Different Types of Coughs
Coughing is a natural action that occurs when there is an irritation in your upper respiratory system. The nerves in your system’s muscles send signals to the brain when they detect anything that irritates. Your brain then signals the muscles to contract and release air suddenly.
This is an attempt by your body to remove the thing irritating the upper part of the respiratory system. Here are the two types of coughs.
Wet Cough
Mucus or phlegm accompanies wet cough. Through wet cough, your body can release mucus, which is usually stuck in the throat. The cough forces the mucus to get to the mouth or the nostrils.
Although the causes of wet cough are varied, the most common one is the common cold. When you have a common cold, your respiratory system becomes full of mucus. The coughing helps to clear the system so that you can breathe naturally.
Dry Cough
A dry cough is also referred to as an unproductive cough. It is unproductive because no phlegm or mucus comes out when one coughs. When you have a dry cough, you will feel irritation at the back of your throat.
The irritation triggers an intense bout of dry cough. The bouts may last for a few minutes before subsiding. The coughing may go on for about four weeks.
Why is my cough worse at night?
Although it is obvious that coughs get worse at night, many people do not understand the science behind it. Here are a few reasons that explain why it gets worse at night if you have a cough.
Postnatal Drip
Postnatal drip is a phenomenon that takes place at night. When you are in a sleeping position, mucus starts to accumulate in your respiratory system. The accumulation of mucus automatically triggers your body to respond through coughing. This happens if you already have a cough.
The mucus does not accumulate during the day when you already have a cough because you spend most of your time in an upright position when standing, walking, or sitting.
Dry Air
If you already have a cough, dry air is your enemy. An atmosphere that is short of humidity can make your cough worse. If you are sleeping in a room where the air is very dry, and you have a cough, the coughing will get worse. This is the main reason why using a humidifier can help relieve coughing at night.
Acid Reflux
People who have acid reflux experience excess acidity at night. Acid from your stomach rises to the throat before rushing back to the stomach. If you have a cough already, acid reflux will make it worse. The acid will irritate your throat and trigger bouts of coughing at night.
Do humidifiers help with coughing? Pros and cons of using a humidifier for cough
Humidifiers with coughing by making the cough productive, easing your breathing, and helping you sleep well. You are in a better position to overcome the effects of coughing and recover entirely quickly if you use a humidifier than when you rely on other remedies only.
The following are some of the main benefits of using a humidifier for cough.
- Easy breathing. When you have a common cold or flu, breathing feels like a full day’s work. The mucus in your airways occasionally blocks the air. This effect makes you feel very uncomfortable. However, a humidifier helps to make the air moist and comfortable to breathe.
- Making the cough more productive. If you have a dry cough, a humidifier can help you make the cough productive. Productive coughs help you feel better after a while than dry ones. The humidifier will add moisture to the air, which will find its way down your airways.
- Comfortable feeling. If you are in a room full of dry air and cough, you will have a difficult time. Cold and dry air makes coughing worse because the dry air irritates your airways. A humidifier can be the perfect answer because it makes the atmosphere comfortable for you to breathe well and feel better.
It is not all nice to use a humidifier when you have a cough. There are a few things you need to be wary of. Most of these unpleasant effects of using a humidifier for a cough occur because of the nature of humidifiers and how one manages these devices.
- Excessive moisture. If you have a common cold, excess moisture in the air can make the cold worse. Humidifiers diffuse mist into the air. If the process goes on unchecked, the humidifier may end up making the air in your room very humid. Luckily, modern-day humidifiers have inbuilt humidity sensors. The sensors enable the humidifier to automatically respond to the needs of the air in the room. This feature prevents humidifiers from diffusing excess mist into the air in the house.
- Contamination of the air. Picture this: your cough is caused by the irritation of the upper part of the respiratory system. If new small particles find their way to the airways, your coughing will automatically get worse. That is y what a humidifier can do to you if you have a cough. Using hard water in your humidifier can cause them to dissipate water that has small salt particles. Also, failing to clean your humidifier thoroughly may lead to spores of molds getting into the air. The tiny particles from spores of molds and minerals in hard water will make your coughing worse.
Warm or Cold Mist Humidifier for Coughing
Both warm-mist and cool-mist humidifiers can help relieve the effects of coughing. Your choice depends on other factors, including the cost of operating the humidifier and the season when you would like to use it.
A warm-mist humidifier dissipates heated moisture. The water is boiled and then cooled a little before it gets dispersed. Thus, it is expensive to run a warm-mist humidifier because the heating element consumes a lot of power. Warm-mist humidifiers are the best when you are in a cool environment, and you need the air to be warmer.
Cool-mist humidifiers are ideal when it is hot and dry. They create a slight chill indoors that can help you feel better. Similarly, the mist helps relieve the effects of coughing because it makes it easy for you to breathe and sleep. Also, the cool mist from cool-mist humidifiers makes your cough more productive.
What is Better for a Cough – A vaporizer or Humidifier?
Both vaporizers and humidifiers add moisture to the air and help you to feel better if you have a cough. However, if you must choose between the two, a humidifier may be the right device to use when you have a cold.
A vaporizer directly adds vapor to the air. It heats the water and dissipates the steam into the air. The steam then spreads across the entire room. As a result of this process, the humidity level of the air in the room improves.
A humidifier also adds moisture to the air in indoor environments. However, a humidifier has special technology that turns the water into a fine mist before releasing it into the air. Thus, it is more comfortable to use a humidifier to improve the air’s humidity level in your house.
What can I put in a Humidifier for a Cough?
You can put any of the following types of oils in your humidifier as part of aromatherapy: eucalyptus, peppermint, geranium, cinnamon, rosemary cypress. The practice of aromatherapy entails using extracts from specific plants to ease the symptoms of a condition.
In the case of coughing, aromatherapy entails using oils from plants that contain menthol. Menthol is a nice-smelling substance that helps to relieve the symptoms of the common cold and cough.
Modern humidifiers have an essential oil tray. You can place the oils in the essential oils tray and start experiencing pleasant air in the room. The essential oils diffuse into the air in the room.
As you breathe the air, the menthol gets to your airwaves. The menthol then reduces coughing and makes you feel better than when you breathe air that does not contain the essential oils.
Other Ways to Stop Coughing at Night
Coughing at night can be quite irritating. It makes it impossible for you to sleep and wakes up anyone else who may be in the house. There are many ways that you can use to stop coughing at night.
The following are simple things that you can do to deal with the coughing at night.
- Over the counter drugs. Taking a basic cough syrup can dramatically stop your coughing at night. Cough syrups have decongestants and antihistamines that help to stop coughing. However, most cough syrups contain a small amount of alcohol. This is the reason why taking a cough syrup makes one feel dizzy.
- Honey is an excellent remedy for coughing at night. If you have a cough, take two spoonsful of honey before going to bed at night. The honey helps to lubricate your airways and prevent irritation, which causes coughing.
- Raise your head. Propping up your head minimizes the accumulation of phlegm and mucus in your airways. The accumulation of these substances is the main scientific reason why your cough gets worse at night. If you prop up your head using pillows, very little mucus accumulates in your airways; thus, the coughing subsides.
Best Humidifier For Coughing At Night
1. Everlasting Comfort Cool Mist Humidifier
If you are looking for an elegantly designed and equally powerful humidifier, the Everlasting Comfort Cool Mist Humidifier may be the right choice. This device has all the features you would like to find in a modern humidifier for small to mid-sized rooms. Its large water reservoir can take up to 6 liters.
When the water tank is full, and the humidifier operates optimally, it can last for 50 hours. This long run time means that you do not have to worry about refilling the humidifier often.
The Everlasting Comfort Cool Mist Humidifier has advanced safety features, including the auto shut off feature. This feature helps to keep the humidifier and people in the house safe if the water reservoir suddenly becomes empty when the humidifier is on.
The only notable drawback of using this humidifier relates to the kind of moisture that it diffuses. If you are looking for a humidifier that dissipates warm mist, you will have to get a different brand from the Everlasting Comfort Cool Mist Humidifier.
Pros
- It has a sizeable 6-liter reservoir and long runtimes of up to 50 hours
- It has an essential oil tray for aromatherapy and scenting
- The auto shut off feature enhances overall safety
Cons
- The humidifier dissipates cool mist only
2. Levoit LV600HH Hybrid Ultrasonic Humidifier
The LEVOIT humidifier is designed to deliver excellent humidification performance in indoor spaces that measure about 500 square meters.
It has an inbuilt humidity sensor that automatically adjusts its mist output to the needs of the air in the room. When the air’s humidity falls within the desired level, the device automatically increases its output until the perfect percentage of humidity is reached.
Operating this humidifier is a breeze. It comes with a remote control that lets you adjust its performance from the comfort of your bed or seat. It also has a clear LED display panel on the side, which you can use to monitor the adjustments.
The timer is another great addition. Once you determine how long you would like the humidifier to operate, you can go about your business with peace of mind. The humidifier will switch itself off when the set time elapses.
Pros
- The built-in humidity sensor enables the humidifier to maintain moisture levels within the desired range
- Easy to operate because it comes with remote control and a timer and has a LED display panel
- Easy to disassemble and reassemble during cleaning and general maintenance
Cons
- The humidifier is quite bulky and difficult to carry from one place to another
3. Elechomes UC5501 Ultrasonic Humidifier
Whether you are looking for a cool mist or warm mist humidifier, the Elechomes UC5501 Ultrasonic Humidifier can be a perfect choice. This ultrasonic humidifier has very attractive features, in addition to its ability to dissipate both warm and cool mist.
For starters, it has excellent additions, including a sleep mode. The humidifier’s lights dim, and its noise level reduces when it is set on sleep mode. You and your kids will sleep well at night without the distractions caused by a noisy humidifier in the bedroom.
Additionally, this humidifier instantly creates and maintains a comfortable environment in large indoor spaces. It has a powerful nozzle that can turn 360 degrees. The nozzle, therefore, effectively diffuses massive amounts of moisture within a short time.
This mode of action ensures even distribution of moisture in large indoor spaces that measure about 750 square feet. Sadly, this humidifier is large and heavy. You will have to struggle to carry it from one room to another because of its bulkiness.
Pros
- Effective humidification performance, thanks to a nozzle that can turn 360 degrees
- The cool and warm mist is ideal for all seasons
- It has the sleep mode function for your comfort
Cons
- The humidifier is quite bulky
4. GENIANI Top Fill Cool Mist Humidifier
The GENIANI Top Fill Cool Mist Humidifier is an elegantly designed device that is ideal for use in children’s bedrooms. When set on the night mode, the noise level of the humidifier reduces to very low levels.
Also, the humidifier emits a pleasant blue light at night. Your kids will fall asleep faster and sleep soundly because of the soft white noise and soothing blue light that the humidifier produces at night.
This humidifier has an essential oil diffuser. You can add a few essential oils to scent your room. Alternatively, you can use your GENIANI Top Fill Cool Mist Humidifier for aromatherapy. This can help your kids recover from the common cold and flu fast.
It is quick and straightforward to refill the water reservoir of this humidifier. The water tank has a top-fill design that is very convenient when you need to refill it fast. Also, the water tank’s top-fill design makes things easy for you when you need to clean the humidifier.
Pros
- It has an essential oil diffuser
- The built-in sensor enables it to maintain the ideal humidity levels in indoor environments
- It produces a soothing light at night and reduces noise levels to allow people to sleep
Cons
- The four-liter water tank is relatively small
5. Miroco Cool Mist Humidifier
The Miroco Cool Mist Humidifier has several features that make it a beautiful and easy-to-operate humidifier. Because it is an ultrasonic humidifier, it produces very little noise when operating.
Its maximum noise level is 26dB. The humidifier produces a soft humming sound when it is running. This noise level is low enough to allow kids and you to sleep comfortably at night.
Adjusting the performance of this humidifier is straightforward. It has a large knob on the surface with various settings for misting. Thus, you can change its misting performance according to your needs at any time.
This humidifier has all the safety features that you would expect to find in a modern device. The low-water warning feature helps you know when the water in the water tank runs low. This feature allows you to prevent a scenario where your humidifier is still on, but the water tank is empty.
Pros
- Ultra-silent operation with a noise level of 26dB
- One can personalize the performance of this humidifier by adjusting its humidification performance
- It has inbuilt safety features, including a low water level warning light and auto shut off
Cons
- Cleaning the humidifier takes a long time because it is not easy to disassemble and reassemble its components
6. Homech Cool Mist Humidifier
The 360 degrees rotating nozzle enables the Homech Cool Mist Humidifier to humidify large room very fast and evenly. The nozzle ensures that the mist gets to all corners of the room uniformly. Thus, if you place this humidifier at any position in your room, everyone will feel comfortable instantly.
You can adjust the misting level of this humidifier using the knob on its surface. When you set the humidifier at the low-performance mode, it can run for more than 50 hours. When operating on the high humidification mode, this humidifier can run for 12 hours.
Refilling the water reservoir is effortless. You only need to open the top and pour in distilled water. Similarly, deep cleaning this humidifier is easy because all that you need to do is dislodge the water reservoir and clean the inside parts of the humidifier.
The only notable drawback of using this humidifier relates to the kind of mist that it dissipates. It diffuses cool mist only. This means that you must get another humidifier if you need warm mist.
Pros
- The 360 degrees rotating nozzle ensures rapid and even dissipation of mist
- Long runtime of up to 50 hours
- Silent operation with a noise level of 26dB
Cons
- This humidifier dissipates cool mist only
7. Honeywell HCM350W Germ Free Cool Mist Humidifier
Being a germ-free humidifier, the Honeywell HCM350W is the humidifier of choice for bed side and large living rooms. This humidifier has a special UV technology that kills all the germs in the water.
Therefore, you can use any water, even that which comes straight from the tap. For humidifiers that do not have this feature, one must use distilled or demineralized water.
This humidifier can’t dispatch excess moisture in the air. It blows mist over a wicking feature before diffusing it in the air. Thus, the humidifier maintains the humidity levels between the desired range of 40% to 60% for everyone’s comfort.
This humidifier has a low noise level of about 26dB. This low noise level makes it easy for people to use it in the bedroom. The low noise will not wake up even light sleepers that this humidifier produces.
Sadly, you have to refill the water reservoir of your Honeywell HCM350W frequently. The reservoir can hold four liters of water only when full.
Pros
- It uses UV technology to kill all germs in the water
- Adequate humidification using the unique evaporative technology
- Ultra-silent action
Cons
- The four-liter water reservoir is relatively small