I didn't sleep much last night b/c of a cough. I need a remedy so it doesn't...

[KIN]

happen again tonight. I have a bit of a cold, a slight nasal congestion, but a terrible cough. I'm nursing so I have to be careful what I use. Last night I ended up taking Tylenol (thinking it may decrease the tickle in my chest), Afrin, Sudafed and rubbing Unker's on my chest until around 1:30am I fell asleep. I don't want a repeat tonight! What should I do? Oh, I'm coughing some during the day, but it is much worse when I lay down.

[WTMindy]

I was going to suggest a shot of tequilla. :-) Last year I had such a bad cough and nothing was touching it (not even cough medicine with codeine). So, in literal desperation, in the middle of the night, I found our tequilla in the back of the cupboard and took a shot. It worked wonders!

[Deece in MN]

But, I recently read that if you rub Vicks VapoRub on the bottom of your feet before bed, it will stop your cough and help you sleep better.

I haven't tried it as I haven't had a cough and don't have any Vicks, but I read that it works. I guess it is worth a try. :)

Hope you feel better.

[Deece in MN]

Here is a link to Snopes about the Vicks on feet thing if you want to read it. They listed it as undetermined as to wether it is true or not.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/homecure/vaporub.asp

[magistramom]

Taking a salt bath helps pull toxins out of you pores so others can seep out and not build up inside - it helps clear the way for your WBC's to go in and attack the virus.

Fill your tub as high as you can, and as hot as you can stand. Pour about 5 cups of rock salt in (water softener salt is fine). Rub the rock salt on your skin until it dissolves, then soak in the hot tub for as long as you can. Towel off, then warm yourself under 5+ blankets until you sweat. When you can't stand sweating anymore, rinse the salt bath residue and sweat in a warm shower. You'll feel relaxed, and refreshed.

[strider]

Honestly, this is the most effective option I have found. I prop up a million pillows and a folded blanket or two and a U-shaped neck pillow and sleep sitting. When I lay down the mucous just builds up and results in terrible coughing. I am just getting over a cold now--I slept this way two nights over the weekend.

[Jean in IN]

except that my cough has been annoying all day! I haven't taken anything because I'm on full strength aspirin and don't know what I can take.

I'm drinking hot tea with honey right now. I forgot about vicks vaporub. I'll have to pull that out too, see if it helps. I'm going to try the bottom of the foot, see if it works:)

Jean

[whitestavern]

I just read last night that dark chocolate is a great cough suppressant (like I need more encouragement to eat chocolate!). I'm not sure if you can take Delsyn when you're nursing, but I had a cough so bad a few years ago where I literally could not sleep (nor could anyone else in the household :( and someone recommended it to me. Normally I'm not a big medicine person, but I had to sleep and this stuff worked wonders!

[Jean in IN]

Sounds good to me! I have a bag of Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kissables hiding in my cupboard :) It's worth a try!
Jean

[hana]

Deece, that's exactly what I was going to say. I don't know what Unker's is, but if it's eucalyptus, menthol, etc., try it on the soles of your feet. I haven't had a chance to try it on myself, but it makes a huge difference for my children. Good luck getting sleep tonight.

[KIN]

Hey Jean! I'm going to try it all - chocolate, medicine, Unker's (the Amish Vicks!) on my chest and feet, a pillow propped under me, all but the salt bath. I don't have any salt and I'm not digging it out of the softener. :) Hope you sleep tonight!

[Karen sn]

Well, I like honey soaked onion juice.
Dice an onion, put in a jar, cover just completely with honey. Let sit overnight.
Strain honey as needed. Store in fridge.

When nothing works - this will.
But it doesn't necessarily work when tried as a first choice remedy. It's weird that way.

Honey is good alone as well. Also honey and lemon in hot water.

[Karen sn]

WOW! I like the intensity of that! I believe it. Old people have long used epson salts for sick and sore bodies.

[Karen sn]

Vicks also cures (and more importantly prevents) fungus toenail.
When 3/4 of my toenail was coming off from an injury, a doctor told me that it would help reattach the new nail growth and prevent fungus. My nail is now perfect again.

[*anj*]

I know people who swear by this stuff: http://www.myspace.com/buckleys

[Dana in OR]

honey and whiskey. It works.

[Barb F. PA in AZ]

Clearing up the nasal congestion should help. It doesn't matter how slight it is, the trickle in the back of the throat will cause and/or exacerbate a cough. It doesn't even have to seem like the sinus drainage is causing it. A squirt of decongestant nose spray always does the trick for me.

Barb

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Wear a scarf around your neck. I have found that the cough-inducing tickle in my throat is much decreased if I keep my neck warm.

Sleep sitting up in a reclilner, if you have one.

[Jean in IN]

Hey Jean! I'm going to try it all - chocolate, medicine, Unker's (the Amish Vicks!) on my chest and feet, a pillow propped under me, all but the salt bath. I don't have any salt and I'm not digging it out of the softener. :) Hope you sleep tonight!

Well, mostly, BUT there was no coughing. I took Nyquil right before bed and slathered my feet and neck with Vicks. I slept really well, except that I woke up around 2:30 and was awake for about half an hour listening to K and M cough and thinking I really need to go put vicks on their feet but I don't know if I could find socks, but at that point I don't think I could have moved!

Oh, and I tried dark chocolate too, and as long as I had chocolate in my mouth I wasn't coughing but as soon as I was done the cough came back.

Now it's morning and the cough is back! and I'm really sore and achy, grr... Just from all the coughing yesterday, right? I think we might have a sick day.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I have yet to remember to try it but she says rub Vicks on the bottom of your feet and put socks on.