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| Home > Living With Asthma > Daily Life > Nocturnal Asthma |
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Does it seem like your asthma control goes down with the sun? If you find yourself feeling pretty good all day only to wake up with symptoms in the night, you're not alone.
For years, people have referred to waking up at night with asthma symptoms as "nocturnal asthma" or "nighttime asthma." But don't be misled—asthma is a condition you have 24 hours a day, every day. Taking your medication as prescribed can help you control symptoms both during the day and at night.
Sleep loss from asthma symptoms may mean that your asthma medicines should be adjusted. Let your healthcare professional know what is happening. You should never adjust any of your medicines without talking to your healthcare professional.
Lying down may be part of the problem
If you have heartburn, lying down can make heartburn and your asthma symptoms worse. Heartburn, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is caused by stomach acid backing up into your esophagus or sometimes into your throat or windpipe as well. Many people with asthma have heartburn or GERD. Healthcare professionals believe that treating GERD may help to improve asthma symptoms in people who have both conditions.
It is best not to eat late or snack after dinner—but you should ask your healthcare professional about GERD if you are having nighttime asthma symptoms. Smoking can also make GERD worse, and it goes without saying that people with asthma shouldn't smoke.
Is your bedroom making matters worse?
The bedroom may be the worst room in the house for a person with asthma. Pillows, bedding, and rugs or carpet all attract dust and invisible dust mites that can trigger asthma symptoms in individuals allergic to dust mites.
What to do:
- Encase your mattress and pillow in a special dust-proof cover.
- Wash the sheets and blankets on the bed each week in hot water. Water must be hotter than 130°F (this kills dust mites).
- During the day, keep dust off your bed by covering the entire bed with a bedspread. At night, take off the bedspread and put it in another room.
If you've done all these things and still have trouble with your asthma during the night, talk to your healthcare professional.
Healthcare professionals are looking into other possible causes of nighttime asthma, such as cooling of the airways, which happens when you sleep, and less adrenaline and cortisol—2 hormones your body makes that help keep your asthma in check. They are at their lowest levels at night between about midnight and 4 AM.
Your asthma treatment plan may be adjusted to include preventative medications, like a long-acting bronchodilator, to help control wheezing and coughing throughout the night. So be sure to tell your healthcare professional about any symptoms you're having, and together you can create a treatment plan to help control your asthma symptoms around the clock.
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