My throat itches in the middle of the night

Good sleep is very important for us, because one-third of the human body is spent in sleep. A good sleep can make people energetic, but some people always have various problems when they sleep for one reason or another. For example, some people will have an itchy throat after sleeping in the middle of the night, and sometimes the itching is quite severe. What's going on?

Why does my throat itch in the middle of the night?

If your throat itches in the middle of the night, you may be suffering from chronic pharyngitis. The most common symptom of chronic pharyngitis is dry and itchy throat, which needs to be treated in time, otherwise it will affect your sleep.

What should I do if my throat itches and I have to cough at night?

Step 1: Identify the cause

For patients who have an itchy throat and want to cough at night, we first need to find out what causes the cough, such as the following common causes:

1. Allergic cough caused

Allergic coughs mainly occur in the morning and evening, but there is no obvious seasonality. The cough may also worsen after exercise and often recur for more than a month. The cough is accompanied by an itchy throat.

2. Bronchitis caused

It may be caused by bronchitis. Bronchitis mainly causes more severe coughs in the early morning and midnight because the human body temperature and air temperature are at their lowest in the middle of the night and early morning. When you catch a cold or inhale cold air, the cough will be aggravated or induce coughing after an itchy throat.

3. Caused by upper airway cough syndrome

It may also be caused by upper airway cough syndrome, because upper airway cough syndrome is mostly caused by nasal diseases that cause secretions to flow back into the nose and throat, and then flow back into the glottis or trachea, resulting in coughing after itchy throat, especially at night when sleeping, nasal secretions will flow into the throat and cause coughing.

4. Caused by pharyngitis

The throat of patients with pharyngitis suffers from spasm and edema due to inflammation, which causes narrowing of the throat. The increased lung secretions at night stimulate the throat and cause the cough to worsen at night. Patients with chronic pharyngitis always feel dry and itchy in the throat, so they often want to clear the throat with dry cough, which leads to an irritating dry cough.

5. Chronic bronchitis

Patients with chronic bronchitis have increased bronchial secretions in their lungs at night. Because they are in a deep sleep, they cannot expel phlegm in time. When they change their body position and sleeping posture at night, the secretions stimulate the contraction of the bronchial smooth muscles, causing severe coughing at night.

6. Lung detoxification at night

Coughing can clear foreign objects from the throat and bronchi, and is also a way for the body to detoxify. Between 1 and 3 a.m., the body's blood and qi flow to the lung meridian. The lungs begin to self-regulate and repair themselves, and a slight cough at this time is normal.

7. Improper diet before bedtime

If you consume spicy and irritating food for a long time, it is easy to cause excessive lung fire and trigger coughing, especially if you eat too much before going to bed at night, which may cause the stomach and intestines to not get proper rest, resulting in coughing after food accumulation and itchy throat.

8. Caused by improper sleeping environment

When sleeping at night, many people are accustomed to closing doors and windows, which makes the indoor air turbid, with low oxygen content and high waste content. If the air is too dry, the throat will feel itchy, which will irritate the lungs and cause coughing.

9. Allergy to sleeping supplies

If you rarely or never cough during the day, but your throat is always itchy and you cough incessantly when you go to bed at night, you need to consider respiratory allergies, which may be related to the quilts and pillows you use. The allergens may be cotton wool, dust, mites, etc.

Step 1: Identify the cause

Step 2: Treat symptoms

Then we need to take targeted treatment according to the above causes. The specific treatment methods are as follows:

1. Allergic cough caused

For allergic coughs, you should be careful to avoid contact with allergens and eliminate various inducing factors, such as: catching a cold, pollen, dust mites, smoke, paint, cold drinks, sudden climate changes, etc. At the same time, patients with allergic cough are recommended to use combined treatment such as inhaled hormones, bronchodilators, anti-inflammatory and desensitization drugs.

2. Bronchitis caused

Lying flat at night can irritate the lungs and cause coughing, so you can try to adjust your sleeping position appropriately to reduce discomfort in the lungs and bronchi, such as by raising the pillow. Patients with bronchitis should eat more foods that clear away heat, reduce fire and moisten the lungs, such as: pears, lotus roots, radishes, water chestnuts, sugarcane, white fungus, lilies, sterculia lychnophora, monk fruit, pig lungs, old duck, etc. Try to reduce the intake of irritating foods, such as chili, pepper, curry, mustard, etc. If the situation is serious, seek medical treatment immediately.

3. Caused by upper airway cough syndrome

Upper airway cough syndrome is mostly caused by rhinitis, so the primary diseases such as nasal polyps, chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, etc. should be treated first. Some nasal drops can be used to promote the function of nasal mucosa to recover as soon as possible.

4. Caused by pharyngitis

First of all, we must pay attention to eliminating various pathogenic factors, which is crucial to the prevention and treatment of this disease. To this end, you should quit smoking and drinking, improve the working environment, avoid the stimulation of dust and harmful gases, or actively treat hidden dangers such as rhinitis and sinusitis. If necessary, take iodine lozenges or mint lozenges sublingually. If you have coughing symptoms, drink more water to relieve it.

5. Chronic bronchitis

For some patients, the condition can be controlled and does not affect their work and study; for some patients, it may develop into obstructive pulmonary disease or even cor pulmonale, with a poor prognosis. It is recommended to seek medical attention promptly so as to choose an effective treatment plan in time and control the progression of the disease. Pay attention to quitting smoking and exercising to strengthen your physical fitness and prevent colds.

3. Lung detoxification at night

In this case, you can eat some lung-nourishing foods, such as lily, white fungus, peanuts, almonds, etc. to make porridge. These ingredients have the effect of nourishing and moisturizing the lungs, and have a good therapeutic effect on lung deficiency, dry cough and long-term cough.

7. Improper diet before bedtime

Do not eat spicy and irritating foods, fishy foods, etc. Drink more water, eat more vegetables and fruits, and supplement with enough vitamins to relieve cough. Especially eat less before going to bed at night to avoid food accumulation cough.

8. Caused by improper sleeping environment

You should open the windows for ventilation before going to bed, and keep the windows open when sleeping to facilitate air circulation. In addition, placing some green plants in the bedroom or outside the window and watering them frequently can effectively maintain indoor humidity.

9. Allergy to sleeping supplies

Regularly clean quilts, pillows and other sleeping items, take frequent showers to avoid allergies caused by your own bacteria, and maintaining indoor humidity can effectively relieve allergies.

Step 2: Treat symptoms

Step 3: Diet + massage and other methods to relieve

1. Diet therapy

(1) Radish and honey drink

Ingredients: 5 slices of white radish, 3 slices of ginger, 3 dates, and 30 grams of honey.

Preparation and administration: Boil radish, ginger and jujube in appropriate amount of water for about 30 minutes, remove the residue, add honey and boil again. Take while warm. 1 to 2 times a day.

Function and indications: Radish tastes spicy and sweet, and is cool in nature. It has the effects of clearing away heat and promoting body fluid, cooling blood and stopping bleeding, and resolving phlegm and relieving cough. Ginger is a commonly used medicine for dispelling wind and cold, stopping vomiting and relieving gas. Jujubes are mostly used to harmonize the stomach, nourish blood and harmonize medicines. Honey moisturizes and relieves cough. This drink can dispel cold, clear the lungs, dispel wind and relieve cough. For the treatment of colds and coughs, it is better to treat them with wind-cold and cough.

(2) Lily honey

Ingredients: 60 grams of lily and 30 grams of honey.

Preparation and administration: Wash and dry the lilies, mix well with honey, and steam them in a pot. This honey-cooked lily can be used as a snack for babies.

Indications and functions: Lily tastes sweet and slightly bitter, and is slightly cold in nature. It has the effects of moistening the lungs and relieving cough, clearing the heart and calming the nerves. Use with honey to enhance its lung-moistening and cough-relieving effects.

(3) Lily and Coltsfoot Flower Drink

Ingredients: 30-60 grams of lily, 10-15 grams of coltsfoot, and appropriate amount of rock sugar.

Preparation and use: Place all ingredients in a casserole and cook into syrup. Drink water and eat lilies, preferably after dinner and before going to bed.

Indications and functions: Lily moistens the lungs and relieves cough. Coltsfoot flowers are pungent and warm, and have the effects of moistening the lungs, relieving qi, relieving cough and reducing phlegm.

Note: This drink is suitable for autumn and winter coughs with a little phlegm. It is not as effective for bronchial asthma or spasmodic bronchitis, but can be used as an auxiliary treatment.