ANSWERS—this is one of the most common reasons that people go to the doctor’s office. The reason is that there are many different reasons for having a cough. Many people say “I cough when I lay down” and I cannot get any sleep. This is the number one complaint when a patient talks to their physician about their cough. Before your physician prescribes any type of treatment they will need to know what the cause of your cough is.
Causes
One of the reasons that your cough seems to be worse when you are laying down is that could be because of the acid that is in your stomach is backing up into your throat. It is also known as acid reflux. There are also many other reasons for it getting worse when you are laying down, whether on your stomach or on your back. It could be because of bronchitis, asthma, or that irritating post-nasal drip. Sometimes the symptom of an obstruction in your bronchial tubes is the coughs.
Prevention
Once you know what is causing your cough you will know what steps to take to prevent it from occurring again. If you know that it is caused by acid reflux then all you have to do is avoid any foods before you go to bed that are highly acidic. If you are a smoker you should try to quit because smoking can also cause your cough. Prop your head higher with extra pillows or else put a blanket or something under your mattress to elevate your head. If your cough is caused by a cold or some other bacterial or viral infection make sure that you wash your hands frequently and if you are prescribed medications make sure that you take them.
Types of coughs
When you have a cough, you can have a non-productive or dry cough, or you can have a productive cough. A productive cough is one where you are bringing up from your chest phlegm when you cough, which is good. A dry or non-productive cough is just that, it means you are not bringing up phlegm. A dry cough is usually what you have if you are a smoker. A cough can also be acute. This means that the cough will not last more than a few weeks, usually two or three weeks. If you have one that lasts longer than four weeks then it is considered a chronic cough.
How to treat a cough
How a cough is treated once again depends on what is the cause of the cough. You can take over the counter medicine but if it lasts longer than a week you should visit your physician to see what the cost is. You can need an antibiotic or a stronger prescription of cough medicine. You may need that antibiotic if your cough is caused by bronchitis. If it is caused by acid reflux you may also need to take some medications for this condition. If it is caused by asthma the physician may prescribe an inhaler or breathing treatments.