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Hi! My son only coughs at night time in his sleep. It sometimes wakes him up to cry for me but he never remebers it the next morning. Is there such thing as nocturnal asthma?


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  • A type of asthma that gets worse at night is called nocturnal asthma. Environmental allergens, stress, hormonal factors, obesity, sinusitis, and more contribute to the worsening of asthma at night. People with nocturnal asthma develop symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, breathing difficulty, and coughing. But any type of asthma symptoms are often worse at night and may disrupt sleep, which may have to do with the reclined position.
    There is no specific cure for nighttime asthma, but daily asthma medications, such as inhaled steroids, are very effective at reducing inflammation and preventing nocturnal symptoms. Since nocturnal asthma or nighttime asthma may occur anytime during the sleep period, asthma treatment must be sufficient to cover these hours.


  • I’m chronic asthmatic. Never heard of it


  • YES THERE IS! We’ve had two children diagnosed and treated. The specialist called it cough-variant asthma. Unfortunately because it doesn’t normally present with the typical asthma wheeze, it can be hard to diagnose. We had a paediatrician tell us our son did not have asthma and took him off all his medication, only to have an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist tell us a week later that he had severe asthma and put him back on all his medication and more. We’re currently trying to get our third child diagnosed. The good news is that a high percentage of children do grow out of asthma, and our eldest has been off medication for four years, and symptom free for about five years. It is worth trying to identify any hay fever, allergy, dust mite triggers, and remembering in Winter to shut up the house a little sooner to keep their bedroom warmer. One of our kids was also triggered by a certain tree in flower and by the cold (coughing became worse) but the cough was there year-round. You know your child the best – I hope you’ve had a good answer from the doctor since you posted this question, but if not, don’t give up.


  • It’s probably a combination of the cold air and the moisture at night time. Try a humidifier


  • I have never heard of it!


  • This sounds a little more like croup,


  • I would look into allergies. A pillow dust mite cover may be all he needs to breathe better at night.


  • I find my asthma gets worse at night


  • he probably has nasal problems and the fluid is running down the back of his nose while he is sleeping, try getting him to sleep inclined and see if this stops it


  • It could actually be dust mites as all if it’s only at night. Try a product called dustroy. It helps with asthma too if that’s what you think the problem is.


  • I think you will find this is actually croup, try to record it one night and let your doctor listen


  • maybe go see a doctor


  • there are some good comments here


  • he could have asthma but beause of the coldness at night it when it effects him the most


  • Asthma is all the time. Make sure he has his medication before going to bed and maybe put a vaporizer in his room also


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