Cough at night? Top Homeopathic medicines for relief

Cough is the body’s protective mechanism to clear the airway of any dust, smoke, mucus and any microbes (like virus, bacteria). Though cough can trouble a person regardless of time, certain kinds of cough get worse at night. Cough at night (also called nocturnal cough) is distressing that keeps a person awake disturbing night’s rest that can be very exhausting and impact the day’s activities. At night, while lying down flat, the mucus, acid and other irritants find it easier to rise to the throat which is one of the factors that can make cough worse. Besides, the quality of air in the bedroom at night also affects coughing, basically dry indoor air can irritate nose and throat and worsen cough.

Depending on the cause, cough may be attended by sputum production, expectoration (clear, yellow, green, brown or blood stained), wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain, stuffy nose, sore throat, sneezing, heartburn, burping, night sweat, fever. PND (post nasal drip), GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), asthma, allergies, cough from cold or flu are some of the main reasons for worsening cough at night.

Homeopathic Treatment 

Homeopathy proves highly effective in managing such cases of cough. The homeopathic medicines target the root cause of the problem to bring long term improvement in cases of cough. These medicines boost the body’s own healing mechanism to fight back the disease and bring self-recovery in the most natural way. Homeopathic medicines are of natural origin with zero side-effects so are safe to use among persons of all age groups.

Homeopathic Medicines For Cough At Night

1. Drosera –Top Grade Medicine

Drosera is a top-listed medicine to manage cases of cough at night. Its use is highly recommended for persons having cough that starts immediately after lying down at night. Cough forces them to sit up in bed. The cough is entirely absent during daytime. In cases requiring it the cough is usually dry irritative type. In some cases, however, yellow expectoration occurs. There are fits of coughing. One attack of cough is soon followed by another. At the end of the cough, vomiting may occur. This medicine is of great help to manage night time cough in children who start coughing as soon as they hit the bed.

 2. Sambucus – For Cough With Breathing Difficulty In Children

Sambucus is highly useful for managing cough with breathing difficulty in children at night (means suffocative cough). Children needing it suddenly wake up at night with coughing, breathing trouble and excessive sweating. Such attacks of cough occur more specifically around midnight. There is excessive crying in children. Whistling sound from chest may occur. Sambucus is well indicated for asthma attacks at night in children. Blockage of nostrils may be marked in cases needing this medicine.

3. Cina – For Cough Ending In Vomiting In Children

Cina is an excellent medicine for managing violent cough occurring in children at night when cough ends in vomiting (means spasmodic cough). The children needing it have cough occurring continuously which ultimately leads to vomiting. Tears appear in eyes along with difficult breathing. The cough is dry and occurs in fits in between intervals.

4. Belladonna – When Cough Is Short, Dry, Tickling

Belladonna is a very effective medicine for managing short, dry, tickling cough that occurs at night. The cough wakes the sufferer from sleep. A very characteristic feature is renewal of cough even from the slightest movement in bed. Cough is attended with pain in head, along with tearing pain in chest. A sensation of inhalation of dust prevails in most cases. This medicine is of great use in case of cough related to sore throat and enlarged tonsils. Belladonna can be highly beneficial for managing cough in children. In children needing it, dry cough tends to wake up the child and child tends to cry before coughing. Cough may be attended by grinding of teeth.

5. Arsenic Album – For Cough After Midnight (12:00 am)

For cough that troubles a person after midnight (means after 12:00 am), Arsenic Album is the top-grade homeopathic medicine. Though this medicine can be given for any sort of cough but especially of most help in cases of asthmatic cough. Those needing it have to sit up as soon as cough begins at night. Cough is mainly dry in nature.  It is accompanied by shortness of breath, oppression of chest and whistling/wheezing sound from the chest. Inclining the chest forward brings relief. Before coughing, anxiety and restlessness may occur. Cough is followed by excessive sweating and marked weakness.

6. Rumex – For Dry, Tickling Cough Preventing Sleep

Rumex is an important medicine to manage dry, tickling cough that prevents sleep. Cough seems to trigger from irritation in the throat. Cough gets worse while lying on left side. For cough occurring around 11:00 pm, Rumex is a specific remedy. Cough also worsens from inhaling cold air and talking.

7. Conium – For Continuous Dry Cough

Conium is very suitable for cases of dry cough occurring almost continuously during night. It wakes up the sufferer frequently disturbing sleep. The sufferer gets exhausted. Cough occurs from a dry spot in larynx or from irritation in throat pit / chest. It is accompanied with intense headache in most cases. Watery nasal discharge is also commonly present. Stitching type of pain in the sides of the chest is also felt. Conium is a prominent medicine for cough, following influenza. In such cases the cough may occur continuously until vomiting occurs.

8. Ipecac – When Vomiting Attends Cough

Ipecac is a very suitable medicine to manage cough at night attended with vomiting. There is excessive rattling of phlegm in chest. In most cases, cough gets worse after eating meal at night. Cough seems to get excited from taking each breath. There may occur a fit of cough that ends with vomiting.

9. Antimonium Tart – When Cough Is Loose Rattling Type

Antimonium Tart works wonderfully in cases of loose rattling cough at night. It seems as if chest is full of mucus but only less is expectorated. It is accompanied with suffocation. Persons who require this medicine have to sit up to cough or breathe. At times, vomiting occurs with cough. A very unique feature is relief in cough by lying on the right side. The cough is violent that shakes the entire chest. Headache and marked exhaustion occurs. This medicine is very helpful in bronchitis cases. There occurs thick, white expectoration in cases needing it.

10. Kali Bichrome and Corallium Rubrum – For Cough With Marked Post Nasal Drip (PND)

PND is one of the main causes of night time coughing. To deal with it, two most important homeopathic medicines are Kali Bichrome and Corallium Rubrum. These medicines work in reducing PND to bring relief in the cough related to it. Corallium Rubrum is considered for fits of dry, short, rapid, suffocative cough. There occur almost continuous fits of coughing. One coughing fit is soon followed by another quite rapidly. There is profuse dripping of mucus from posterior nares into the throat. Kali Bichrome is used when the mucus dripping in throat is very thick, sticky and ropy (can be drawn into threads) in nature.

11. Carbo Veg and Natrum Phos – To Manage Cough With Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is another important cause behind coughing at night. For managing this issue, Carbo Veg and Natrum Phos are leading medicines. These medicines basically help to treat the root cause i.e, acid reflux to relieve cough.  In cases needing Carbo Veg, there occurs short, dry, hard cough especially before midnight. Mucus is felt in throat at night that cause choking sensation on coughing. It gets better by moving or sitting up. In addition, acid reflux symptoms like heartburn, sour burps are present. Natrum Phos is useful for cough from tickling in throat attended with hawking and chest pain. Acid reflux symptoms like heartburn, sour burps appear, and vomiting of sour matter is also there.

Conditions that cause worsening of cough at night or when lying down are:

It can occur from disease of airway (upper or lower), GIT or cardiovascular system. Various causes are enumerated below:

1. Post nasal drip (PND) – It refers to dripping of mucus from the back of the nose into the throat. This mucus irritates nerve endings in the throat, exciting cough. PND can be an attending symptom in cases of cold, nasal allergy, sinusitis.

2. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

It refers to the back flow of stomach acid into food pipe. The stomach acid can rise up on lying down at night causing cough as soon as one lies down in bed.

3. Cough related to Cold and Flu (viral infection of upper respiratory tract – URTI) and allergies

4. Bronchitis (inflamed bronchial tubes that carry air to and from lungs), asthma (respiratory disease characterized by difficult breathing, wheezing  and coughing), cough variant asthma (asthma presenting with only cough usually a dry, non-productive and constant cough), bronchiectasis (permanent enlargement of parts of airway of lungs leading to mucus build up), tuberculosis of lung (infection caused by bacteria mycobacterium tuberculosis)

5. Chronic tonsil enlargement

6. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID -19)

7. Nerve problem – neurogenic cough arising by irritation of nerves supplying larynx

8. ACE inhibitors (medicine to treat high blood pressure)

9. In some cases, the reason could be more serious needing urgent medical help such as:

a). Heart failure

b). Lung cancer

c). Severe lung infection (Pneumonia)