How to get a good night's sleep with a chest infection?

[9GreenBottles]

I have developed a chest infection which is not too bad during the day, but overnight, has me coughing intermittently - sometimes till I think I'm going to retch. I'm not producing very much phlegm, but just enough to be really annoying. It's not a cold, my throat is no longer really sore, but I have lost my voice.

What's the best position to sleep in to try to reduce the likelihood of a coughing fit? I had 5 big pillows in bed last night to try to elevate my chest but I'd wriggled off them every hour that I saw the clock Are there any other tips you might have for me?

I'm on antibiotics (amoxcillan) and using paracetamol and cough mixture before bedtime plus honey, lemon and ginger tea through the day, plus a tot of amaretto or schnapps in the evening. I rub Vick over my chest before getting into bed (and have steamed with Olbas oil but that made me a red-faced, sweaty mess with stinging eyes).

Thanks in advance.

I think you are doing everything I could think of already!

Hope the antibiotics work soon.

A long hot shower before bed will loosen everything and hopefully allow you to cough it up. At least it will take a good hour to build up again and you can nap.

It’ll only take 2-3 nights for the drugs to kick in, so not long now! Be well.

Take some night nurse

Vicks on your feet with socks to help cough

Vics on throat, chest and back, old t shirt with vics on

Years ago a nurse told me to drink fruit teas to warm the lungs up

Lemon and honey in hot water

Vicks in my socks is going to go down well with DP He's out just now so I shall ask him to pop into the supermarket for Night Nurse on the way home whilst I get that shower cranked up!

I'm onto day 4 of antibiotics and do feel much better during the day, but overnight is just miserable.

Can you take ibuprofen?
If so, alternate with the paracetamol every 3.5 hours
Prop your head up on 2 more pillows than usual.

It's positioning with pillows. Make a triangle shape with the top of the triangle by your head, another pillow across those at the bottom, then one each side to support your arms/body. Recline into it semi upright and your sorted!

Aside from the antibiotics, it's only positioning that will help tbh

Sucking on frozen grapes will apparently help suppress a cough. I always mean to try it when I'm ill but I never have.

The Vicks on the feet work.

A hot water bottle or heating pad on the chest works for me too.

sleep propped up, almost sitting up.
if you have been prescribed an inhaler use that an hour before bedtime.

Night nurse recommended here too. You wake up a bit groggy but at least you sleep 💤

purplepillowcase beat me to the suggestion of sleeping propped up. Use pillows to position yourself so you’re as upright as possible in bed. This was the only thing that worked for me and enabled me to sleep for relatively long stretches. I just recovered from a chest infection and laryngitis tail end of last week. It’s shite, I feel your pain, hope you feel better soon.

Asda pharmacy were closed and didn't have any night nurse in bottles on the shelves so I've got some kind of day and night capsules to take. No grapes in the house to try, but pillow organisation, vicks in socks and all over and shower ready to be tried!

Do you have a recline chair? I've got a chest infection at the moment and last night slept almost upright in that, but with a bit of recline. I wore my dressing gown and covered myself with fleeces. It wasnt too bad a nights sleep (if the cat hadn't been such a pain!)

No recliner chair sadly Kez. I've caught myself falling asleep upright on the sofa a couple of times. I certainly had a better night's sleep last night, but 4 hours sleep still isn't great.

DP is out shopping for night nurse again.

Codeine is a great cough suppressant for when you are really desperate but don't take too much for too long... I also have a vaporiser beside my bed with a mix of eucalyptus peppermint and lavender

I would say you are doing everything right. Just try to get some pepper water..Pepper mixed in hot water and have it before you sleep. It works great. And a salt water gargle also helps.

Codeine if you can get a couple of doses. Just take it at bedtime.

Also hot water bottle on your chest?

I have a really bad response to codeine but the Night Nurse and Vicks (all over) have given me 3-4 hours between coughing fits overnight. New antibiotics this morning so hopefully they will knock it all on the head very soon!

Never heard of pepper water before.

I hope you feel better soon lovely

Over the years I've never found anything better than vics, if you feel up to it bowl of hot water spoon of vics, tea towel over head and breath deep. Or run a very hot bath, shut the door and sit on the bathroom floor and read for a while, let the steam do its work 💐

Well, I am definitely having better night's sleep. The chest infection is clearing (not gone yet), and I still have no voice but I think the Night Nurse, Vicks in my socks, and a daily steam, have all done me very well.

Thanks all!