3 Things to Do If You Can’t Stop Coughing at Night (sinus, allergies)
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A cough is annoying enough during the day, but come bedtime, when cold symptoms tend to get worse, hacking your lungs out can become a real nightmare.
Thanks to gravity, when you lie down to sleep, any phlegm in your nose may start draining (and pooling) into the back of your throat. This is known as post-nasal drip—commonly caused by fall allergies, colds, and sinus infections—and it activates your cough reflex. At the same time, research shows that if you’re fighting off a viral or bacterial infection, your immune system steps it up a notch at night, causing inflammation in your upper airways. The result: You cough. A lot.
Nocturnal cough, as it’s called, can be incredibly bothersome. The very act of clearing your throat, especially if it’s already feeling raw, can be super uncomfortable. It can also ruin your ability to sleep well, which could prolong your recovery, per the Mayo Clinic, and make you feel even crappier.
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