An Expert-Approved Guide to Stop Nighttime Coughing

• Prop up your head with pillows if you’re dealing with a wet or dry cough.
• Breathe in the steam from a bowl of hot water before bed to help clear away mucus.
• Enjoy a spoonful of honey before bed to help soothe your throat and ease your cough.

Best Sleeping Positions & Habits

Prop your head up on a couple of pillows before you go to sleep. Elevating your head and neck prevents mucus from collecting in your sinuses, which can contribute to a nighttime cough. Propping your head up can also be a helpful way to manage a dry cough (a cough that doesn’t produce mucus). If you’re managing Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), place wooden or concrete blocks under the head of your bed to lift it by 6–9 in (15–23 cm). This angle will help to keep acids down in your stomach so they won’t irritate your throat. Avoid sleeping flat on your back—this can cause mucus to gather in your sinuses, block up your nose, and prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep. Tip: Some people find that side-sleeping is helpful if your cough is unproductive (dry).

Breathe in through your nose when you sleep. As you go to sleep, make a conscious effort to breathe through your nose rather than your mouth, since mouth-breathing can contribute to a nighttime cough. If you’re too congested to breathe through your nose, take an OTC nasal spray or oral medication to help.

Place a humidifier in your bedroom. Humidifiers help keep the air moist rather than dry in your room, which can help keep your airways moist and make you less prone to coughing. Just make sure that your home humidity levels don’t go over 50%, since this can create mold and dust build-up. It doesn’t matter if you get a cool- or warm-mist humidifier, since the mist will be the same temperature once you’ve breathed it in.

Keep a glass of water on your bedside table. Clear your throat with a long sip of water if you wake up with a coughing fit during the night. Warm fluids are even more soothing, so feel free to sip on hot tea or warm water with honey and lemon.

Wash your bedding at least once a week to clear away dust mites. Set the wash load to a hot water temperature that’s at least 130 °F (54 °C). Once your bedding is clean, slip dust-proof covers over your pillows and mattresses to prevent dust mites from collecting on your bedding. Keeping your bedding clean is important if you have a persistent night cough and are prone to allergies. Dust mites, tiny creatures that eat dead flakes of skin, live in bedding and are a common allergy trigger. If you have an allergy or asthma, you may be at risk for dust mites. You can also wrap your mattress in plastic to keep dust mites away and your bedding clean, or get anti-allergen mattress and pillow covers.

Home Remedies

Eat a spoonful of honey before bed. Pour out 1 tsp (4.9 mL) of honey and eat it raw, or stir it into a mug of tea or warm water. Since honey has sugar in it, limit yourself to 4–5 tsp (20–25 mL) each day. Honey is a great natural remedy for an irritated throat, as it coats and soothes the mucous membranes in your throat. Honey also has antibacterial properties; so if your cough is due to a bacterial illness, honey can help to fight off bad bacteria. Never give children less than 12 months old honey, since they could contract botulism, a bacterial infection.

Drink herbal tea or warm water. Brew yourself a cup of your favorite tea, or heat up a cup of water in the microwave until it’s comfortably warm. Sipping on a warm drink may help clear away some of the mucus that’s contributing to your cough. In general, being hydrated makes it easier for your body to clear away congestion. Just make sure you’re sticking to hydrating fluids, like juice, broth, and water, rather than beverages like coffee or alcohol.

Try saline irrigation at bedtime if you have a post-nasal drip. Follow the instructions on the saline irrigation kit to use the rinse. Typically, this involves pouring or squeezing the liquid into one nostril while tilting your head to the side so that it flows out the other nostril. For a stubborn postnasal drip that doesn’t respond to natural or OTC remedies, your doctor might recommend a medicated nasal spray, such as a nasal steroid or decongestant.

Steam your face with hot water. Fill a large bowl with boiling water and lean over it, draping a towel over your head to catch the steam. Breathe in the steam for 10-15 minutes to help clear away your cough. If the water starts to cool, pour a little boiling water into the bowl.

Take a steam-filled shower and then stand in cool air. Suffering from a wet cough? Step into a warm, steam-filled shower for around 10 minutes to help break up some of the phlegm. Then, move into a room filled with cool air (like a bedroom with an air conditioner running). The immediate transition may help minimize your cough for the time being. If you have asthma, steam can make your cough worse. Do not try this remedy if you have asthma.

Medical Solutions

Take over-the-counter cough medicine. Take a cough expectorant if you’re hoping to cough up more mucus—this type of medication helps to loosen mucus and phlegm in your throat and airways. If you’d rather stop the cough altogether, try a cough suppressant—this blocks your body’s cough reflex and reduces your body’s urge to cough. These are better for dry or non-productive coughs. You can also take basic cough syrup or apply Vick’s VapoRub on your chest before bed. Both medicines are known to help reduce coughing at night. Read the label of the medicine before you use it. Ask your pharmacist if you are not sure which type of over-the-counter cough medicine is right for your cough.

Use cough lozenges. Some cough drops use a numbing ingredient, like benzocaine, which can help to calm down your cough long enough to help you fall asleep. If you have a dry cough, you can also look for cough drops with antitussives (cough suppressants) like dextromethorphan.

Talk to your doctor if your cough does not go away after 3 weeks. If your nighttime cough gets worse after several treatments or remedies or doesn’t get better after 3 weeks, see your doctor. Causes of a nighttime cough include asthma, the common cold, GERD, allergies, bronchitis, and more. If you feel extremely ill and are experiencing symptoms like difficulty breathing or chest pain, see your doctor as soon as possible. Depending on your diagnosis, your doctor may prescribe a decongestant or a more serious medical treatment. If you already have a more serious medical issue that causes you to cough at night, such as asthma or persistent colds, talk to your doctor about specific medications you can take to treat this symptom.