Cooler air can, however, exacerbate an existing cough. So if you have a cold or other respiratory infection – such as pneumonia or bronchitis – then being outside in the cold can make you cough. This is why most coughs seem to get worse when the temperature falls after dark.
Keep your room warm but not overheated. If the air is dry, a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer can moisten the air and ease congestion and coughing. Keep the humidifier clean to prevent the growth of bacteria and molds.
While it's easy to think that sick kids should just stay in and rest, there is usually no reason they can't reap the benefits of fresh air, even with a cough or fever. In fact, in most cases, spending time outside helps their ability to get well faster than any amount of couch time could.
Breathing cold air can worsen respiratory issues
“Dry air can aggravate respiratory conditions so, if you have one or have a history of sickness or hospitalization, it's important to take extra precautions,” says Dr. Pitman.
By turning your thermostat up a couple of degrees, anywhere between 74 and 78 Fahrenheit, you will reduce the chances of being exposed to drafts of cold, dry air and allow the humidity level to come up in your home.
When cold air hits the airways, the lungs react by tightening. Cold air contains less moisture, and breathing it in can dry out the airways. This can cause the airways to spasm, triggering an asthma attack, which can involve coughing.
The irritation of the cold dry air causes the lungs to react, resulting in more inflammation, the muscles around the airways constricting and narrowing and more mucous clogging the airways. People with asthma or COPD describe this as feeling short of breath or having a tight or burning feeling in the chest.
When temperatures chill, layers of the atmosphere are more likely to mix. This reduces pollution, making the air cleaner and easier to breathe. That's why breathing cold air feels healthier for many people.
Research shows that the immune system follows a circadian rhythm and that the cells involved in healing and inflammation tend to rev up in the evening. Some evidence suggests that more white blood cells (WBCs) are sent to your tissues to fight off infection during the night compared to the day.
People with respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or severe asthma, can be particularly susceptible to the effects of cold weather, finding themselves shorter of breath and coughing more than usual.
If the air is too cold it will dry out the air passageways, making coughing more frequent and persistent. The lungs have an automatic reaction when cold, dry air hits them, and then tense up. When the airways and lungs tense up it is common for coughing to be the reaction.
Maintain a consistent room temperature.
Keep the temperature at a comfortable level (69F – 72F) and bundle up with blankets that can be shoved off if you begin to overheat. The humidity in the room is important too. Dry air can worsen your cold symptoms and parch your nose and throat.
One potential reason could be that at a lower temperature, tissues need less oxygen to survive, and it may be more difficult for a person to get enough oxygen when they're ill. However, it's "more likely an adaptive response influenced by poorly understood mechanisms at the cellular level," Glatter said.
The cold temperatures can trigger symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Even in healthy people, cold, dry air can irritate the airways and lungs. It causes the upper airways to narrow, which makes it a little harder to breathe.
Research has shown that cooling the face with a fan is effective at reducing breathlessness. It is thought that cooling the cheeks, nose and mouth areas sends a message to the brain which reduces the feeling of breathlessness.
With intense exertion during exercise, some of the excess hemoglobin released from the leaky red blood cells in the lungs is transported through the bronchi to the mouth. Once in our mouths, the iron molecules come in contact with receptors on the tongue that are sensitive to iron.
What actually happens is that the wind or cold air inhaled by the nose feels colder. This cold air triggers excessive mucus production. Unfortunately, it is this excessive mucus production that traps bacteria, viruses, and fungi to develop. So, it is not cold or damp air that is the main cause of contracting pneumonia.
For someone with an undiagnosed heart condition, simply breathing in cold air can lead to chest pain. During cold weather, blood vessels will constrict, which can raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Coughing often worsens at night because a person is lying flat in bed. Mucus can pool in the back of the throat and cause coughing. Sleeping with the head elevated can reduce the symptoms of postnasal drip and GERD. Both can cause coughing at night.
Chronic dry coughs are usually caused by irritation from cigarette smoke, environmental irritants, allergies, post-nasal drip, or asthma. Several chronic lung diseases also cause a dry, hacking cough. Some people cough out of habit for no clear reason. Gastric reflux may also cause a chronic dry cough.
A persistent cough may be caused by: a long-term respiratory tract infection, such as chronic bronchitis. asthma – this also usually causes other symptoms, such as wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. an allergy.