Why does a child cough when lying down?

If a child gets sick with a cold, he or she may have a fever and cough. Symptoms of fever can be measured with a thermometer, and parents can see the results directly. But the cough problem may not be so obvious. Sometimes we find that children do not cough during the day when taking cold medicine, but they can cough as soon as they lie down at night. Why is this?

When a child has coughing symptoms, it is a physiological self-defense reflex, the main purpose of which is to clear the respiratory tract, effectively expel respiratory secretions, and relieve symptoms. There are many reasons why babies cough, but the most common reasons for babies coughing after lying down are as follows;

First, because the child's throat bones are underdeveloped and the stomach is in a horizontal position, when the child lies flat, part of the stomach contents will reflux and stimulate the throat, causing coughing symptoms;

Second, when the baby's pillow is too low or lying flat, it is easy for the secretions in the nasal cavity to irritate the throat and cause coughing symptoms;

Third, when older babies (over two years old) have laryngitis or pharyngitis, the secretions in the pharynx increase relatively, and when the baby lies flat, it will stimulate the throat and cause coughing symptoms;

4. Some respiratory diseases, such as whooping cough, tuberculosis, croup, bronchial foreign body, bronchiolitis, allergic cough, reflux esophagitis, etc.

Therefore, when the baby's coughing symptoms worsen when lying flat, it is necessary to find out the cause in time and treat it symptomatically, and avoid blindly using cough suppressants and antibiotics and other drugs, which can easily mask the condition and affect the best time for treatment.

How should I care for my baby when he coughs after lying down?

First, raising the pillow appropriately can help relieve cough symptoms, or changing the baby's sleeping position can help discharge respiratory secretions and alleviate cough symptoms;

Second, babies should eat light food during coughing. Older babies should avoid eating spicy or seafood foods and drink more water to dilute sputum, which will help relieve symptoms.

3. Avoid eating too sweet or too salty food (snacks) before going to bed to avoid aggravating the cough symptoms;

Fourth, pay attention to changes in ambient temperature, especially at night, to avoid the indoor temperature being too hot or too dry. Controlling the indoor temperature and humidity will help with recovery from cough.

During the observation period, if the baby's cough continues to worsen, or is accompanied by symptoms such as difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, the baby should be hospitalized for observation in time.

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