Remedies to Stop Coughing at Night

Coughing is a natural response of the body when it is trying to remove unwanted impurities from the body that irritates the throat or breathing passage. The lining of the air passage consists of cells that secretes mucus to keep the area moist so that it can trap dust and debris which enter the passage while breathing. When this membrane is attacked by pathogens, it gets inflamed. This increases the production of mucus which in turn causes a lot of irritation.

Then the body tries to expel this mucus build up through cough in order to get relief from the irritation. This kind of inflammation in the respiratory passage can occur due to many different reasons. Some of them are: the common cold, post nasal drip, asthma, exposure to allergens like dust and smoke, smoking and so on. A unique characteristic of a cough is that it becomes severe when you lie down. This is because the mucus drains to the back of the throat which induces a cough.

While coughing, the thoracic cavity undergoes contraction repetitively. As a result, you feel a lot of discomfort in the chest and throat. Coughing at night is more annoying because it badly disrupts your sleep. Even your family members' sleep get disrupted if you are coughing constantly. There are some remedial measures that can bring an instant relief from cough. They are as follows:

This is probably the most popular remedy for cough relief. To stop a sudden bout of cough at night, take one teaspoon of raw honey. It will form a thick coat on the lining of the throat and lessen the irritation. Thus the cough will subside within a few minutes. If you are bothered by a cough for several nights, then take a glass of warm milk to which 2 teaspoons of honey has been added. This will prevent a cough and you can sleep without any disturbance.

Grape juice acts as a natural expectorant that can relieve a bad cough within a few days. It also fight off a common cold infection and makes the lungs healthy. Take one cup of fresh grape juice, mix some honey and have it once or twice a day. Alternately, you can eat a bowl of grapes to yield the same results.

Fresh onion juice facilitates elimination of phlegm and stops a cough immediately. Extract juice from a medium-sized onion and mix juice of one lemon with it. Add a cup of boiling water into the mixture and some honey for flavor. Have this drink 2-3 times every day to obtain maximum benefits.

Almonds are widely used for the treatment of dry cough that does not have any phlegm. Soak 7-8 almonds in a bowl of water overnight. In the morning, remove its brown skin and make a smooth paste. Now, mix one teaspoon of butter and a little sugar for taste. Have this twice a day: once in the morning and once in the evening. This will reduce the frequency and intensity of cough at night.

Crush about 100 grams of raisins with water to make a fine paste. Then add equal amount of sugar to the raisin paste. Heat this paste on a low flame till it becomes thick like a sauce. Remove it from the heat and store in a jar. Take two tablespoons of this paste two times a day before going to bed to control cough during the night.

The ingredients needed are: One-fourth teaspoon each of ginger powder and red pepper, one tablespoon of honey and apple cider vinegar. Mix these ingredients thoroughly and add 2 tablespoons of water to this mixture. Stir this paste thoroughly to get a paste of thick consistency. When you wake up at night with a hacking cough, take one teaspoon of this mixture to stop the cough.

The aforementioned remedies are going to work for you provided you protect the respiratory passage from exposure to the irritants that trigger a cough. Now, if you are smoker, you should not expect complete relief from a cough unless you stop smoking.

Similarly, you have to avoid exposure to dust, smoke, pollen and other environmental irritants. Sugary foods and dairy products that increase phlegm production should be eliminated from your daily diet as they make the cough worse.