Advertising on the portal

How to stop a troublesome cough. Universal ways to relieve an attack of dry, wet or allergic cough

A cough can cause a lot of trouble if it is not treated correctly or ignored. Although this is a natural process that helps remove mucus from the respiratory tract, excessive intensity can lead to complications after illness. It is not at all necessary to suffer from severe coughing attacks if you know how to quickly stop it unpleasant symptom without disturbing overall process treatment.

Cough is a fairly common and disturbing symptom for patients.

How to stop a cough if it interferes with sleep or simply causes severe pain? There are proven methods, among which it is worth noting such as: drug treatment, folk healing methods and physiotherapy.

Effective drugs

Treatment with drugs is rightfully considered one of the most reliable ways to get rid of cough and allows you to quickly stop an attack when it needs to be done to prevent complications. Modern medicine Hundreds of substances have been discovered. And in fact, how to relieve an attack, if not with effective medicine?

The list of drugs is quite extensive and includes the following antitussive drugs:

  • Bronholitin;
  • Codelac;
  • Omnitus;
  • Glycodin;
  • Sinupret;
  • Faringomed et al.

Sinupret will help quickly eliminate a cough attack

When relieving a cough attack with medications, you should not drink mucolytics and expectorants at the same time - this will provoke stagnation of sputum, which will cause increased inflammation and, accordingly, the symptom will only gain strength. You also need to keep in mind that not all medications can be used by a child. The therapist will best determine how to treat and by what means.

Decoctions and tinctures

How to quickly relieve a coughing attack if the body does not take medications well? In such cases, you can use publicly available home methods and stop obsessive symptom with the help medicinal plants, namely, decoctions based on them.

You can use dozens of different herbal mixtures that can cure not only the cough itself, but also its root cause. These include plants such as:


They can be infused either separately or in combination with other herbs. At pharmacies you can buy ready-made breast training, which can relieve a coughing attack and help in expectoration of mucus that accumulates in the respiratory tract. However, the most effective selections You can only prepare it yourself - it’s very easy to work with dry mixtures at home.

Dry mixtures of herbs are often used to prepare decoctions and infusions for coughs.

To prepare the decoction you will need one or two tablespoons. dried plant, a glass of water and honey to taste. We pour the grass into a container suitable for cooking, fill it with liquid and place it on the stove. Medium heat will be enough for the mixture to begin to boil in 2-3 minutes. It needs to be stirred for a couple more minutes without removing it from the burner, then strain and let it cool a little.

To add the decoction antiseptic properties, you can add honey to it.

The product should be consumed at regular intervals throughout the day, dividing the resulting volume into equal doses. This remedy allows you to quickly get rid of a cough at home, relieve an attack and alleviate the symptoms of the disease.

A decoction of wild rosemary will help relieve a severe cough.

A well-known product will help you quickly relieve an attack of dry cough medicinal plant called sage. This herb is often used as an ingredient in cough medicines. To prepare the decoction, you should take 1 full tablespoon. dry sage, pour boiling water (you will need 300-400 ml) and leave for 15-20 minutes so that the liquid absorbs healing components. Then it is decanted and diluted with warm cow's milk- must be boiled.

Give the decoction to the patient 3-4 times a day, 100-150 ml at a time. This will reduce the intensity of the cough and prevent attacks. The average course is from 4 days or more until the symptoms of the disease completely disappear.

Sage infusion with milk will help relieve dry cough

Plantain decoction with chamomile, wild rosemary and honey

Plantain is an excellent anti-inflammatory agent that will quickly remove both mild coughing and severe attacks cough. It helps perfectly on its own and in combination with other herbs. This recipe is comprehensive, it can both relieve an attack of dry cough and help with expectoration.

Equal parts of wild rosemary, plantain and chamomile (about 1 tbsp) should be poured into 400 ml of water brought to boiling point and brewed like ordinary tea, consumed throughout the day. Before taking the product, it is better to add a little honey to the liquid - the ingredient will improve the taste and further soften a sore throat.

A decoction of plantain with chamomile and honey will help relieve inflammation and relieve sore throat

Physiotherapy

As a rule, in parallel with the main treatment, additional treatment is also carried out, which includes health activities. When relieving a cough at home, it is important to remember what exactly integrated approach is the key to a quick recovery. If you know what to do during an attack, you can quickly remove it without having to take medications.

Attention! Any physical therapy has important contraindication- they can be carried out only if the patient does not have a temperature (not higher than 37.5). Also, if a coughing patient feels unwell after starting measures, they should also be stopped and the physician supervising treatment should be immediately notified of such a reaction.

There are several effective types of procedures:

  • compresses;
  • inhalation;
  • therapeutic massages.

You can stop your cough with inhalations at home.

Compresses and poultices are special warming therapy that allows you to cure even the most unpleasant cough. Essentially, the process consists of soaking in special healing compounds (based on herbal decoctions or alcohol tinctures, vodka, honey, etc.) fabric bandage, which is then applied to the patient’s sternum. These events are usually held at night.

Inhalations are carried out either using improvised means (covering with a towel over a saucepan), or using special equipment with a respirator. You can add essential oils to hot water - they have a positive effect on the condition of the mucous membrane of the throat and bronchi. Medicines can be nebulized using a nebulizer.

A dry cough can be soothed with a little massage. To do this, you should apply back side palms on the patient's chest, and then gently rub its surface (avoiding the area of ​​the heart muscle) until characteristic redness of the skin appears. This sign indicates that blood is flowing into the respiratory tract, which will stop the coughing attack or at least weaken it.

To increase the effectiveness of treatment, you can use a special device for inhalation - a nebulizer.

How to soothe your throat at night

At night, the body especially needs rest, especially during an ongoing infectious disease. But during infectious diseases, a dry cough often occurs - this form causes the greatest discomfort, since increased dryness of the epithelium provokes severe and prolonged attacks.

Exists a whole series recommendations on how to relieve a coughing attack at night. This can be done through the most regular medications- or make decoctions or infusions. The advantage of the latter is good absorption by the body and minimal restrictions on consumption.

The following recipes will be effective for patients of any age:

  • Boil the milk over medium heat, then cool slightly until warm state. Add a slice of butter, a little honey and give it to someone with a cough to drink.

Milk with butter and honey softens the throat and relieves cough

  • In 1 tsp. granulated sugar, add a little water, mix gently and transfer the mixture to a hot frying pan, waiting for caramelization. The resulting candy is both sweet and medicinal.
  • Decoction of calendula with chamomile. 1 tsp. Pour the indicated herbs into a suitable sealable container and pour boiling water over them for several minutes, then give to the patient.

For all of the listed remedies, the recommended time of administration is evening, including for preventive purposes. Inhalation using mint, eucalyptus or lemon helps to remove the symptom well. You can rub your chest and back with vodka (the method is suitable for adults and small patients over 6 months).

If you don’t know how to stop a coughing attack at night, then treatment will most likely take a long time. If the above methods do not help, you will have to go to a 24-hour pharmacy for a suitable antitussive drug.

You can also prepare a decoction of chamomile and calendula for coughs.

How to stop a child's cough

It is no secret to any parent that it can be quite difficult to relieve an attack of dry cough in a child. This is explained by the fact that children's lungs are not yet fully formed. To effectively get rid of accumulated mucus, they need help. What to do if your child suddenly gets sick and suffers from painful cough any origin?

Children's antitussives:

  • Stoptussin;
  • Codelac Neo;
  • Libexin;
  • Bronholitin.

How to relieve a coughing attack in a child younger age(up to 3 years) - this is another question that worries the parents of millions of children. Coughing is very difficult for small patients to tolerate, even leading to nausea and vomiting, and if there is no suitable medicine at hand, it will cause a lot of trouble.

For coughs, children are often prescribed a drug such as Codelac Neo in the form of syrup.

To help young children cope with coughing and help soothe their throats, the following quick methods can be used:

  • give the child a little butter mixed with honey;
  • plant it to facilitate the transport of sputum;
  • give warm water or milk to drink;
  • do inhalation;
  • rub your chest and back to ensure blood flow.

The room also needs to be well ventilated - the musty air is full of dust and fine particles, which further irritate the throat and worsen the cough. If you have a humidifier in your home, you should turn it on.

Provide a flow of fresh air into the room where the sick child is, this will help relieve a coughing attack.

It is important to remember - although there is a lot of advice on how to stop coughing in home environment, the most rational action would still be to turn to specialists. Only a general practitioner will accurately determine the nature of the cough and give recommendations for treatment that are guaranteed to work. You can remove the symptom yourself only in the first hours after its manifestation.

What to do if the cough is severe and does not go away for a long time, you will learn about this from the following video:

A sudden cough may not portend anything dangerous and is a natural reaction to any irritant. A cough that lasts for weeks is a sign of a chronic disease. Methods for stopping an attack depend on the origin of the cough - there are more than 50 reasons. We will tell you how to cope with a cough yourself, but there are also cases in which the help of a specialist is necessary.

Medicines against different types cough
Wet cough considered productive because it cleanses respiratory tract. This process must be helped by taking mucolytic (sputum thinning) agents: acetylcysteine, ambroxol.

Dry cough, accordingly, is unproductive - it only irritates the larynx and increases bronchospasm. It is necessary to cause the separation of sputum, thin it, improve its discharge and thereby remove toxic substances. For this purpose, the drugs bromhexine and herbal remedies(sage, eucalyptus, chamomile, thyme). They reduce inflammation, weaken cough, and stimulate phlegm production. For a mild dry cough, lozenges with herbal extracts will help. You also need to drink more.

At dry cough For smokers, the drugs “Bronchogen”, “Fluimucil”, “Gedelix”, “Doctor MOM”, eucalyptus tincture help. A traditional healers treat smokers' cough with milk mixed with mineral water, which should be drunk three times a day.

At stubborn, an exhausting cough, you need to take drugs that stop it: “Stoptussin”, “Libeksin”.

Cough with ARVI
Infections cause a cough that develops over several hours and turns from dry to wet. You can determine the disease by the nature of the coughing attack - here are some of these diseases:

  • laryngitis – hoarse voice, dry, “barking” cough;
  • tracheitis - loud cough with pain behind the sternum;
  • bronchitis - moist wheezing, loud painless cough with difficulty breathing.
Dry air contributes to attacks of bronchitis or laryngitis. If you don’t have a humidifier, place containers of water everywhere, near heating radiators in winter for better evaporation. Good way- breathe steam that softens the respiratory tract, including steam from boiled potatoes.

To ease the attack, it is not recommended to lie down - it is better to sit with a pillow under your back. For a dry cough, you need to drink tea with ginger or hot milk with honey (or butter). A mixture of equal proportions of juice squeezed from chopped onions and honey helps. The mixture is infused for 4 hours and taken twice a day, a teaspoon.

At night cough When the blood in the lungs moves more slowly and the mucus does not dissolve, it is recommended to turn over in bed more often. Before going to bed, drink some water with burnt sugar dissolved in it (regular sugar needs to be heated in a dry frying pan until it turns brown).

If we talk about children's cough, the method of treatment can only be determined by a pediatrician. You should not choose medications on your own. But you can use some natural remedies to help relieve cough before visiting a doctor.

  • Mix in a 1:1 ratio olive oil with honey - give to the child three times a day in a teaspoon. You can also give sweet almond oil.
  • To cleanse the bronchi and lungs: Boil the lemon over low heat for 10 minutes, cool, remove the peel and squeeze the lemon juice into a glass. Add the same amount of glycerin, then add liquid honey to the edge of the glass.
  • For dry cough(if you are not allergic to citrus fruits): add sugar to the finely chopped orange, including the peel, and cook for half an hour over low heat. The mixture can be taken several times a day.
A sudden coughing attack can occur even in healthy person. It’s easy to cope with such a cough: inhale, exhale, hold your breath longer. This needs to be done four to five times, and the attack will stop.

Asthmatic cough
Loud, violent and hysterical cough with dry wheezing, a feeling of fullness in the chest, especially intensifying at night and in the absence high temperature, indicates asthma.

During an attack, much depends on the ability to calm down and relax. You need to sit astride a chair, facing the back, and place a pillow on the back to lean on. Try to normalize your breathing by taking full exhalations and use an inhaler (Berotec, Berodual, Salbutamol), inhaling twice. If there is no improvement, take two more doses after 10 minutes. If it is impossible to stop a coughing attack, call " ambulance" Most often, the doctor gives an injection of aminophylline, a fast-acting drug for dilating the bronchi (the effect of the tablet of the same name begins only after 40 minutes). In severe cases, prednisolone or dexamethasone is administered.

Cough due to allergies
A cough similar to asthmatic occurs under the influence of allergens: poplar fluff, dust, strong odors, animal hair, pollen, etc. – when the immune system attacks foreign particles. At the same time, the skin sometimes turns red, the face swells, and the eyes water.

At the beginning of an attack, you should take an antiallergic drug (Claritin, Suprastin, Tavegil, Diazolin) and, if possible, eliminate the source of the allergy. It is recommended to rinse your mouth and nasopharynx with clean warm water.

To avoid a recurrence of the attack, you need to ventilate the premises more often, do wet cleaning, and get rid of “dust collector” items. If the cough does not go away (and the temperature does not appear), you need to contact an allergist.

If a person chokes
When a foreign body enters the respiratory system, suffocation occurs. You cannot, contrary to popular belief, slap the victim on the back: foreign the body will pass deeper into the respiratory tract. Encourage the person to inhale slowly and exhale forcefully. If natural coughing is not effective, use the Heimlich method. Stand behind the victim with your arms around his waist and leaning forward. Place a clenched fist on his stomach above the navel, place your other hand on top and apply sharp pressure until you manage to get rid of the foreign body.

If your child is choking, encourage coughing. If the cough is quiet or silent, and the child begins to choke, place him on your lap, head down, lightly holding the lower jaw with the fingers of one hand. With your other hand (heel of your palm), tap between the shoulder blades several times, directing the movements towards the baby's head. After this, place the child on his back and, with your fingertips, sharply press several times on the stomach at the junction of the ribs. Check your mouth. If the foreign body does not come out, call an ambulance and repeat again.

Self-treatment of any type of cough is possible only in mild cases. Be sure to consult a doctor if you have a persistent cough, wheezing that is clearly audible at a distance, chest pain, or discharge of blood or greenish sputum. Do not delay visiting a doctor if you have coughing attacks at night, and especially if you have a high fever.

In principle, coughing is useful. It is a reflex reaction of the body, with the help of which it protects itself from dust, throat irritants, small insects and foreign bodies. It can also occur as a consequence of inflammatory processes provoked by activities pathogenic microorganisms. But frequent attacks of dry cough can be a signal of the onset of serious illnesses.

TEST: Why do you have a cough?

How long have you been coughing?

Is your cough combined with a runny nose and is most noticeable in the morning (after sleep) and in the evening (already in bed)?

The cough can be described as:

You characterize the cough as:

Can you say that the cough is deep (to understand this, type more air into your lungs and cough)?

During a coughing attack you feel pain in your stomach and/or chest(pain in the intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles)?

Do you smoke?

Pay attention to the nature of the mucus that is released during a cough (it doesn’t matter how much it is: a little or a lot). She:

Do you feel dull pain in the chest, which does not depend on movements and is of an “internal” nature (as if the center of pain is in the lung itself)?

Do shortness of breath bother you (during physical activity Do you quickly become out of breath and get tired, your breathing becomes faster, followed by a lack of air)?

Non-infectious causes

The causes of an attack of dry cough can be infectious or non-infectious. And the effectiveness of treatment and how to stop a coughing attack as quickly as possible depend on how correctly they are installed. The most common reasons for non-infectious dry paroxysmal cough are:

  • severe hypothermia, which causes inflammation back wall throat or tonsils;
  • exposure to external irritants: smoke, chemicals, strong odors, dusty air, etc.;
  • bronchial asthma - in this case, the cough is caused by a strong spasm of the bronchi, due to which the air supply is blocked and the person begins to choke;
  • ingress of a foreign body, which the body tries to get rid of on its own by coughing and prevent its penetration;
  • reflux - the reflux of gastric secretions from the stomach back into the esophagus, causing heartburn and throat irritation;
  • allergic reaction– the cause of cough is severe swelling of the mucous membranes, which makes normal breathing difficult.

This also includes smoker's cough, which most often occurs in the morning. It is usually dull and strong, signaling that chronic inflammatory processes are occurring in the bronchi, and mucus has accumulated, which the body cannot get rid of on its own.

In these cases long-term treatment usually not required. It is enough to relieve an attack of dry cough, and then all efforts should be directed towards getting rid of the cause that caused it.

An exception is bronchial asthma, the attack of which can be quickly stopped only with the help of a special inhaler.

Infectious causes

But much more often, an attack of a dry, sharp barking cough is a symptom of one of the diseases caused by an infection entering the body that affects the upper respiratory tract. It can be recognized by the symptoms accompanying cough:

  • Whooping cough - begins against the background of a slight increase in temperature and a slight runny nose, similar to early stage for a mild cold. Then these symptoms go away, and the cough, gradually getting worse every day, can lead to vomiting.
  • Croup – sharp increase body temperature, difficulty swallowing, severe pain in the throat oxygen starvation and barking cough during an attack. Croup can be caused by a very serious infection: diphtheria or epiglotitis and most often requires hospitalization.
  • ARVI also begins like a cold, with a hard, dry cough. The infectious nature of the disease can be recognized by yellow-green or green mucous discharge from the nose. Possible severe sore throat, fever, general weakness, headache. Complications after ARVI can include bronchitis and pneumonia.
  • Tuberculosis is very dangerous disease caused by the tuberculosis bacillus. It affects the lungs and is characterized by frequent bouts of dull, barking, nonproductive cough, not accompanied by other symptoms. If such attacks do not go away within a month after home treatment, it is necessary to undergo additional examination.

In such cases, it is not enough just to stop an attack of dry cough. Treatment should be aimed at eliminating pathogenic microorganisms and recovery from the disease. Only a competent person can help with this complex therapy, which should take place under the supervision of the attending physician, and, if necessary, in a hospital.

Very rarely, upon examination, it turns out that the cause of a dry paroxysmal cough is systemic hereditary disease cystic fibrosis or the presence of neoplasms in the respiratory system. It will not be possible to get rid of cough completely with such a diagnosis - treatment can only reduce the frequency and intensity of a coughing attack.

Ambulance

An attack of severe dry cough can have very unpleasant consequences - from irritation of the larynx to damage to vocal cords. Young children are especially affected, and may even vomit. Therefore, it is better to find out the cause of the cough after you manage to get rid of the attack.

You can quickly relieve a coughing attack with:

Most quick way how to get rid of a coughing attack using medications, – take a drug based on codeine. This substance acts on the areas of the brain responsible for the cough reflex, temporarily inhibiting their activity.

It is important to understand that the methods listed above are only emergency measures, how to relieve a coughing attack of almost any origin. But they aren't generic drugs that can cure the underlying disease. And medications with codeine should not be used at all for more than 5-6 days. Therefore, it is necessary to look for effective and safe methods treatment of the disease that caused the cough.

Home Remedies

If a paroxysmal cough is not accompanied by a strong increase in temperature, is not life-threatening, and has appeared recently, you can try to get rid of it using home treatments. How to treat a cough at home, everyone decides for themselves, depending on the nature of the disease and the patient’s condition.

You can search the Internet and try other folk cough recipes. But if home remedies do not help within a few days, you need to go to the doctor.

He will tell you what to do exactly in your case and whether it is possible to continue what you started home treatment or need to connect antibacterial drugs. In infectious diseases, lost time can lead to the development of very serious complications.

Coughing attacks in an adult or child that keep you awake at night can cause severe suffering. They are usually accompanied by other symptoms that indicate the development of the disease. In this case, you must definitely consult a doctor to understand the cause of this condition. But what to do before visiting a doctor so as not to suffer and not to suffocate? How to stop coughing at night in adults and children?

Dry cough

It usually occurs with diseases of the larynx and may be accompanied by an increase in body temperature. If at the same time stands out small quantity sputum, then this indicates that inflammatory process affected the pharynx, larynx or trachea. Strong and rough cough usually causes inflammation of the trachea.

At dry barking cough The larynx often becomes inflamed, which indicates laryngitis. This disease is dangerous because a serious complication may occur - laryngeal stenosis. This is swelling of the upper respiratory tract, leading to a narrowing of the space between them, making it difficult to breathe. In this case, you need to urgently call a doctor and not self-medicate.

A dry cough can occur with asthma occurring in mild form, and also if there is cold air in the room, which during sleep begins to irritate the mucous membrane of the larynx, causing a cough. If an adult or child has a runny nose, then when the person sleeps, mucus begins to accumulate in the nasopharynx. Since it has nowhere else to go, it slides towards the larynx, provoking a coughing attack.

Constant bouts of dry cough at night may occur due to this rare disease like whooping cough. In addition, it indicates gastric reflux.

Wet cough

This cough accompanies the following diseases:

The disease rarely begins immediately with a wet cough; it usually becomes like this after short-term treatment of a dry one.

How to calm a child's cough before bedtime?

Cough attacks can be stopped using folk remedies only if the disease is not advanced. It is very important to do this before bed so that your child sleeps peacefully throughout the night.

Before you put him to bed, you need to Rub baby's chest with vodka and cover with a warm blanket. You can also put paraffin on for 30 minutes, but not hot, which can warm up the bronchi and soothe soreness. It is recommended to exclude from the diet foods that irritate the mucous membrane (too salty, spicy).

How to stop a child's cough at night?

How can I help my child if he suffers from severe coughing attacks at night? This disease usually worsens at night, disturbing the child's sleep. This happens due to the fact that when lying down, the mucus cannot be absorbed and clogs the nasopharynx, causing a coughing attack. It is much more difficult to cough up at night, the child sleeps poorly and becomes restless. To reduce the number of seizures, the baby must be turned from side to side while sleeping.

How to stop coughing at night? To do this you need:

To nocturnal attack cough small child stop as quickly as possible, you need to open hot water in the bathroom, take him in your arms and hold him as close as possible to the flowing stream and steam so that he inhales it. Moist air and steam can bring relief.

In addition, a cough attack can be stopped inhalations with cedar oil. If there is no special device for this, then you can replace it with a bowl of hot water with the addition of the mentioned ether. Can also help warm compress , which should be placed on the chest. You can wrap a wool scarf around your neck, which retains heat for a long time. Be sure to humidify the air in the room in which the child sleeps.

How to stop a night cough in an adult?

Coughing attacks at night in adults can provoke stagnant discharge from the bronchi. If this disease is not treated, it can develop into chronic bronchitis. Coughing at night causes discomfort to everyone around, and it can accompany such serious problems, such as dryness of the larynx, chest pain, constant tickling.

At night the body cannot function to the fullest, so phlegm begins to accumulate and symptoms worsen. You can get rid of a cough attack using medicines or traditional methods. Any drugs that contain mucolytics, help eliminate symptoms for a while. It is recommended to drink as much fluid as possible, and best of all milk with soda or honey.

There are several ways to get rid of nighttime cough attacks in adults:

Dry cough has its own characteristics, so the ways to eliminate it are quite unique. So how to stop dry cough at night?

  • Take two tablespoons of vegetable oil and add to 100 ml of boiling water. To get rid of the nasty taste, you need to add a pinch of salt. The solution is drunk at a time in small sips.
  • It is necessary to beat the yolk of the egg and slowly pour hot milk into it, as well as one tablespoon of honey and vegetable oil.
  • The fastest way to get rid of a dry cough is to grate ginger on a fine grater, then add one teaspoon of the resulting juice to the same amount of honey, and then drink it.

Thus, if at night it bothers you severe cough, then you need to treat the disease that caused it. Such attacks do not allow a person to get enough sleep, as a result of which the body does not rest. There are many methods to help stop coughing at night. But in any case, you should definitely visit a doctor.

When infectious agents, dust or allergens enter the bronchi and lungs, respiratory tract receptors are irritated and a cough occurs. The latter helps to cleanse the tracheobronchial tree from irritants such as sputum, mucus, pus, and various foreign bodies. Coughing attacks in adults and children can occur due to viral respiratory pathologies, including ARVI, bronchitis and others, however, how to figure out why they arise in the absence of characteristic colds symptoms?

What are coughing fits

This phenomenon serves response the body to the influence of any irritant, manifested by a sudden cough. The latter can be convulsive during attacks, when due to coughing impulses following each other, a person cannot take a breath. Sometimes a paroxysmal symptom ends with vomiting, impaired heart rate, fainting condition. This phenomenon is not independent disease, but only a symptom indicating the presence of a certain disorder in the body.

Reasons

Coughing attacks can occur with a number of various diseases respiratory tract, which differ only additional symptoms. The doctor prescribes treatment for cough syndrome only after determining the root cause of the pathology. So, a paroxysmal cough may be a sign of:

Dry

This symptom may indicate some internal pathologies And infectious diseases. Dry paroxysmal cough, in addition, can cause some psychotropic and antihypertensive drugs, diuretics. In this case, the attacks have a mild intensity (a slight frequent cough is observed). When assessing bronchospasm, one should take into account the strength cough impulse, frequency of manifestation and time of occurrence (morning, afternoon, night, during meals, etc.). The causes of intense dry spastic exhalation are:

Chronic dry cough appears for other reasons, and the symptom is characterized by the duration of its course. Factors causing its development include:

sudden

Sudden dryness or wet cough is a symptom indicating a bacterial or viral infection. Sudden spasmodic exhalations are typical for smokers, but non-smokers should be wary of such attacks, which are repeated over several days. Emergence this symptom may be explained by the presence viral infections or non-infectious diseases and pathological conditions of the respiratory, nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, immune systems. TO possible reasons sudden attacks include:

  • irregular structure vocal cords or larynx;
  • infectious and/or colds such as bronchitis, inflammation of the larynx, lungs, ARVI, influenza, etc.;
  • long-term smoking;
  • presence of a foreign object in the respiratory tract;
  • bronchial asthma of an allergic nature;
  • gastroesophageal reflux disease ( gastric juice gets back into the esophagus, as a result of which an attack of spastic exhalations develops after eating);
  • the presence of certain diseases of the cardiovascular system (for example, cardiac ischemia);
  • allergic postnasal edema;
  • nervous tension before important events;
  • at infants This occurs during teething due to excess salivation.

Attack of dry cough at night in an adult

The factors causing this symptom, which is accompanied by fever, are obvious - respiratory tract infections, pneumonia or acute bronchitis. In some cases, unproductive attempts to cough in adults and children occur at night without apparent reason. Having intense attacks of dry cough at night, the patient may feel great throughout the day and not cough at all, or only do so occasionally. Symptoms that appear only during sleep may indicate:

  • asthma;
  • gastric reflux;
  • sinusitis;
  • heart failure;
  • cold;
  • iron deficiency;
  • allergies (if symptoms appear exclusively at night, then the allergen should be looked for near the place of sleep).

How to stop

To eliminate or stop a symptom that appears suddenly, you should find out what causes it. If the cause of coughing attacks is not due to any pathology, but is of physiological origin, spastic exhalations quickly pass without complications and there is no need for treatment. Often this symptom is observed in a child in the morning and is a consequence of the body’s attempt to free the bronchi from mucus accumulated overnight.

The doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics for flu or pneumonia, bronchodilators for bronchial asthma. If the reason pathological condition is an allergy, the allergen must first be eliminated; in addition, the doctor prescribes an antihistamine. For symptomatic therapy For cough, mucolytic and expectorant drugs are used. If there is no need to liquefy and remove sputum, antitussive medications such as Codeine are sometimes indicated.

At sudden attack spastic continuous exhalations caused by stress and anxiety, you can take motherwort, valerian. Cough caused by GERD is treated with antacids. If the cause of spastic exhalations is a foreign object that makes breathing difficult, it is removed from the nose, but this is done very carefully so as not to damage the mucous membrane. If a child has a cough, do not try to remove the object yourself, since it can move inside and enter the bronchi/lungs, which will increase the signs of suffocation.

First aid

To relieve an attack, it is necessary to lay the patient down so that the head is slightly elevated. To stimulate the removal of mucus, you should take an antitussive drug. If a person is in in serious condition, it's better to call an ambulance. If foreign objects enter the larynx, the patient is hospitalized in a surgical hospital. Adults and children with inflammatory disease lungs are sent to therapeutic department, with gangrene of the organ - to surgery.

To stop a child’s cough at night, you should sit the baby in bed, calm him down and provide him with a warm drink (milk with honey, heated mineral water with soda, decoction medicinal herbs). Such drinks can soften the mucous membrane, eliminate discomfort and sore throat that occurs during spastic exhalations. In addition, to alleviate the child’s condition, it is important to humidify the air in the room.

To suppress a cough attack in babies 6 months and older, you can use inhalations. For this purpose, eucalyptus, cedar oil. In addition, potato decoction is suitable for the procedure - a remedy that eliminates sore throat, shortness of breath, and moisturizes the respiratory tract. Inhalation is carried out as follows:

  • poured into a bowl hot water;
  • add a couple of drops of essential oil to it;
  • The baby is picked up and covered with a towel over his head and left to inhale the steam until the attack stops.

Medicines

Symptom therapy should be aimed at eliminating the causes of the pathological condition, however, symptomatic treatment also plays important role. A debilitating cough should be relieved as soon as it occurs to prevent damage to the laryngeal mucosa. Only a doctor will choose the right medicine, taking into account the individual characteristics of a particular patient, the root cause of the symptom and the appropriateness of treatment.

Antitussives

Medicines of this group are used when the secretion is not separated, it is produced in minimum quantity or the secretion has a thick and viscous texture. Remedies for dry cough are:

  1. Sinekod. The medicine contains butamirate and is available in the form of drops and syrup. Sinekod is intended for the treatment of dry cough of any origin. The drug begins to act within 15-20 minutes after administration and can be given even to small children (from 2 months) - these are the big advantages of the drug. The disadvantage of Sinekod is the unpleasant, sharp taste.
  2. Codeine. This product belongs to narcotic drugs, which can cause addiction when the dosage is increased, so the drug is used only as prescribed by a doctor and with exact adherence to dosages. The advantages of the drug are its high efficiency and analgesic effect.
  3. Bromhexine. This mucolytic drug is often prescribed to treat dry, spasmodic exhalations. The medicine does not relieve the cough protective reflex, so you should not expect an immediate effect. Bromhexine gradually thins and removes mucus, so that a dry cough turns into a productive wet cough. The big advantage of the medicine is its ability to stimulate the production of surfactant in the bronchi, which helps clear them of mucus faster.

Antihistamines

An allergic cough may not appear immediately, but this symptom is difficult to confuse with others, since it is characterized by swelling of the nasal mucosa, frequent sneezing and runny nose. Cough attacks are always unproductive (without sputum production). To treat this symptom, use antihistamines, including:

  1. Tavegil. Synthetic medicine powerful action, is available in the form of tablets, ointments, suppositories, sprays, and solutions. Take the drug in a weekly course. The advantage of the product is the absence sedative effect. The disadvantage of Tavegil is that the drug should not be taken by children under one year of age or by women during pregnancy and lactation.
  2. Suprastin. One of the most popular antiallergic drugs. Available in the form of tablets and infections, which have an effect as quickly as possible in acute allergic reactions. Suprastin for coughs in adults is prescribed for almost all types of allergies. The advantage of the drug is that it can be taken even by newborns, since the drug is absolutely harmless and has no side effects.
  3. Cetrin. The medicine belongs to the group of selective drugs and is valued for its lack of effect on nervous system. The advantage of Cetrin is that it does not have a sedative or depressant effect. The disadvantage of the drug is its average antihistamine effect.

How to stop a child's cough

A common cause of coughing attacks in children is laryngitis - swelling of the mucous membrane, which occurs due to the structural features of the larynx in the area of ​​the vocal cords. The cause of the pathological condition in children may be an allergic reaction of the body or a common sore throat. You can stop your baby's cough in the following ways:

  • give a warm drink that will soften the mucous membrane of the throat and eliminate soreness;
  • offer your baby a spoonful of honey or a piece of butter to moisturize and lubricate the throat;
  • do inhalation with essential oils ( this remedy helps even with intense barking symptom);
  • give it to the child baby syrup based on essential oils, which quickly relieves a cough attack.

In addition to the listed methods, treatment of spastic exhalations is carried out systemically. Medicines central action fight the symptom at the brain level, influencing directly the cough center. Drugs of this type quickly and effectively eliminate a painful attack, but require strict adherence to the doctor’s instructions. Centrally acting antitussives given to children include:

  1. Sinekod. A medicine based on butamirate is a substance with a bronchodilator and antitussive effect. Sinecode can be taken from 2 months of age. The downside of the product is side effects which may occur in children.
  2. Bronholitin. The drug contains glaucine, ephedrine and essential oil basil, which helps eliminate a cough attack, relieves bronchospasm. Bronzolitin can be given to children 3 years of age and older. The disadvantage of the medication is the likelihood of side effects, including nausea, tachycardia, and drowsiness.
  3. Stoptussin. The composition of the medicine includes guaifenesin and butamirate, thanks to which coughing attacks are suppressed and sputum begins to separate. Babies from 6 months are given the drug in the form of potassium; for children over 3 years old, syrup is suitable. The disadvantage of Stoptussin is the side effects, including the formation of kidney stones.

Folk recipes

Use funds alternative medicine should be used with caution as some recipes differ high efficiency and require compliance correct dosage. In addition, before using folk remedies It is important to consult your doctor as some medications may cause allergies and swelling. Effective antitussive recipes are the following:

  1. Warm drink. To soothe an irritated throat and relieve an attack, you should drink warmed whole milk with honey and a piece of butter at night. These components moisturize the pharyngeal mucosa, eliminate shortness of breath and relieve inflammation.
  2. Compresses. For this purpose, you can use radish with honey, vegetable oil, warmed honey, which covers the skin of the throat. The compress is covered with polyethylene and a warm scarf. The procedure is done at night.
  3. Herbal infusions. Such drugs are taken orally or used as a gargle. Chamomile has proven itself to be excellent when brewed with hot water (1 tablespoon per 1 tablespoon boiling water). The plant relieves inflammation, soothes mucous membranes, and helps remove phlegm.

Video