Lung problems
COPD connection: Whether your COPD is due to emphysema or chronic bronchitis, the symptoms are the same: chronic cough (with or without mucus), feeling short of breath and wheezing – all can keep you up at night or wake you.
How to get relief: Use inhaled anticholinergic medications, which inhibit nerve impulses and reduce nighttime coughing and wheezing, recommends David Edelson, M.D., founder and medical director of HealthBridge, a health care facility in Manhasset, N.Y.
For flare-ups or worsening symptoms, inhaled steroids can help reduce airway inflammation.
Other parts of your treatment program may include pulmonary rehabilitation, which focuses on exercise, nutrition and breath training. In serious cases, you may also be given extra oxygen.
Acid reflux
COPD connection: Heartburn-promoting acid reflux (also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD) can cause a chronic cough, thus worsening the bronchitis component of COPD.
How to get relief: Acid-reducing medications – either prescription or over-the-counter – will help control your symptoms.
Also, "avoid alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, tobacco, as well as peppermint or spearmint candies or gum" – all of which can trigger reflux, Dr. Edelson suggests.
"Don't eat heavy meals late at night, and keep meals smaller and more frequent," he adds.
Try these other tips to relieve heartburn[1] too.
References
- ^ tips to relieve heartburn (www.lifescript.com)
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