Your circadian rhythm gets affected greatly and the immunity cells, involved in healing and inflammation tend to rev up more towards the evening and overnight
Often when you are down with a cough and cold, the symptoms get worse at night, disturbing your sleep and making you more uncomfortable. But does it happen to everyone, or have you just been singled out? Turns out, a few symptoms of the common cold actually do inflate at night.
Why do colds and coughs get worse at nighttime?
According to experts, studies have uncovered various factors regarding coughs and how they get affected according to the time of the day. Your circadian rhythm - the way your internal process follows a 24-hour cycle gets affected greatly and the immunity cells – involved in healing and inflammation tend to rev up more towards the evening and overnight. According to doctors, this cell attack is what causes many of the symptoms of the common cold.
Also, cortisol – your stress hormone is usually highest in the morning and then drops as the day ends—which makes the relationship between cortisol and inflammation complicated. The irregular spike and lowdown play a role in making symptoms feel worse at night. Doctors say when you lie down at night – it becomes harder for the mucus in your nose to drain normally, leaving you to feel stuffy and unable to breathe and aggravating coughing.
Along with these issues, your lungs also get affected by circadian rhythm - which makes the airways narrow at night – resulting in symptoms of cough and worsening of breathlessness.
Ways to manage and reduce nighttime coughing
When it comes to getting over a cough, there are a few relatively simple steps you can follow. Doctors suggest a regimen of fluids and medications if needed, along with lots of rest. But getting the rest you need to feel better is easier said than done if your cough is keeping you up all night.
A few easy tips you can follow to help you feel better at night include:
Take a hot shower
It is important to breathe in the steam to help soothe your nose and throat. Warm water all over your body helps relax your muscles, making it easier to get an uninterrupted sleep.
Consume honey
A spoonful of honey at least 30 minutes before bedtime helps reduce nighttime cough and improves sleep quality, especially in children. Even though some studies in adults are more preliminary, they also show that it can improve the symptoms of cold.
Rinse your nose
You can carefully use saltwater to rinse out your nose, which appears to have some benefit in lowering the symptoms of cough.
Use pillows
To help improve drainage from your congested nose and sinuses, put a few extra pillows behind the top part of your body and find a comfortable way to sleep more upright.
Take decongestants
Decongestants work by reducing blood flow to the nose, which decreases nasal congestion.
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