Cold, Flu, & Cough Health Center

Cold Relief: 6 Sleep Tips to Help You Breathe Easier

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“You may be able to breathe easier but not be able to fall asleep,” Marple says.

Doctors have another concern about nasal decongestant sprays. Some, when overused, cause a rebound effect, called rhinitis medicamentosa. Instead of relieving congestion, the drug begins to cause the problem it’s designed to treat. When people go on using the spray, they get caught in a vicious cycle and can become addicted to the medication.

“If you have to use a nasal decongestant, stop after three days and throw the bottle away,” says Marple.

Prescription sleeping pills may also be a bad idea when you have a cold. “Sleeping pills can exacerbate upper respiratory obstruction in people with sleep apnea, which is a common problem for people who are overweight or obese,” says Michael Thorpy, MD, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

If a cold is the reason you’re having trouble sleeping, he says, it’s far better to treat the symptoms of the cold than take a sleeping pill.

4. Elevate the Head of the Bed

One common recommendation is to prop your head up on pillows to help sinuses drain more easily. “Bad advice,” says Thorpy. “By bending your neck at an unnatural position, you can actually make it harder to breathe.”

Instead, use a large wedge-shaped pillow that raises the upper body from the waist up, or raise the head of the bed up by placing bricks, books, or a telephone directory under the legs. Don’t raise it more than 6 inches, however, or the tilt will cause you to slide out of bed. The slight incline causes blood to flow away from the head and thus reduces inflammation of the air passages.

5. Apply a Mentholated Gel

This is another venerable treatment that remains popular. And it may help, although not the way many people once thought.

“Studies have shown that menthol doesn’t actually open up the airways,” says Marple. “Instead, the cooling sensation it causes makes people feel as if they’re breathing more freely. And let’s face it, that’s what’s important when you’re trying to treat the symptoms of a cold.”

6. Sleep on Schedule

“When cold symptoms make it tough to sleep, paying attention to the basic rules of good sleep hygiene is more important than ever,” says Neubauer.

By now most of us know the basics:

• Go to bed and wake up on a regular schedule. (That way, when bedtime rolls around, you’re in the habit of going to sleep.)
• Avoid stimulating beverages like caffeinated coffee or alcohol in the hours before going to sleep.
• Reserve your bed for sleep (and), not as a place to work, read, or watch TV.
• And if you do find yourself tossing and turning, get out of bed (and the bedroom, if possible) so you don’t associate them with insomnia. Do something that you find relaxing until you feel tired enough to go to sleep.