How to Control Asthma at Night

Suffering from asthma at night? Indoor air quality specialist, Patrick Holmes’ offers recommendations for nighttime asthma, as well as home remedies for asthma cough at night.

By Patrick Holmes (bio below)

Asthma is one of the most common illnesses today. It can cause chronic bronchitis and regular chest infections. When asthma is worse at night, we consider this to be nighttime asthma. 

If it feels impossible to battle your nighttime asthma attacks, this article will recommend some safe and effective tips for those suffering from asthma.

1. Clean Your Bedrooms Regularly

Getting kids to clean their room is often a full time job. But for someone with asthma, it’s twice as important. Identifying triggers is a huge help when battling asthma at night. There are also plenty of triggers to be found both inside and outside the house.

Keeping a clean house is the first line of defense against asthma. Regularly dusting, and moving around your linens will help prevent triggers like dust and pollen from entering your bedroom.

You should also spend time airing the your room before sleeping, to protect against mold and musty smells, and stop the room from getting too stuffy.

Make sure to dust for pollen and other allergens, and sleep with the windows closed. Cold air can also be an asthma trigger, and even mild nights can bring pollen ragweed, and other allergens and irritants into the room.

2. Asthma-Safe Cleaning

Soft toys, and linens for allergies and asthma triggers to settle on. Washing bedding weekly in hot water helps to keep things from building up. Sticking to a natural laundry detergent alternative like this SmartKlean Laundry Ball can prevent asthma triggers. 

But it’s impossible to wash everything. This is where allergy and dust-proof mattresses covers and pillow protectors come in. These are zippered covers that are smooth, and woven tightly to keep the dust and allergens out.

You want to keep your home clean and free of bacteria and mold, but chemical sprays and certain cleaners can trigger reactions in the lungs, throat and nasal passages. Check out these natural cleaning tips from Wellness Mama.

3. A Humidifier

Winter is tough on asthma. Dry, cold air can constrict airways and cause an attack, but so can dry heat from the average heating system in the home.

Investing in a humidifier can cut down on the cold or dry air in the room. Be sure to use clean water, and keep it well maintained to stop the spread of bacteria. You might even choose to buy a higher end model to protect against mold.

If you don’t want to invest in an air purifier, consider adding bowls of clean water above radiators. It’s an inexpensive way to humidify the air. Just make sure to clean the bowls and water regularly as you would with a humidifier unit.

One final suggestion, create a little indoor garden and introduce some plants known for their ability to humidify the air. Check out the best plants for re-humidifying the air.

ILW recommends: Indoor Air Quality: 4 Ways to Breathe Easier

4. Give Pets Their Own Space

Family pets can offer a lot of comfort and companionship for kids and adults alike. But if you want to protect against asthma at night, make sure to keep family pets off the furniture. Pet hair purifiers can help keep air free of pet dander that can trigger asthma.

Keep pets off beds, couches, chairs, anywhere the family is likely to curl up. It’s hard to say no to our furry friends, but they don’t always know what’s best for us.

5. Home Remedies For Asthma Cough At Night

It’s important to understand asthma medication. Excessive steroid use can make asthma worse or resistant to the medication. Having natural remedies to fall back on at night, can make a huge difference in your comfort levels.

Honey is a popular ingredient in natural cough remedies, but it also works wonders for asthma. You can make an effective protector against their asthma cough at night by mixing warm water, raw honey, and cinnamon all together. The honey helps produce more phlegm, and provides relief from coughing. To try this remedy start by mixing 1 teaspoon of honey with 8 ounces of hot water. When the honey is fully dissolved, it’s safe to drink. Drink it three times a day to ease airways and increase production of phlegm. You can also add ½ tsp of cinnamon to boost your immune system in winter, and to help fight nighttime coughing that can trigger severe asthma attacks.

Important: In case of an asthma attack, please use the medication prescribed by your physician and call 911 if it’s an emergency. 

Protecting your family against surprise attacks may seem complicated and scary, but these tips can help everyone in the house breath a little easier each night.

Bio: Patrick Holmes is an indoor air quality specialist at Home Air Quality Guides. His passion is to help people create cleaner, healthier and more comforting environments inside their homes by sharing expert advice that’s easy to follow. He enjoys writing in-depth articles on air purification, household cleaning tips, home maintenance advice and more.