Why does a child cough in the morning after sleep and what should be done?

If a child coughs in the morning after sleep, this causes concern among parents. Most often, this symptom indicates inflammation in the respiratory system, but it can also be normal.

Only a doctor can determine the exact cause of the cough after examining the child and collecting an anamnesis. Self-treatment of children is prohibited, since even a harmless morning cough can lead to serious consequences.

In some cases, no treatment is required at all. It is enough to change the conditions in the room.

Possible causes of morning cough in a child

Cough after sleep in a child can occur for various reasons. They have their own characteristics related to age, body condition, and living conditions. The nature of the attacks is of great importance:

• with weak or copious sputum;
• dry or wet;
• with vomiting;
• deep or abrupt;
• hoarse, barking;
• with or without pain and sore throat.

To understand why a child is coughing, doctors also look at other symptoms: runny nose, body temperature, purulent discharge, general weakness, chest and throat pain. 

ARVI

If a child coughs after sleep, this is often a sign of a viral illness. Cough during ARVI can be of several types:

• Dry, barking, unproductive, when mucus from the throat is not coughed up. Often occurs at the initial stage of the disease. Accompanied by a general deterioration in health, hoarseness, and increased sweating. Also, a dry cough may be residual after treatment of the disease. The child simply coughs in the morning (this condition can last up to 1.5 months).
• Wet, or productive, when mucus is released from the respiratory tract, resulting in improved health. A severe cough in the morning with mucus discharge indicates a speedy recovery.

If a child has an acute respiratory viral infection, he may cough not only after sleep, but also during the day. 

Inflammation of the respiratory system

Cough after sleep in a child often occurs due to an inflammatory process in the upper and lower respiratory tract. Here are the diseases that force the baby to cough in the morning:

• Whooping cough. This is an acute infectious disease of the lower respiratory tract, which is characterized by attacks of a dry, exhausting cough. At the onset of the disease, the symptoms are similar to ARVI. At the second stage, the patient begins to cough especially severely at night and in the morning. In this case, the child’s face turns red, the veins swell, and a short-term cessation of breathing may occur. Residual cough after whooping cough sometimes lasts up to 2 months. Sounds similar to allergic or asthmatic.
• Bronchitis. The acute course of the disease is characterized by a chesty cough with periodic sputum discharge. The child begins to cough violently in the morning, because a large amount of mucus accumulates in the throat during the night. The disease is accompanied by weakness, malaise, elevated body temperature, wheezing in the chest, shortness of breath, and rapid heartbeat. In chronic bronchitis, such attacks are repeated throughout the year (at least 3 times in 12 months).
• Pneumonia. This is a serious infectious disease, especially dangerous in childhood. If after sleep the baby begins to cough, the attacks do not go away during the day, and are accompanied by high fever and shortness of breath, you should immediately consult a doctor. The spasm is initially dry, non-productive, and appears in the first days after infection. During treatment it becomes wet. Sputum from pneumonia consists of pus, mucus and blood clots. Sometimes it contains green veins. A child may cough obsessively, with a whistling sound. Sometimes there is a whooping cough in the form of attacks.
• Sinusitis. This is an inflammation of the sinus mucosa. It occurs as a complication of influenza, acute rhinitis, and other infectious diseases. Children may cough due to illness due to secretions flowing from the nasal cavity into the nasopharynx, as a result of which the cough receptors are irritated. Pathogenic microorganisms simultaneously infect the upper and lower respiratory tract. Spasms are worse at night and in the morning after waking up. At first the cough is dry, but after a few days it becomes wet. Its intensity determines the position of the body.
• Tracheitis. Accompanied by a dry, debilitating cough. The child begins to cough most severely at night when he is in a horizontal position. In the morning he coughs due to a large accumulation of mucus in the respiratory organs. The attacks are so severe that they cause vomiting. During the day the child coughs more.
• Pharyngitis. The child begins to cough due to inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. The cough can be dry or wet. Appears 2 days after infection, exacerbation occurs at night. The attacks last up to 10 minutes. In the morning, the child also cannot clear his throat quickly. With chronic pharyngitis, the attacks are obsessive, constant, and the baby tries to swallow from time to time.

Reflux esophagitis

An inflammatory process that is caused by the release of stomach contents into the esophagus and throat. This is a fairly rare pathology in childhood that requires observation by a gastroenterologist. Characterized by cough in the morning, regurgitation. In older children, in addition to coughing attacks, belching and heartburn appear.

If your baby has a dry cough after sleep, accompanied by the release of unpleasant-smelling mucus, most likely it is reflux esophagitis. During the day, the child also complains of a burning sensation in the chest and throat, and frequent regurgitation is observed.  

Often, a similar problem occurs in newborns and goes away completely by the age of 10 months. No treatment is required during this period. If a child not only begins to cough, but also has difficulty swallowing food, hiccups that do not go away for a long time, high body temperature, black stools and vomit, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Allergy

Often a cough in the morning and evening in a child is a sign of an allergic reaction. It can be distinguished from various diseases by the following characteristics:

• There is no elevated temperature.
• The child, even if he coughs, behaves calmly and has a good appetite.
• The child begins to cough suddenly, the attack is not accompanied by sputum production.
• A runny nose with colorless discharge is often observed.
• The eyes turn red, the skin becomes covered with a rash, and begins to itch.

A dry, mild cough in the morning appears due to exposure to irritants (food and household) after contact with animals.

Allergies are often caused by laundry detergent, duvet and pillow fillers. Coughing can also be caused by passive smoking, polluted air, or taking certain medications.

Other diseases

If a child begins to cough dryly in the morning, this is a possible consequence of infection with worms. Unpleasant spasms are associated with blockage of the airways by larvae.

A dry cough in the morning in a child, accompanied by difficulty breathing and whistling, sometimes indicates bronchial asthma. If it is brown or yellow-green with sputum, it means that a serious inflammatory process is developing in the respiratory organs.

The main thing is to distinguish asthma from obstructive bronchitis and pneumonia, which occurs without complications, since these diseases manifest themselves with similar symptoms.

If a child begins to cough sharply after sleep, his breathing becomes noisy, whistling, his skin turns blue, there is shortness of breath, wheezing, perhaps a foreign object has entered his throat. In this case, immediate assistance is required.

Dust, dry air

A child's cough in the morning often occurs due to dry air in the room. As a result, immunity decreases, a runny nose and cough appear. Due to the dryness of the air, dust and other allergens do not settle on the surface, but move freely in the room, entering the human respiratory system.

The child begins to cough most severely for this reason in the winter, when the heating is on. If he coughs at night but not during the day, before going to bed you need to thoroughly ventilate the room and turn on the humidifier.  

Summer heat and air conditioning also dry out mucous membranes. Being exposed to cool air for at least 15 minutes can cause you to get sick. Air conditioning is also dangerous because it causes the infectious disease legionellosis.

These are pathogenic microorganisms that multiply in the humid environment of the cooling device. He blows out dry air, a person inhales it and gets sick. The main symptom is sudden, spasmodic exhalations.

The baby coughs especially badly at night and in the morning.

Non-hazardous reasons

A wet cough in a baby in the morning is caused by physiological reasons, if it is without fever:

• The formula or mother's milk that he drinks at night does not completely pass through the digestive tract, as a result of which the residue ends up in the respiratory tract. Therefore, the child begins to cough after sleep. Even if the baby eats at night, he should be raised upright after eating.
• When a child coughs in the morning, it is often a consequence of teething. This process is almost always accompanied by increased salivation and runny nose. This cough is also not a pathology.
• In newborns, cough is a sign of adaptation to environmental factors. Excess mucus flows into the throat, causing the baby to start coughing.

The child also coughs after treatment for diseases of the lower and upper respiratory tract. For example, after bronchitis, he may cough for another month.  

How to treat a dry cough in the morning in a child

Antitussive drugs that act on cough receptors alleviate the baby’s condition. Children are prescribed:

• Sinecode;
• Libexin;
• Glaucine;
• Sedotussin;
• Levopront.

After the child begins to cough productively, mucolytics (Lazolvan, Ambroxol) are prescribed. They help to liquefy the secretion, which makes it easier to pass. Also, expectorants (Mukaltin, licorice root) are prescribed to remove phlegm. To dilate the bronchi, medications Bronholitin and Gerbion are used.

For allergic cough, antihistamines (Suprastin, Zyrtec, Zodak) are prescribed. 

It is important to maintain optimal conditions in the room so that the child stops coughing:

• Ventilate regularly and do wet cleaning, especially before going to bed.
• Buy a humidifier. It is especially necessary in winter when heating devices are running. The humidity in the room should be 45-60% throughout the day.
• The air in the room should be between 20-21°C.
• The baby's crib should be placed away from drafts and air conditioning.

In addition, it is necessary to give the baby plenty of warm drinks, exclude contact with allergens, and remove spicy foods and hot dishes from the diet. If you don’t have a fever, you need to walk in the fresh air as often and as long as possible.

Source: https://tden.ru/health/rebenok-kashlyaet-po-utram-posle-sna

The child coughs heavily in the morning after sleep: the main reasons

Children of any age suffer from coughs of various types. Sometimes his attacks are so severe that parents begin to panic. Soon the baby's condition will normalize on its own.

But many adults immediately run to the pharmacy, buy medications at their discretion and treat the baby for unknown reasons. This should not be done. Initially, you need to find out why the child coughs in the morning after sleep, find out the real reason.

Often there is no need for treatment because the syndrome is not dangerous.

What you need to know about cough: types and typical manifestations

A child's cough at night and after sleep has various causes. Each species has its own specific manifestations. If a child coughs a lot after sleep, it is necessary to rule out serious health problems and identify a possible illness.

In such cases it is difficult to cope without medical assistance. But there are times when the symptom is not scary and there is no reason to panic. To understand in what situation you should sound the alarm and worry, you need to be able to distinguish between the types of cough.

Physiological cough

Sometimes a child’s cough in the morning immediately after sleep has a purely physiological explanation, which, in essence, means that everything is fine with the baby. The problem appears as a result of the following reasons:

• The baby sleeps primarily on its back, which allows bronchial secretions to accumulate in its respiratory tract.
• After waking up, the baby abruptly changes position, which entails irritation of the tracheal mucosa with sputum.
• Breastfeeding is accompanied by the fact that the baby does not swallow all the milk. Part of it ends up in the respiratory tract, which is why the child coughs at night and after sleep.
• The baby has started teething.
• The room in which the baby sleeps is too dusty. Dust penetrates the bronchi and irritates them.
• A previous infectious disease may be accompanied by residual secretions from the respiratory tract.

Pathological cough

Sometimes coughing after sleep has other causes. It can be a sign of illness. It is possible to distinguish the species. The manifestation that is characteristic of the disease is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• A serious reason to be wary is the presence of fever, runny nose, or poor health of the child. In many cases, these are the first signs of influenza or acute respiratory infections.
• Sometimes the baby begins to cough in the morning with the release of unpleasant-smelling mucus. This is how reflux esophagitis manifests itself.
• A dry cough after sleep in a child with whistling and barking sounds is a reason to suspect whooping cough.
• If there are high temperature readings and pain in the side, pneumonia should be immediately ruled out.
• A cough that appears in fits and starts with a small amount of sputum can be due to bronchitis or asthma. Whistling and wheezing can be heard in the chest.
• Pleurisy or abscess is manifested by a wet morning cough with a large amount of greenish or brown mucus.
• A slight cough after waking up in a baby may indicate a helminthic infestation.

Morning cough in a child: features of the syndrome

If your baby's sleep is accompanied by waking up with a short cough that does not bother you throughout the day, you should not worry too much. This is considered normal. This is how the body gets rid of mucus accumulated during night sleep. Sometimes the symptom recurs and does not threaten anything. It disappears as quietly as it appears, so it does not require treatment.

It is worth paying attention to the following features of the syndrome:

• frequency of coughing;
• is it dry or wet;
• duration;
• Body temperature;
• what is its timbre?
• sore throat, rhinitis.

If you have suspicious symptoms, you should immediately go to the hospital for diagnostic measures. You should not attempt to treat your baby on your own. This can seriously aggravate the situation.

Possible diseases

There are many diseases, the first sign of which is coughing. Each pathology is characterized by one or another type of syndrome. It is worth highlighting the following conditions:

• bronchitis;
• flu;
• acute respiratory infections;
• tracheitis;
• pharyngitis;
• sinusitis;
• pneumonia, etc.

Cough with phlegm

The appearance of a wet cough may be associated with acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections, and allergic rhinitis. Each of these diseases requires proper and comprehensive treatment.

There are certain signs that should alert adults:

1. Abrupt onset of attack and long duration.
2. The appearance of shortness of breath.
3. Temperature readings for three days are not lower than 38 ⁰.
4. The child complains of pain in the chest area.
5. Complete refusal of the baby to eat.
6. Severe wheezing during coughing.
7. Sputum is green in color and has an unpleasant odor.
8. Blood in the sputum.
9. Paroxysmal cough.
10. Rhinitis.

Most often, a wet cough is due to posterior rhinitis. Mucus accumulates overnight. After the baby wakes up and changes position, a natural reflex is triggered to clear her throat. Also, the symptom can accompany various diseases.

If your child coughs before and after bedtime, a medical examination is required. A productive cough that does not go away on its own is a serious reason to go to the hospital. Coughing, which is a consequence of a cold, should alert you if it does not go away three weeks after the illness.

Attention! Sometimes a wet cough is a symptom of tuberculosis. Parents should not forget about this.

Dry cough

• barking cough;
• pain in the chest or side;
• wheezing;
• labored breathing;
• temperature increase;
• pain and aching in the joints.

Other causes of cough in the morning

A cough is the body's response to irritation. This way the airways are cleared. There are many reasons for this phenomenon. Not all situations require intervention and treatment. In order to eliminate cough syndrome, it is necessary to find out the true reason for its occurrence.

Physiological factors in newborns

The baby coughs in the morning due to many reasons. In most cases there is no need to treat it. The baby may cough after waking up due to the following physiological factors:

• The milk does not completely pass through the digestive channels, and the remaining part of it enters the baby’s respiratory system, which causes a morning cough. You can get rid of seizures if you learn how to properly attach your baby to the breast. Its head should be slightly higher than the body. Feeding should always be accompanied by raising the baby to an upright position. This position helps the food pass as intended and the baby get rid of swallowed air.
• Due to teething, active secretion of saliva begins, cough and runny nose appear. All these symptoms go away on their own immediately after the child’s incisors appear.

Foreign object in the respiratory tract

A foreign body in the respiratory tract is a direct threat to the child’s life. Therefore, it should be shown to a doctor immediately. Sometimes a child, due to his early age, is not able to explain what happened to him. Every parent should know the symptoms of a foreign object in the respiratory tract:

1. A sudden, prolonged cough begins.
2. Breathing becomes whistling and noisy.
3. The skin acquires a bluish tint.
4. There is severe shortness of breath.
5. The voice becomes dry and compressed.
6. In serious situations, the child begins to wheeze.

Such problems most often occur if the child is unattended. This suggests a conclusion: you cannot leave the baby to his own devices.

Advice! If there is a need to leave the baby for a short time during the day, you should make sure that there are no toys consisting of small elements in the playpen or crib.

Allergic cough

Sometimes a cough can be a sign of an allergy. Dr. Komarovsky advises parents to pay close attention to their children; in case of an allergic reaction, the following symptoms are noted:

• There is no increase in temperature, as happens with a cough of infectious origin.
• The child behaves as usual, is not capricious and does not suffer from a lack of appetite.
• A runny nose may occur, accompanied by colorless discharge.
• A sudden attack of cough without phlegm appears.

Allergies can occur as a result of exposure to food and household irritants. The phenomenon is also observed due to contact with plant pollen or animal fur.

The following factors contribute to the appearance of coughs of various types:

1. Hereditary predisposition to allergies.
2. Polluted environment.
3. Frequent infectious diseases.
4. Passive smoking.
5. Taking a lot of nutritional supplements.
6. Treatment with certain medications, vaccination.

It is important to initially identify the allergen and then carry out treatment.

We are taking action

There are many recommendations that can be used to alleviate a child’s condition when he begins to cough. Sometimes this task can be managed without medication. First of all, it is necessary to provide access to fresh air.

If your nose is stuffy, you need to restore nasal breathing. Another equally important link in the fight against cough is drinking plenty of fluids throughout the entire period of illness.

If there are symptoms of an infectious or viral nature, dried fruit compote, tea with lemon, rose hips, and black currants will be useful.

Drug treatment

Cough medications should be prescribed strictly by a doctor. Some collect sputum, others remove it from the body. If you confuse something and give the wrong drug in your own ignorance, you can cause a serious complication in the baby.

As for allergic cough, sometimes it is enough to simply exclude the causative agent. When you need to give medicine, you need to follow your doctor's advice. It is important to adhere to precise dosages. Among medications, syrups are prescribed to young children.

If adenoids are the cause of a child’s cough, an otolaryngologist should be consulted. Previously, this problem could only be solved surgically. Currently they are resorting to medication.

Home methods

There are many folk recipes for treating cough in children. Each of them is good in its own way. The task of parents is to choose the appropriate and most effective remedy for their child.

Black radish with honey

Milk with pine cones

For an hour or two, a well-washed pine cone should be simmered in 1 liter. milk. Honey is added to the prepared broth. The product is taken every 2 hours, 6 tbsp. l.

Cabbage leaf and honey

This compress is easy to prepare. The baby's chest is smeared with honey and covered with cabbage leaves. So the baby should lie down for at least 3 hours. Many parents have become convinced of the effectiveness of this method. If you apply this compress in the evening in the morning, the child may not cough even once.

Prevention from Dr. Komarovsky

Komarovsky’s statements are sometimes categorical, but in all cases the doctor speaks the truth. In order to make the child feel better, the doctor recommends taking the following measures:

• Dress the baby warmly.
• Open the window and make the air in the room cool.
• Make sure the child breathes through his nose. To do this, you need to rinse his nose with saline solution.
• Give plenty of fluids.

Komarovsky is a supporter of steam inhalations and nebulizer procedures. With their help, sputum begins to be released more actively. It should be remembered that steam inhalations are contraindicated for up to 12 months. Children after one year can resort to this type of treatment only with the permission of their family doctor. When your baby has a problem due to rhinitis, you should treat him, the cough will go away on its own.

If there is no reason to suspect that a child’s cough after sleep is a sign of illness, you should look for an irritating factor. We need to look through the children's room and remember if a new toy has appeared recently that could become an allergen. Or maybe mom changed the detergent for washing children's clothes.

In any doubtful situation, you cannot do without the help of a doctor. Self-medication is dangerous and aggravates the child’s condition.

Source: https://znatoksna.ru/zdorove/kashel/rebenok-kashlyaet-po-utram-posle-sna.html

A child coughs after sleep: causes and solution to the problem

Sometimes, after sleep, a child, regardless of age, may develop a cough. The attack can be quite severe, but passes quickly.

Most parents are very worried about this and begin to arbitrarily give their baby antitussive medications without determining the cause of this phenomenon. But a child’s cough after sleep may turn out to be physiological.

In this case, it represents a natural defense mechanism and does not require any treatment.

A physiological cough appears only in the morning and does not recur during the day. It is absolutely harmless to the child's health. Therefore, there is no need to eliminate it. But if it bothers the baby both during the day and at night, you need to consult a doctor. The most important thing is to correctly determine the cause of the morning cough.

Physiological reasons

1. In infants who sleep almost constantly on their backs. In this position of the body, mucous secretions accumulate in the nasopharynx.
2. When the baby wakes up and suddenly turns over. Some of the mucus instantly drains into the trachea, resulting in a wet cough. His attack ends quickly and does not get worse over time.
3. In babies who are breastfed or bottle-fed. During feeding, milk or formula may enter the respiratory system and not leave them immediately. Drops of milk are often expelled from the trachea after a long sleep through the cough reflex. To relieve your child from discomfort, you should place him for feeding in a semi-lying position, on his side.
4. When teeth are being cut. During this period, saliva production increases. It accumulates in the throat during sleep. Therefore, it is quite logical that when a child wakes up, he coughs to clear his airways.
5. If the baby tries to attract parental attention. There is a concept of artificial cough. Most often, children cough after they wake up. It is noted that children under 2 years old can “cun” this way. This is a unique way for a child to notify adults that he is no longer sleeping.

Any of the mentioned factors for the occurrence of morning cough is not a pathology. Accordingly, there is no need to treat anything. The main thing is to clearly understand what provoked it.

But if the child gets worse (starts to cough heavily and more often), the causes of the malaise may be more serious. Then there is no time to waste - you must definitely go with him to see a doctor.

When cough is a symptom of illness

It also happens that a seemingly harmless morning cough in a child is actually a sign of a developing disease. This symptom may indicate various diseases. Therefore, it is very important to diagnose the disease correctly and on time.

• A light and dry cough after sleep can be an allergic reaction to household dust, down pillows, powder that parents use to wash children's bedding, as well as pet hair.
• If a child, in addition to coughing, has a fever, a runny nose, and feels weak, this is a classic picture of ARVI.
• In the morning, foul-smelling mucus is coughed up, and during the day the baby often spits up or complains that he has a burning sensation in his throat or chest. This is how reflux esophagitis usually manifests itself (this is when gastric juice is thrown into the esophagus and ends up in the pharynx).
• If the cough is paroxysmal, dry, similar to a dog barking and brings the baby to exhaustion, it is most likely whooping cough.
• In rare cases, a latent form of pneumonia is diagnosed in a child who coughs in the morning in the absence of other symptoms.
• A dry cough, along with whistling and difficulty breathing, may indicate obstructive bronchitis or bronchial asthma. A wet cough, which produces yellowish-green or brown sputum, indicates a serious inflammatory process developing in the respiratory system.
• With helminthiasis, a child may also cough immediately after waking up. To exclude this diagnosis, you will need to undergo certain tests as directed by your doctor.

A cough in children that bothers them after waking up may be a sign of not only the diseases listed above, but also a number of other ailments. In many cases, independent determination of the cause is impossible. This means that treating a child without consulting a specialist is unlikely to be effective.

Therefore, as soon as the child starts coughing in the morning, you need to carefully monitor his condition. This will help the doctor make the most accurate diagnosis.

What to do

You can ask an adult child if he has a sore throat, headache, weakness, nausea or chills. If the answers to all these questions are negative and nothing else bothers him, it is permissible to observe him for a few more days. It is quite possible that the body reacts to some allergen in this way. To confirm or exclude this hypothesis, you need to conduct an audit and maintain order in the nursery. Floors should be washed and dusted daily or at least every other day. If possible, you should get a humidifier and turn it on every night. Bedding must be replaced immediately. If you washed your clothes with some new product and your baby starts coughing every morning, you will have to stop using it. After all, it can cause an allergic cough reflex.

A persistent cough in the morning in children (especially infants) occurs if something foreign gets into the throat. You must immediately call an ambulance.

If parents notice that every time the child wakes up is accompanied by a cough, they must first find out the cause of this phenomenon, and only then take action. This should be done by a doctor. When examining the baby, he will definitely inquire about the nature of the cough:

• After which: on what day did the first attack of morning cough appear and what preceded it.
• Which one: wet or dry; barking type, strong or slight cough; with or without sputum production.
• When: exclusively after a night’s sleep or a day’s sleep too; Is there any coughing in the middle of the night or during the day?
• Associated symptoms: quality of sleep, fever, snot, baby's activity, appetite.

The more detailed the answers to these questions are, the more accurately the doctor will make a diagnosis. Accordingly, the treatment will be competent and effective.

General recommendations

• Eliminate salty, spicy and sweet foods from the children's diet.
• Feed oatmeal with added butter for breakfast. If the child desperately protests against this porridge, cook another one that he likes.
• Give your baby the famous “grandmother’s” remedy – grated black radish with honey.
• Lunch and dinner should be supplemented with vegetable salad dressed with vegetable oil.
• Give the child boiled water. It is also good to give jelly, fruit drinks, compotes, and decoctions of medicinal herbs. Drinking should be plentiful.
• Massage the chest with warming ointment. The method is contraindicated for allergies and for infants.
• Do inhalations using a nebulizer. You can add a little baking soda or antitussive syrups to the device - Lazolvan, Prospan or Ambroxol. Please note that medications can only be used with the permission of a doctor.
• Give your child a good vitamin and mineral complex to strengthen the body's defenses. You should select strictly according to age.

All recommendations given should in no case be part of self-medication. They are of an auxiliary nature. They can be used in addition to the main therapy or without it, if the doctor considers that this is enough to eliminate the cough.

After the fact

If you hear a slight cough after waking up, you should not immediately stuff your baby with pharmaceutical tablets and syrups. First, you need to carefully monitor him, tracking the frequency, duration and nature of the cough, body temperature (you need to measure it several times a day), and the presence of additional symptoms.

Regardless of whether the child is sick or not, there is no need to worry too much. The most important thing is not to self-medicate at random and consult a doctor in time with pre-collected information, which will be very useful for diagnosis.

Yulia Zablotskaya

Source: https://sladson.ru/zdorove/kashel/u-rebenka-po-utram.html

A child’s cough in the morning after sleep: reasons why he coughs, Komarovsky

Coughing is a natural reaction of the body aimed at clearing the airways of foreign substances and restoring the patency of the airways. But is a child’s cough in the morning after sleep a physiological or pathological process?

More often, periodic weakly expressed jerky exhalations without accompanying symptoms are considered to be the norm. Consultation with a specialist is necessary in order to determine the nature of the appearance of the unpleasant symptom and eliminate the possibility of serious violations.

Causes of morning cough in a child

Cough is not an independent disease, but a symptom that indicates existing health problems . The nature of cough reflexes depends on the etiology of the disease, intensity, sputum production, and time of manifestation.

If a child clears his throat in the morning and nothing bothers him during the day, then we are talking about the natural process of the body rejecting foreign objects or mucus residues that have accumulated overnight . As a rule, such a cough is wet with the formation of sputum, subsides quickly, and has no tendency to progress.

When the cause of morning cough is nasopharyngitis, the child should sleep with a high head end of the bed or an additional pillow under the mattress

A physiological cough in a child without fever in the morning occurs against the background of the following factors :

1. Dry air in the room where the child sleeps causes the mucous membranes to produce an increased volume of sputum to moisturize the upper respiratory tract, which is localized in the nasopharynx overnight.
2. Breast or bottle feeding . Some of the liquid food flows into the tracheobronchial tree, which subsequently provokes the expectoration reflex. To anticipate an unpleasant symptom, it is necessary to slightly support the baby's head during feeding. After finishing a meal, support in an upright position to free the digestive tract from air and food debris.
3. Teething . During this period, the work of the salivary gland is activated, the secretion of which accumulates in the projection of the throat during night sleep. Naturally, after waking up, the baby needs to clear the airways by coughing.
4. A sharp change in body position after waking up . A portion of the pathological secretion enters the trachea, causing a wet cough in the child in the morning. Reflex exhalations are short-lived.

Advice! If the cough appears for the first time, observe the child, pay attention to the presence of accompanying symptoms, general condition and his behavior.

Prerequisites for the manifestation of morning cough may be psychosomatic reasons . In such cases, a cough symbolizes the desire to express oneself, to attract increased attention from adults, or to express an act of disagreement (reluctance to perform any actions, attend kindergarten, school).

Morning cough as a sign of illness

• If the child becomes worse, the frequency and intensity of coughing increases, additional clinical forms of manifestation appear, medical attention will be required.
• It is important to correctly and timely diagnose pathological disorders in order to reduce the likelihood of chronicity of the disease and prevent adverse consequences.
• Causes of pathological cough:

1. Bacterial and viral colds. A dry cough in a child after sleep is disturbing at the initial stage of the lesion. Without adequate treatment, the patient's condition worsens, coughing attacks increase in frequency and duration.

   The baby complains of pain and sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, high body temperature, and general malaise.

2. Allergy. Cough is one of the forms of an allergic reaction that occurs to dust, pet hair, feather pillows, and bedding.

   If you notice that your morning coughing gets worse after changing your bedding, it may be a reaction to the new powder or mouthwash.

3. Bronchial asthma. A short paroxysmal cough causes discomfort throughout the day, especially in the first hours after waking up.

   In early forms of the disease, coughing is accompanied by slight formation of sputum. As the patient's condition worsens, the pattern of forced exhalations also changes. Severe and frequent attacks are accompanied by abundant production of pathological secretions; the child experiences pain in the throat, chest and abdominal cavity.

4. Gastroesophageal reflux disease. The pathology is caused by the reflux of gastric contents into the digestive canal, which provokes damage to the lower esophagus.

   It is manifested by such signs as heartburn, vomiting, chest pain, dry throat, shortness of breath, white coating on the tongue, cough, which often occurs in the first half of the day.

5. Whooping cough infection.

   It is characterized by a unique character of coughing acts: the disease begins with a dry, frequent cough, which over time becomes paroxysmal in nature. The attacks are repeated one after another, which are completed by a deep breath, accompanied by a reprise (wheezing sound). Crises are repeated systematically throughout the day, but in the morning they are strongest.

6. ENT pathologies . Morning outbreaks of cough can torment a child due to the localization of pathogenic microflora, for example, Haemophilus influenzae, in the respiratory tract. Infectious agents increase the production of nasal secretions, which drain naturally during the day. In a horizontal position, the secretion flows down the back wall of the larynx, irritating the receptor endings of the cough center.

Advice! Pediatricians recommend using hypoallergenic household chemicals for washing children's clothes and bedding.

The list of diseases accompanied by intense morning cough is very diverse. The root cause of its appearance may be chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, residual effects after pathologies.

Therefore, it is important to consult a specialist in order to exclude the possibility of serious disorders , to decide whether therapy is needed, and what kind.

The pediatrician determines the cause of cough in the morning based on the results of the initial examination and differential diagnosis data

Advice from Dr. Komarovsky

Pediatrician E.O. Komarovsky recommends that before carrying out pharmacotherapy, analyze what factor could provoke a cough after sleep , what has changed in the children's room since the appearance of reflex acts.

This could be a new crib, a new toy, or laundry detergent. The problem can be solved by maintaining cleanliness, humidifying the air, proper nutrition and frequent walks in the fresh air.

The pediatrician associates the appearance of a morning cough with inflammation of the nasopharyngeal mucosa - nasopharyngitis. Favorable conditions for the development of pathology are created by dry air, hypothermia of the body, decreased immune activity, unfavorable living conditions, and infectious ENT diseases.

Treatment of pathology begins with identifying and eliminating the irritant. To achieve positive dynamics, parents should follow the following recommendations:

1. Transfer the child to dietary nutrition . Limit the intake of spicy, salty, fried, fatty foods and spices. Focus on steamed dishes, rare porridges, low-fat broths.
2. Treat the nasal passages with saline solution or moisturizing nasal preparations: Aquamaris, Humer, Marimer.
3. Be outdoors more often.
4. Ventilate the room 2 times a day.
5. Control the humidity in the room . The optimal figure is 55-60%. This can be achieved using a humidifier. As an option, hang wet towels on the radiators during the heating season.
6. Choose a vitamin complex.
7. Provide plenty of fluids.
8. Carry out wet cleaning systematically.

Advice! If, due to the accumulation of muconasal secretions, the child’s breathing quality has deteriorated, use a nasal aspirator or improvised means (medical syringe, bulb, pipette).

When a morning cough is combined with high body temperature, nasal congestion and runny nose, conservative treatment cannot be avoided

Conclusion

Be more attentive to the health of your children, do not self-medicate. Any disease is easier to prevent than to treat. Even minor deviations from the norm require qualified help. It is within the competence of a therapist or otolaryngologist to determine why a child coughs after sleep and how to alleviate his condition.

Source: https://gorlonos.com/kashel/pochemu-posle-sna-rebenok-kashlyaet.html

Cough in a child in the morning after sleep - causes and treatment of possible diseases

Many childhood illnesses are accompanied by a cough. However, a common symptom is not always due to a medical condition. In each individual case, a person coughs differently.

Sometimes the cough appears only in the morning, after waking up, but sometimes it haunts the baby throughout the day and even during sleep. What does a morning cough indicate, what diseases is it a symptom of, how can I alleviate the child’s condition?

Even if the cough is not severe and only in the morning, its cause must be identified and eliminated

Types of cough

Coughing can be of a different nature. After waking up in the morning, the patient may develop a strong, obsessive dry cough that does not go away throughout the day. It is impossible to independently determine the cause of such a cough. Only a doctor, after a thorough examination and based on the tests performed, makes a diagnosis.

Let's look at different types of cough. Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups - according to the degree of productivity and the development of pathology.

By degree of productivity

A dry cough is characterized by the absence of sputum. During an attack, the patient experiences pain. As a rule, such a reaction occurs against the background of an infectious-inflammatory disease. When a child has a cold, he or she complains of a sore throat, which is a catalyst for the development of croup.

There are several main causes of dry cough:

• viral infection;
• low air humidity;
• foreign odors.

READ ALSO: Why does a child have a dry cough at night?

Typically, a productive cough does not require drug therapy. However, if sputum accumulates in the bronchi in large quantities, this leads to unpleasant consequences.

The mucus released during coughing has different consistency and color. Rusty-red sputum indicates an allergy, while greenish sputum indicates the development of sinusitis or bronchiectasis.

If you hear wheezing when coughing, and blood is visible in the sputum, the child needs to be examined urgently.

According to the degree of development of pathology

Why does a child have coughing attacks in the morning? Every healthy child has a physiological cough. During night sleep we take a lying position.

At this time, due to the physiological characteristics of the body, mucus accumulates in the nasopharynx. Having woken up, the baby tries to clear the airways of all the excess that has accumulated during the night.

Physiological cough does not need to be treated if attacks are repeated less than 10 times during the day.

READ ALSO: how and with what to treat a cough in a one-year-old child?

Parents should be concerned about a pathological severe cough. It is caused by various diseases. To rid a child of the problem, effective treatment of the root cause is necessary.

Physiological causes of morning cough in children

A physiological cough does not pose any threat. This reflex prevents newborn babies who are not yet able to roll over from suffocating. Having woken up, they begin to actively cough, and soon the cough stops.

An infant may cough immediately after sleep due to the mother's milk entering the respiratory tract.

There are several main causes of physiological coughing. Infants cough more often; they clear the airways not only from accumulated mucus, but also from food debris that gets into the back wall of the throat.

In the morning, the child has a sore throat, so he clears his throat. The risk of breast milk getting into the trachea can be minimized if, after feeding, the mother briefly holds the baby in an upright position.

If this does not help, you will need to consult a gastroenterologist.

In children under one year of age, during teething, the amount of saliva produced increases sharply. Its excess enters the respiratory tract, causing the baby to reflexively cough. Sometimes children under 2 years old begin to cough, attracting attention to themselves. As a rule, having achieved what they want, they quickly forget about coughing.

A sore throat and coughing may occur due to dry air in the bedroom. Indoors, during the heating season or when the air conditioner is running, the air humidity drops sharply.

During night sleep, the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose dry out, and microcracks appear. The problem is solved with the help of household humidifiers.

We must not forget about regular ventilation of the children's room.

What diseases can a cough indicate?

An unpleasant symptom in a child makes parents wary. The appearance of a cough is most often associated with a cold, but there are plenty of diseases with similar symptoms.

With ARVI, the baby coughs throughout the day and even at night. He is bothered by a sore throat, weakness and runny nose. The inflammatory process leads to an increase in body temperature.

A dry morning cough in many cases indicates an allergy. Coughing is a response of the child’s body to allergens such as:

READ ALSO: how to treat a long dry cough in a child?

• plant pollen;
• certain products;
• dust;
• non-natural fabrics;
• household chemicals (washing powder, soap, detergents, etc.).

An experienced specialist can determine the true nature of a cough.

Quite often, children with a pathological cough are diagnosed with:

A peculiar cough is observed in patients with whooping cough. The pediatrician will be able to make a diagnosis immediately as soon as he hears the characteristic sound when coughing. In children under 2 years of age the disease is severe. Paroxysmal cough can lead to respiratory arrest. With whooping cough, a spasmodic cough accompanies the baby in the morning, evening, and even at night.

Older children often have a psychogenic cough. It is provoked by stressful situations. Morning coughing can be a consequence of a tense situation in the family, conflict with friends or relatives, or preparation for an upcoming important event.

How to solve a problem?

Having determined the cause of the disease, the doctor will prescribe appropriate treatment. For dry coughs during colds and inflammation of the respiratory tract, antitussive drugs are prescribed that act on cough receptors and centers of the brain stem.

Such drugs include:

• Libexin;
• Levopront;
• Sinecode;
• Sedotussin;
• Glaucine;
• Bronholitin.

As a therapeutic agent for wet cough, children are prescribed:

• Doctor Mom;
• Bronchicum;
• Lazolvan;
• Pectusin.

A child's cough may persist for a long time. It will take more than one day for complete recovery. How can you help your child during this period?

READ ALSO: How does an allergic cough manifest in a child?

To weaken and soften coughing attacks, experts recommend not feeding your child sweets, spicy and salty foods.

For breakfast, it is better to offer the patient porridge seasoned with oil.

Radish has proven itself well in folk medicine, so for lunch you can prepare vegetable salads with it, where any vegetable oil will serve as a dressing.

The child must replenish his water balance daily with clean still water, warm compotes, fortified fruit drinks and jelly.

During illness, the child needs to drink enough fluids. Warm compotes, fruit drinks and jelly are suitable. Often sick children are prescribed vitamin and mineral complexes to boost their immunity.

In terms of its effectiveness in treating wet cough, massage is on par with medications. During the procedure, sputum comes out of the bronchi, thereby speeding up the healing process. A good result can be achieved after inhalation.

To prevent a dry cough after sleep, it is necessary to establish a favorable microclimate in the nursery:

• the air temperature should not exceed 22 degrees;
• The humidity level should be at least 50%.

Corrective measures also depend on the specific nature of the cough:

• To eliminate an allergic cough, you first need to get rid of the allergen. Symptoms are relieved by antihistamines.
• If the cough occurs due to problems of the gastrointestinal tract, you will need to consult a gastroenterologist. In this case, treatment of the provoking factor is also necessary. The same applies to cough caused by parasitosis.
• Psychogenic cough does not need to be treated. It will pass when the child’s psycho-emotional state normalizes. If parents cannot cope on their own, they will have to consult a psychologist.

Source: https://VseProRebenka.ru/zdorove/simptomy/kashel-u-rebenka-po-utram.html