When you go to bed at night to sleep well, your nose is blocked on one side, and your throat is sore on the other… It’s hard to breathe. You feel like you’re not breathing. This is something we all experience when we catch a cold or the flu. A good night’s sleep is essential to staying healthy. But how do you sleep well with this illness? Don’t worry. Today, we’re going to talk about some simple, effective tips that will help you get a good night’s sleep.
Try sleeping with your head elevated a little.
This is the simplest and quickest solution you can do. When you lie down in bed, your head is lower than your body, which increases pressure in your sinuses , making your nose even more stuffy. Also, postnasal drip can increase, causing a sore throat , itching, and increased coughing.
Think of it like using gravity to help you. When you sleep with two or three pillows and your head and upper body slightly elevated, the mucus in your nose will drain more easily. This will reduce nasal congestion and make breathing a little easier. The mucus in your throat will also decrease, which will help control your cough. You will feel a lot of relief when you sleep this way.
Add moisture to the room (Use a Vaporizer or Humidifier)
During colds and flu, our respiratory tract, including the nose and throat, becomes very dry. This dryness can cause a sore and itchy throat. This dryness can be exacerbated, especially if you have a fan or AC in your room.
The best solution to this is to add moisture to the air. You can use a device called a vaporizer or humidifier for this. These devices add fine water vapor to the air, increasing the humidity level in the room. When you breathe in this moist air, your dry nostrils and throat will get a lot of relief. This will also help to loosen the mucus and make it easier to clear from your nose and throat.
The most important thing: If you use a device like this, you need to clean it regularly. Otherwise, mold or bacteria can grow inside it, and those germs can be added to the air you breathe. This can make you sick even more. So read the instructions that come with the device and keep it clean as directed.
It's okay to drink or eat something hot.
This is something that our mothers and grandmothers have been doing since the days of our ancestors. Inhaling the steam from a hot drink or hot soup is one of the best remedies for a stuffy nose. This steam moisturizes the delicate membranes inside the nose that have become dry. It also helps to loosen some of the thick mucus, making it easier to clear your nose (sniff).
- Hot drinks: It's very good to drink something like a tea with some coriander and ginger , which everyone in our country knows.
- Honey: Add a teaspoon of honey to your hot drink. Honey can help reduce throat irritation and soreness , and provide relief from coughs.
- Hot soup: Drinking a hot soup, like a good chicken soup, not only energizes the body, but the steam it releases also soothes the respiratory tract.
- Hot water bath: Taking a hot water bath before going to bed is also a great idea. Inhaling the steam that collects throughout the bathroom will greatly reduce nasal congestion and mucus. It will also relax your body and make it easier to fall asleep.
If you are taking medication, know exactly what you are taking.
There are many over-the-counter cold and flu medications that you can buy from pharmacies without a prescription. But you need to be very careful when using these. Not all medications work for every symptom. Some are for stuffy noses, others for coughs, and others for body aches.
The most important thing is to choose the right medicine for your symptoms. Read the instructions on the medicine box carefully. For example, if you have a cough with mucus, a medicine for a dry cough will not help. Also, some medicines can make you sleepy, so they are recommended to be taken at night.
| Symptom | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| Nasal congestion | There are decongestants that can help relieve nasal congestion. However, for some people, these can increase their heart rate. |
| Cough | There are two types of medicine for dry cough and wet cough. Know which cough you have and take the medicine accordingly. |
| Body aches and fever | You can use painkillers like Paracetamol, but do not take more than the prescribed dose. |
If you are not sure what medicine to take, do not take it on a whim. The best thing to do is to consult your family doctor. He will examine your symptoms and prescribe the medicine that is right for you.
Definitely stay away from alcohol.
Some people think that drinking a little alcohol at night will help you sleep better. It's true, alcohol makes you feel sleepy at first. But it also affects the quality of your sleep. When you drink alcohol, you start waking up more often in the middle of the night. This means you're not getting a deep, restful sleep.
In addition, alcohol dehydrates the body, meaning it loses water. This can dry out your throat even more. It can also swell your sinuses. Most importantly, alcohol can interact with your cold medicine and cause dangerous side effects . Therefore, it is wise to stay away from alcohol until you are completely well.
Sleep alone if possible.
When you have a bad cold, it's great if you can sleep in a separate room from your partner. This has two advantages.
1. It stops the spread of the disease: Colds are easily transmitted. When you sleep alone, the risk of infecting someone else is reduced.
2. You can be free: When you cough, sneeze, or want to get out of bed at night, you don't have to worry about disturbing the other person's sleep. You can be free, without any mental stress. That also helps you recover faster.
If you can't sleep, get out of bed.
Do you find yourself tossing and turning in bed even after half an hour of going to bed without falling asleep? When you do that, you just feel more stressed, thinking, "Oh, I can't sleep."
At times like these, the best thing to do is get out of bed and do something else. Sit in a chair and read a book. Listen to some soothing, calming music. Stay there for a while and only go back to bed when you feel sleepy again. But remember, don't go to look at your phone or watch TV. The light from the screens isBlue light makes your sleep even worse.
Take-Home Message
- If you have trouble sleeping when you have a cold, try sleeping with your head elevated with two or three pillows. This will reduce nasal congestion and coughing.
- If the air in the room is dry, use a vaporizer or take a hot bath before bed.
- Drink warm beverages like coriander and ginger tea. Adding a little honey is very good for the throat.
- If you are taking medication from a pharmacy, choose the medicine that best suits your symptoms. If you are unsure, always consult a doctor.
- Avoid alcohol completely until you recover from the illness.
- Instead of tossing and turning in bed, trying to fall asleep, get up and do something calming, like reading a book, and then try to go back to sleep when you feel sleepy.
Cold, flu, sleep, stuffy nose, cough, phlegm, good sleep, cold, flu, sleep, home remedies, home medicine
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