. Rinses relieve pain, eliminate dryness, perspiration, protect against inflammation. Procedures must be performed 4 times a day. For rinsing, the following methods are used:
- Sea salt (1 tsp) is dissolved in boiled water (1 cup). The solution is used for 1 procedure.
- Soda (1 tsp) is added to warm water (1 cup), and everything is stirred. Perhaps the addition of 1-2 drops of iodine.
- Propolis infusion (20 drops) is mixed with warm water (200 ml.). The product can not be used up to 12 years. and if you are allergic to the beekeeping product.
For young children, soda and saline solutions are used in the form of spray irrigation. The benefit of rinsing increases if optimal conditions are created: a lot of warm drinking, high humidity and regular wet cleaning.
Food
If the child is often sick, the cause may be reduced immunity. And it depends on nutrition. To strengthen the children's body, the diet should consist of:
- fresh juices, vegetables, berries, fruits with vitamin C;
- oatmeal with vegetable oil;
- mashed potatoes with milk;
- radish salad with sour cream;
- grapes with honey.
Recommendations
All diseases in which a cough is observed should be treated only according to the method proposed by the doctor. Medicines with alternative recipes must be agreed with a specialist. It is important to adhere to recommendations if an unpleasant symptom appears at the time when you need to go to bed. If you do not get rid of it in a timely manner, children usually cry, are naughty, sputum accumulate and this becomes the cause of the exacerbation of the disease.
As prevention, you need to follow simple rules:
- The patient should be given warm teas and drinks throughout the day.
- Before going to bed, give a glass of warm milk with honey.
- Before going to bed, you need to ventilate the room.
- You should get rid of the sources of allergies.
- It is important to carry out wet cleaning regularly.
- Aromatherapy helps.
- If the temperature is absent, then outdoor walks will be effective.
How to treat a cough in a child 3 years old, younger or older, should be prescribed by a doctor. Self-medication is dangerous. Even seemingly safe syrups, tablets, recipes of traditional medicine can include components that are dangerous to the child's body.