Night cough

[Sianm]

Hello

Please could someone tell me if they have a productive (clear mucus) cough at night? (As I've only read that an asthma cough is dry)

I cough and wheeze every night for a few hours and cough up lots of clear, watery mucus, I am in the process of working out why, I've looked into postnasal drip, reflux and asthma.

I also have eosinophilic osphagitas, which I believe is confusing/complicating things.

My doctor gave me a peak flow meter and I range between 250 and 350, which I know is low but there are no huge changes.

Any info would be appreciated.

[starveycat]

Hello Sianm wish I could help but my cough is non productive might be worth a call to the docs when they open or the helpline but they are closed till Jan.sorry I cannot help good luck ♥

[pucageorgie]

You've been misinformed; though not common, an asthma cough can be very productive. Mine is, to the extent that I have to do daily physio (similar to cfs) daily to clear all the mucus from my lungs. After all, mucus is a by-product of inflammation and asthma is an inflammatory condition.

Post-nasal drip is definitely something to look into, and oesophageal factors can contribute. Talk to your GP again, and if not satisfied, perhaps a referral to a respiratory specialist, a gastro-oesophageal specialist, or an ear, nose and throat person might help (I've been to all of the above).

[Gino39]

Hi there, I have been struggling with a similar cough for three months now. It is hard to pinpoint just what is going on as we are all different. I have had mild asthma since childhood but this cough I believe is different in my case. I also have bronchiectasis which probably adds to the mix. What I am finding is that dairy is trigger for these severe coughing bouts that I have. It takes an hour or so post intake for me to get the symptoms then it can be hours of struggle post that. It may be worth trying to monitor if there is a food allergy angle to your problem. All the best with it....

[Hidden]

I have certainly had asthma like symptoms with a productive cough resulting from refluxing at night. The solution was to raise the head end of my bed by a few inches (using more pillows doesn't work - you tend to slip off them during the night). Another thing which helps is to make sure you leave at least three hours between eating and going to bed (to ensure your stomach is empty before you lie down to sleep).