Curing a night cough keeps you and your partner sleeping soundly.
Night coughs make sleeping almost impossible and turn eight hours of bliss into what seems like an eternity of wakefulness. Whether wet or dry, coughs keep you up at night. Curing the cough means getting to the underlying cause of it and addressing this issue rather than just the symptoms. Infection, allergies, environmental toxins and chronic health conditions can cause nighttime coughing. Go to your doctor first to get the right diagnosis and medication if necessary.
Instructions
Expel Mucus
1. Use remedies to expel mucus. A wet cough is the body's attempt to get rid of phlegm resulting from an irritant or an infection. Whether you have allergies or a bacterial infection, the mucus must come out. Drink herbal peppermint tea, which acts as a natural expectorant. Have several cups in the late afternoon and early evening to clear the mucus before you lay down to go to bed.
2. Steam your nose and sinuses over a pot of boiling water. Fill a cooking pot at least halfway with tap water. Heat it on a stove until the water steams. Ensure it is not so hot that it burns the hairs inside the nose and sinuses. Find a temperature that is more than warm but tolerable by you. Place your face over the pot about 6 inches or more above the boiling water and cover your head with a towel to contain the steam. Perform the steaming for five to 10 minutes. Add peppermint or eucalyptus oil to the steaming water for additional help expelling the mucus. Blow your nose gently several times after the steaming is complete. Take a hot shower for 10 to 20 minutes instead of steaming over a pot.
3. Do a sinus rinse. Create your own solution by using 3 tsp. of salt, preferably iodine-free, and 1 tsp. baking soda. Mix together and put 1 tsp. of the mixture into 8 oz. of warm water. Use a nasal bulb to suck up the solution. Then shoot the solution into one nostril while your head is bent over a sink, allowing it to drain from the other nostril into the sink. Switch sides and repeat the process using the majority of the nasal rinse fluid. Blow your nose to remove mucus. There are also several over the counter nasal rinse systems to flush the sinuses and remove mucus. Prepare the sinus rinse by following the package directions. Gently rinse one nostril at a time while the fluid drains from the other nostril. Do this at least one or two hours before you go to bed to allow mucus to drain.
Natural Remedies
4. Use honey and white pepper together. According to Natural Home Remedies' website, put a small amount of white pepper ground up into 1 tsp. of honey and swallow it. Doing this a few times a day for about a week may help cure the cough.
5. Have some garlic with an evening meal. Garlic is thought to have many health benefits, including relieving a cough. Have the garlic at least two evenings a week, so plan Italian meals or sneak some garlic into a favorite non-Italian recipe.
6. Stay hydrated. Drink fluids to keep the body hydrated, soften mucus and prevent excess dryness. Also, keep the thermostat a bit lower so the air is not too dry. Excessive dryness promotes a dry cough and makes it worse.
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