cough

5 Causes For Coughing at Night
healthy living

5 Causes of a Nagging Nighttime Cough

You feel fine all day, but something happens when you tuck yourself into bed.
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You feel fine all day, but something happens when you tuck yourself into bed. An irritating tickle in your throat leads to a nagging cough that only happens at night. It interferes with your sleep and leaves you irritable the next day. Here are five reasons you may be coughing at night. Hopefully you can identify the problem and rest easy.

  • Asthma: Most people equate asthma with the image of someone gasping for air. Although this can definitely be a symptom, most people with asthma commonly experience the breathing issue as a dry cough. Make sure to talk to your doctor about getting tested for asthma to rule it out as the cause of your coughing.
  • Sinusitis: A chronic stuffy nose could also be the culprit. When sinuses are clogged, the mucous can drip down the back of the throat (postnasal drip) causing that annoying tickle. Allergies may be causing your sinusitis, and your doc can prescribe allergy meds or a nasal spray to help clear your sinuses.

Learn three more possible causes when you read more.

Natural Remedies For Nighttime Coughing
healthy living

How to Kick a Nighttime Cough Naturally

Whether it's because of a cold or allergies, coughing at night is not only annoying, it prevents you from getting the sleep you need to stay healthy.
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Whether it's because of a cold or allergies, coughing at night is not only annoying, it prevents you from getting the sleep you need to stay healthy. Before you down cough medicine (which often just masks the cough), you might want to relieve your nighttime cough with one of these natural remedies.

  • Steam up: Before hitting the hay, create a steam room in the bathroom. Shut the door, don't turn on the fan, and take a hot shower. Let the water gently run on your face, or if that's too intense, place a warm washcloth on your sinuses, allowing the heat and steam to help relieve sinus congestion. You can even use a neti pot in the shower — just be sure to fill it with warm distilled or sterilized water, not the shower water. Using a neti pot after you've breathed in steam can make it more effective.
  • Get moist: Since dry air can often cause a dry cough (especially in the Winter months when we crank up the heat), moisten the air you breathe by running a cool-mist humidifier on low throughout the night (I'm a fan of this humidifier from Crane). In the morning, be sure to wipe down your windows and windowsills as condensation tends to form, and you don't want this moisture to encourage mold growth, which can also aggravate a cough. Follow the directions that came with your humidifier when it comes to cleaning it, and disinfect it thoroughly at least once a week to avoid mold growth.

Keep reading for more natural ways to beat your nighttime cough.

Eucalyptus Shower Steam Tablets From Aura Cacia
healthy living

Make Your Own Eucalyptus Steam Room (and Cure a Cough)

Whenever I have a bad cough — take the last EIGHT days for instance — I'll take a hot shower for some temporary relief.
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Whenever I have a bad cough — take the last EIGHT days for instance — I'll take a hot shower for some temporary relief. The warmth of the heat coupled with the steam helps moisturize my dry and irritated throat and helps loosen the phlegm in my chest. Because the cold I have this week is especially brutal, my friends have been offering me all sorts of remedies, like these Aura Cacia eucalyptus shower tabs ($6). You put one of these tabs on the shower floor with you and as the hot water dissolves it, your bathroom becomes turns into a eucalyptus steam room. Besides eucalyptus, there are also peppermint and lavender tabs available.

This whole process is pretty similar to making a steam bowl with essential oils, except that you get a lot more of it at once. And because eucalyptus is a natural decongestant, taking a shower with one of these tabs really helps clear up my sinuses and loosen up my cough. My only gripe is that they are ultimately pretty pricey, and don't last an incredibly long during a shower. I think I might experiment with this concept by putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil on the shower floor, or hanging a bundle of fresh eucalyptus in the shower.

Sage Tea Recipe to Ease Coughing
Food

Sage Tea to Ward Off a Cough

Some of you might remember that my aunt has a thing for conjuring up herbal remedies, like her cold-fighting ginger tea.
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Some of you might remember that my aunt has a thing for conjuring up herbal remedies, like her cold-fighting ginger tea. So when I got hit with a nasty fever last week, I called dear ol' auntie first.

After I described my ailment, she said one word: sage. I was skeptical, mostly because I have never been a huge fan of the pungent, peppery herb. But since sage has been a longstanding healing plant, I whipped up my aunt's recipe. Not only was my cough suppressed, I could actually breathe for a few hours! Give this tea a try the next time you're feeling sickly.

To see the recipe, read more

Home Remedies: Cold and Flu
healthy living

Home Remedies: Cold and Flu

The colors of Autumn might be lovely, but a few things about the season actually bring me down.
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The colors of Autumn might be lovely, but a few things about the season actually bring me down. I am talking about cold and flu season. If you're unlucky enough to have come down with some bug, you might be able to soothe some of your ailments with ingredients you have in your pantry. Prevention has listed some home remedies for common cold symptoms, and here are the highlights.

Soothe that sore throat: Mix six pressed garlic cloves with hot water, and gargle with this garlic tea twice a day, for three days. The warm liquid soothes inflamed tissues, while the garlic has antimicrobial properties that fight pain-causing bacteria.

Bring down a fever: Try drinking linden flower tea. It controls your body temperature by stimulating the hypothalamus, and also dilates your blood vessels and induces sweating. Pick up the dried herb at a health food store or herb shop. Steep one tablespoon of dried linden flower in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes. Stash makes a linden flower tea, too. Drink this tea three to four times a day. If your fever is over 102° F, take a tepid bath to cool off the body.

To see how you can dull your hacking cough with a few sweet things, just read more

Another Reason to Eat Chocolate: It Soothes a Cough
Chocolate

Another Reason to Eat Chocolate: It Soothes a Cough

You know me; I am always looking for another reason to eat more dark chocolate.
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You know me; I am always looking for another reason to eat more dark chocolate. From lowering blood pressure to having a load of antioxidants to just tasting so darn good, there is yet another reason to eat chocolate. Hooray!

Research has found that theobromine, an ingredient found in chocolate, has a cough-reducing effect superior to codeine, an ingredient found in many cough syrups. What's more? Chocolate, as we all know by now, soothes and moistens the throat.

As a matter of fact, I think I feel a little cough coming on right now. Looks like I'm going to be forced to eat some dark chocolate — twist my arm already, jeez. I think I will go make some hot cocoa now!

Source

Relax Already: Eucalyptus Steamer
eucalyptus

Relax Already: Eucalyptus Steamer

For a relaxing steamer when you're starting to feel a bit under the weather, try this using: 6 drops of eucalyptus essential oil 6 cups of water Bring the water and oil to a near boil.
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For a relaxing steamer when you're starting to feel a bit under the weather, try this using:

6 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
6 cups of water

Bring the water and oil to a near boil. Using a towel, make a tent over the water and steam your head for 5 minutes. I would recommend turning the burner off and putting the pot on a trivet away from the stove starting to steam.

The eucalyptus steam will help ease symptoms of bronchitis, colds, coughing, fever, flu and sinusitis.

Fit's Tip: If the steam is too hot on your face, use a bigger towel and move further away. You can get the oil at most health stores as well as online. Buy it here for $11.95.