Seeing your little one coughing continuously, especially when sleeping, can be a worry for parents. This condition certainly makes Parents curious about how to deal with coughing in children while sleeping.
Coughing is a healthy reflex that helps clear the airways, but a severe cough or one that lasts more than a week requires medical attention.
So, what are the real causes of coughing and how to deal with coughing in children while sleeping? Continue reading the following article.
Types of Cough in Children While Sleeping
Most nighttime coughs in children are caused by mild viral infections that usually resolve on their own after a few weeks.
However, there are other causes for this cough that need to be looked into, including sinus infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, croup, whooping cough, allergies, asthma, throat irritation that worsens in dry, cold air or a simple case of postnasal drip.
When toddlers cough, the sounds they make or the accompanying symptoms can help identify the cause. Reporting from the health pageMedical News Today, here are the types of cough and their causes:
1. Post-nasal Drip Cough (Post-nasal Drip Cough)
In the body, mucus serves to line the airways, trapping, removing irritants, and fighting off potential infections. However, when excess mucus occurs, it can drip down a person’s throat. This type of mucus is known as post-nasal drip.
This excess mucus is a common trigger for nighttime coughing and sore throats. However, post-nasal drip usually does not cause a deep cough or wheezing.
The way to deal with this type of cough in children while sleeping is to raise the position of the little one’s head to be higher. If your toddler seems to cough more at night during certain times of the year or after playing with certain animals, they may have allergies.
ParentsYou can consult a pediatrician or allergist to help identify what they are allergic to and provide the best treatment.
2. Chronic Cough
Many coughs are caused by viruses that will clear up on their own. Coughs caused by viral colds can last for weeks, especially if a child has had a series of colds.
Asthma, allergies, or chronic infections of the sinuses or airways can also cause a persistent cough. If your child still has a cough after 3 weeks, call your doctor.
3. Barky Cough (Croup) – Barking Cough
A barking cough is usually caused by swelling in the upper respiratory tract. Usually a barking cough comes from croup, an upper respiratory infection that blocks breathing, causing a distinctive hoarse cough.
Cramps generally occur in children. Symptoms include a characteristic barking cough, which tends to get worse at night. Other symptoms include:
Most cases resolve within 3-5 days with home care.Medical News Todaywrites, doctors may prescribe steroids for cases of cough that do not subside. In rare cases, patients require hospitalization. Doctors may prescribe nebulized epinephrine when toddlers have moderate to severe croup.
Younger children have smaller airways that, if swollen, can make it difficult to breathe. Children under 3 are most at risk for croup because their airways are so narrow.
For a “barky” or “croupy” cough, one way to deal with a cough in a child while sleeping is to turn on the hot water in the shower in your bathroom and close the door so that the room will release steam.
Then, sit in the bathroom with your child for about 20 minutes. The steam will help your child breathe easier. Try reading a book together to pass the time.
4. Whooping Cough – Whooping Cough
Whooping cough is a very dangerous type for babies. Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory infection that is actually preventable with a vaccine.
However, when people without immunity to whooping cough get the infection, their coughing can worsen. Vomiting is also common in children with the condition.
In addition to the cough that sounds like a “whoop,” symptoms include a runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing. The hallmark symptom of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is the whooping sound people make when they gasp for air after coughing. Because many children are vaccinated against whooping cough, symptoms tend to be mild or go unnoticed.
A bacterial infection is the cause of whooping cough, and doctors can treat it with antibiotics.
5. Coughing with Wheezing – Coughing with Wheezing
If your child makes a wheezing (whistling) sound when breathing out, this could be a sign of swelling in the lower airways in the lungs.
This can happen because of asthma or because of a viral infection of bronchiolitis. Wheezing can also occur if the lower airway is blocked by a foreign object.
A child who shows signs of coughing after inhaling something such as food or a small toy should see a doctor. Other symptoms of asthma in children include:
- Hard to breathe
- Tightness around the chest
- Shallow, rapid breathing
- Symptoms worsen around smoke, pollen, or other triggers.
- Often catch a cold
If a child shows symptoms of asthma,Parentscan talk to a doctor as soon as possible, so they can start treatment early and avoid more serious complications such as an asthma attack.
Once asthma has started, treatment involves long-term management or requires immediate help if asthma attacks occur.
6. Nighttime Cough – Nighttime Cough
Many coughs start to get worse at night,Parents. When your child has a cold, mucus from the nose and sinuses can drain into the throat and trigger coughing during sleep. The cough can make it difficult for your child to sleep.
Asthma can also trigger nighttime coughing because the airways tend to be more sensitive and easily irritated at night.
7. Daytime Cough – Daytime Cough
Cold air or activity can worsen a cough during the day.Parentscan ensure that there are no items that can trigger your little one’s cough, such as air fresheners, pets, or smoke, especially tobacco smoke which can make your child cough.
8. Cough with Vomiting
Children often cough, which triggers the gag reflex. Sometimes, these symptoms occur because children are not yet able to cough up mucus effectively, so vomiting is their body’s way of clearing the mucus.
A child suffering from a cough, cold or asthma may vomit if a lot of mucus flows into the stomach and causes nausea. Usually, this is not a cause for concern unless the vomiting does not stop.
If your toddler has several of these symptoms along with coughing and vomiting, take them to the emergency room. These symptoms include:
- Rapid breathing rate
- Chills
- Sore chest
- Fever
- Fatigue
If a doctor diagnoses pneumonia, he or she will usually treat the condition with antibiotics.
9. Coughing with Fever – Coughing with Fever
A child who has a cough, mild fever, and runny nose may have a common cold. When a toddler has a cold, it is important to keep your little one hydrated.
However, a cough with a fever of 39°C or higher can sometimes be caused by pneumonia, especially if the child is weak and breathing rapidly.
Parentscan immediately contact a doctor if your little one has a high fever. If the condition worsens without treatment, your little one could experience a middle ear infection.
It’s also important to note that cough and fever are two of the most common symptoms of COVID-19. If a parent or caregiver believes their child has COVID-19, they should talk to their doctor, begin isolating themselves, and get tested.
How to Treat Cough in Children While Sleeping
Nighttime coughing can be bothersome for toddlers and their parents or caregivers. Usually, nighttime coughing is nothing to worry about, and is most likely a symptom of a virus that will go away on its own.
The following steps are how to deal with coughing in children while sleeping:
- Breastfeed more often. More breastfeeding is the most effective way to overcome cough. The mucus in the baby’s throat will become thinner when the baby is given lots of fluids.
- Position the baby’s head higher so that the little one can breathe better and not cough.
- Increase humidity. Humid air can thin mucus that causes coughing in babies and can prevent dryness in the baby’s airways and reduce itching in the throat. Parents can use a humidifier to increase humidity in the little one’s room.
- Using essential oils.Parents You can drop essential oils into the humidifier to spread the aroma into the air.
- Dropping a sterile saline solution or salt solution that can help remove mucus in the nose and throat. Parents can drop about 2-3 drops in the little one’s nasal cavity.
- Give honey. Honey contains antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds that can help boost your little one’s immunity. Honey can be quite an effective reliever for nighttime coughs, due to its soothing properties. However, do not give it to children under 12 months, as there is a risk of botulism poisoning, as reported by the pageHERE.
- Offer foods that are easy to swallow. Menus such as soup, porridge, or yogurt can soothe your little one’s coughing throat.
When to See a Doctor?
Most coughs in toddlers get better within a few weeks. However, researchers estimate that 5-10% of children have a chronic cough.
Reporting from the page Kids Health,Call a doctor if your child has a cough and has these symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing
- Breathing faster than usual
- Having a blue or blackish color on the lips, face, or tongue
- Having a high fever (especially if your child has a cough but does not have a runny or stuffy nose)
- Having a fever and your little one is less than 3 months old
- Making a “whooping” sound when breathing in after coughing
- Coughing up blood
- Having stridor (noisy sound) when breathing
- Experiencing wheezing when breathing (unless your doctor has given you an action plan for asthma)
- Weak and cranky
- Experiencing dehydration; signs include dizziness, drowsiness, dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, crying with few or no tears, or urinating less frequently (or having fewer wet diapers)
- If your toddler has a cough accompanied by a fever.
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Here is some information related to types of coughs and how to deal with coughs in children while sleeping. Hopefully useful.
Republished with permission from theAsianParent Indonesia
