What to do if children cough at night

Babies have a relatively fragile constitution and often catch colds and coughs. Parents must take good care of their children. So what should you do if a child coughs while sleeping at night? Coughs are generally caused by wind-cold and wind-heat. We should choose a suitable treatment method for the child based on the cause of the child's cough to avoid affecting the child's health. Let us learn about the problem of children coughing while sleeping at night.

Not all cough symptoms are diseases as soon as they appear. Coughing is a protective reflex action of the baby, which can prevent foreign objects from entering the trachea and bronchial system, or prevent the accumulation of bronchial secretions. For example, when there is phlegm in the lower respiratory tract, it needs to be coughed out. If antitussive drugs are used, the cough reflex will be inhibited, resulting in sputum retention in the trachea and bronchi, causing worsening cough or secondary infection. However, if your baby's frequent coughing affects his sleep or eating, you may choose cough suppressants as appropriate.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, babies' coughs can be divided into exogenous coughs and endogenous coughs, and exogenous coughs can be divided into wind-cold coughs and wind-heat coughs. Different types of coughs require completely different medications and dietary therapy methods.

To distinguish exogenous cough, one should mainly observe the child’s tongue coating. If the tongue coating is white, the phlegm from coughing is thin, white and sticky, and there is nasal congestion and runny nose, it is a cold cough. At this time, you should eat some warm, phlegm-resolving and cough-relieving foods. If the child's tongue coating is yellow or red, the phlegm is yellow, thick, and difficult to cough up, and there is a sore throat, then it is a wind-heat cough. At this time, the child should eat some foods that clear the lungs, resolve phlegm and relieve cough.

I hope the above analysis about children coughing while sleeping at night can help parents and friends. When a child becomes ill, parents must not panic. They can find out the cause of the child’s illness based on the child’s diet and symptoms before and after the illness. Dietary adjustment is also a good method and can be combined with drug treatment.