How to get to Sleep With A Cold: The Do’s & Don’ts

Cold and flu symptoms can make it tough to get a good night’s rest, which is unfortunate because often, getting a restful night’s sleep is just what you need to feel better tomorrow.

When you’re ill, the effects of little to no sleep are magnified, and can make cold and flu symptoms like runny nose and dry cough feel worse. Giving your body as much rest as it needs is important to help your immune system fight off cold and flu infection. Try these smart DOs and DON’Ts that can make sleeping with a cold easier – so you get the sleep your body craves.

The Sick Sleeping Environment Do’s

• Adjust your sleep schedule and give your body as much rest as it needs.
• Take nighttime cold/flu medicine to help alleviate coughing and other cold and flu symptoms.
• Consider using a humidifier or nasal decongestant—they could help you breathe more freely as you sleep.¹

Your Sick Sleeping Environment Don’ts

• Don’t use your bedroom for stressful activities such as paying bills, doing office work, or even watching television. All of these activities can inhibit your ability to relax when it’s time to go to sleep. It’s a good idea to follow this advice every night, but it’s very important when you’re feeling sick. Like most people, taking a sick day can cause work to pile up. Don’t try to solve it all before bedtime. Instead, get your sleep tonight, and tackle your work tomorrow.²
• Many people like sleeping in a cool room, but don’t make it so cold that you wake up shivering in the middle of the night. When you’re feeling sick, you might want to consider raising the temperature a little, rather than letting the thermostat drop. Just don’t forget to change it back when you’re feeling better.
• If you’ve tried all of the above tactics, and cold symptoms are still keeping you from falling asleep, don’t try to wait it out in bed. If possible, it’s best to get up and go to another room to read or listen to some calm music. However, try to avoid going online or watching television.

Sleep deprivation is nothing to be proud of, and could actually prolong cold and flu symptoms. By missing out on a restful night, you’re cheating yourself and those around you out of a healthier, more alert, more productive you – because sleep and mood are closely linked. Follow these sleep tips when you’re feeling sick to help you wake up feeling better once again.

[REFERENCES]
1. Eccles, R., Fietze, I., Rose, U.-B. (2014) Rationale for Treatment of Common Cold and Flu with Multi-ingredient Combination Products for Multi-Symptom Relief in Adults. Open Journal of Respiratory Diseases. 4: pp. 73-82.
2. Drake, C.L., Roehrs, T.A., Roger, H., Koshore, K.G., Turner, R.B., Roth, T. (2000) Effects of experimentally induced rhinovirus cold on sleep performance and daytime alertness. Physiology and behaviour. 71(1): pp. 75-81.

8 Cold and Flu Remedies for a Good Night’s Sleep

When you’re battling a cold or flu, one of the best things you can do for your health is get a good night’s rest. “The body goes into healing mode when it sleeps,” says Donald Novey, MD, a family and integrative medicine specialist in Poulsbo, Washington. “More sleep means more time to heal — it’s that simple.”

Unfortunately, getting quality sleep is sometimes easier said than done, especially when cold and flu symptoms include nasal congestion and post-nasal drip. These symptoms affect sleep the most because they cause coughing and make it hard to breathe, says Dr. Novey. “Bad muscle aches can also make people very uncomfortable,” he adds.

Cold and Flu Remedies to Help You Sleep

You don’t have to toss and turn all night when you’re battling a cold or the flu. Try these home remedies to get better sleep.

1. Hit the showers.

Novey recommends a hot shower or bath right before bed. “The body is ‘cold’ when you have a cold, and heat helps to energize, reduce symptoms, and relax muscles,” he explains. “This is one of the best ways to promote better sleep when you’re sick. ”

2. Brew a cup of tea.

Hot, decaffeinated tea with a little fresh lemon juice can help reduce runny nose symptoms, Novey says. In particular, ginger tea can help ease muscle aches and generate a feeling of well-being, he says.

Novey’s recipe for a simple ginger tea: Thinly slice a 4-inch piece of fresh ginger root and boil for 30 minutes in a half-gallon of water. Add cinnamon bark and sugar or honey for added flavor. It’s best to sip this brew well before bedtime, as it may stimulate stomach acid and potentially cause heartburn, he says. If the tea upsets your stomach, try eating some toast or a few crackers with it to calm your tummy. Chamomile tea is also a good choice to help you relax.

3. Raise your head.

Oftentimes, nasal congestion is worse when you’re lying down, so elevating your head with extra pillows or a foam wedge may help alleviate some cold and flu symptoms, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

4. Open your airways.

Saline (salt and water) nasal sprays can help with a stuffy nose, according to the Mayo Clinic. You can also try adhesive decongestion nose strips, which widen nostrils from the outside to make breathing easier. If your nose becomes red and raw, a dab of petroleum jelly can soothe irritated skin. (Just avoid using petroleum jelly for more than a few days; it can lead to respiratory problems if used long-term.)

5. Moisten the air.

Placing a humidifier or vaporizer several feet from your bed can help ease nasal congestion by breaking up mucus so you can cough it up. Moist air can also relieve coughing itself. In a child’s bedroom, use only a cool-mist vaporizer, because warm-mist units can cause burns if younger children get too close, says the Mayo Clinic. Be sure to drain and clean the humidifier daily so it doesn’t get moldy.

6. Choose your medications carefully.

Some over-the-counter cold and flu remedies should be avoided at bedtime. Steer clear of decongestants because they contain ingredients that are stimulating and can interfere with sleep, says Novey. Antihistamines are sleep-inducing and better choices at night, he adds.

7. Set the stage for sleep.

Make sure your bedroom is conducive to quality sleep. The National Sleep Foundation suggests transforming your bedroom into a “cave” by making sure it’s quiet, dark, and a little on the cool side.

8. Relax.

“If your mind is occupied with something else, it relaxes,” Novey says. He suggests turning on soothing music to help you drift off to sleep. You could also try practicing a relaxation technique like meditation or breathing exercises in bed to help you fall asleep.

“Let each cold or respiratory infection you catch be an inspiration to avoid them in the future,” Novey suggests. That means following basic health habits to keep your immune system strong, including eating well, exercising regularly, washing your hands often, and making sure you get quality sleep on a regular basis.

Sleep Tips for a Cold or the Flu

How can you get the rest you need when a stuffy nose and hacking cough make sleep hard to come by?

1. 
   Prop yourself up. Sinus pressure gets better when your head is higher than your body, so let gravity work for you. When you lie down, postnasal drip can build up, making your throat sore and triggering a cough. Make a wedge with a few pillows to prop yourself up in bed. You may breathe and sleep a little easier.
2. 
   Use a vaporizer or humidifier. Flu and cold symptoms dry your airways out and make them raw. Moisturize the air with a humidifier or vaporizer. Be sure to clean it regularly — check the directions — so it doesn’t trap mold or bacteria.
3. 
   Drink or eat something hot. Breathing the steam from hot soup or drinks can help your dried-out nasal passages, loosen mucus, and make it easier to clear your airways. Add some honey to soothe your throat and help with coughing. Take a hot bath or shower before bed.
4. 
   Try cold and flu medicines. There are lots of over-the-counter nighttime medicines for cold and flu symptoms, so make sure you read the labels carefully. Match your symptoms with the right meds. If you’re not sure what’s right for your symptoms, ask your pharmacist.
5. 
   Don’t drink alcohol. Sure, it may make you drowsy. But it actually makes people wake up more during the night. Alcohol can also dry you out, swell your sinuses, and react badly with cold or flu medicines. Wait until you’re feeling better.
6. 
   Sleep
   alone. When you’re sick, it may be better to sleep away from your partner. That way, you won’t risk spreading the sickness. And you can cough, blow your nose, and get out of bed without waking someone else up.
7. 
   Can’t sleep? Get up. Try something else. Sit in a chair and read for a little while. Listen to music. Then get back into bed when you feel sleepier.

11 Tips For Getting a Good Night’s Sleep When You’re Sick

Tips For Getting Good Sleep When You’re Sick

We suggest using these tips to stock up on sleep, so you can wake up feeling refreshed and replenished even when you’re under the weather. The more closely you stick to getting enough sleep every night, the better your immune system will be at fighting against cold and flu germs.

Go to bed as early as possible.

This may sound obvious, but the earlier you go to bed, the more sleep you will be able to get at night. Laying on the couch and Netflixing, while restful, doesn’t count. Set an early bedtime for yourself, try some relaxing activities to help you unwind, and turn out the lights immediately once you’re settled into bed.

Take Theraflu to provide relief.

Cold and flu symptoms — from coughing and sneezing to a runny nose and sore throat — are uncomfortable and not conducive to falling asleep. Counteract these disruptions by taking an over the counter medicine like Theraflu, which gives you powerful symptom relief. Theraflu Nighttime Severe Cold and Cough Hot Liquid Powder Medicine contains powerful ingredients like acetaminophen (pain reliever), and diphenhydramine HCl (an antihistamine and cough suppressant), which can both help ease your symptoms while you sleep.

Unplug at least an hour before hitting the hay.

If you’re double-tapping, scrolling and swiping right, you can’t expect to catch any zzz’s. Not only is your mind still working, but smartphone and tablet displays also emit disruptive blue light that can suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps your body know when it’s time to sleep.

Put devices down at least an hour or more before bed. It’s best to leave them outside of your bedroom so you won’t be tempted to keep checking them in bed. Try keeping a book on your bedside table to encourage reading before bed and when you’re having trouble falling asleep.⁴

Eat light before bed so you’re not tossing and turning.

If you have a heavy dinner too close to bedtime, your stomach may still be working to digest it, regardless of whether you’re ready to sleep or not. To prevent this from happening, stick to a light supper and eat on the earlier side.

Create an optimal environment for sleeping.

Your bedroom should be like a cave — dark and cool. When you are ready to turn in for the night, switch the lights completely off. It may even help to sleep on dark sheets. The room temperature should be somewhere in the 60s for restful slumber.

Use white noise to block out disruptions.

Certain sounds can help you get to sleep faster by drowning out disturbances and conversation around you. Download an app or use a music streaming service to play white noise while you sleep. See what works best for you — ocean sounds, rain, crickets chirping, etc.

Turn on a humidifier.

Dry air is a known eye, nose and throat irritant that can make cold and flu symptoms worse. With a humidifier, you can monitor the air quality in your bedroom and add moisture back into the air if it is lacking. That way, your sickness won’t get any worse, and you won’t lose additional sleep by having to deal with extra discomfort.

Have a soothing drink.

Try sipping on a soothing, caffeine-free beverage before bed to help you relax and ease some of your symptoms. Drinks like herbal tea, warm water with lemon and honey, and clear broth all help soothe a sore throat and open nasal passages before bed so your symptoms won’t keep you awake.⁷

In addition to avoiding caffeine, avoid any substances containing alcohol or nicotine, as both substances are known to disrupt sleep. ⁸

Limit daytime naps.

Taking a long nap may sound tempting when you’re feeling groggy from being sick, but lengthy naps can actually interfere with your night-time sleep routine. If you need a nap, try to limit your napping time to 30 minutes, and avoid napping too close to bedtime so you can still fall asleep at the appropriate time.⁸

Stick to a regular sleep schedule.

Sticking to a regular sleep schedule is one of the best lifestyle changes you can make to improve the overall quality of your sleep, and it is especially important when you are sick. Aim to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day and try not to change your sleep schedule by more than an hour on the weekends. Being consistent and intentional with your sleeping schedule will help reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle.⁸

Manage your worries and stress.

If you find yourself running through your to-do lists instead of falling asleep, try keeping a journal next to your bed so you can jot down whatever is on your mind before lying down, and then try to leave those thoughts for the next day. Stress management techniques like meditation are also great for lowering anxiety and aiding sleep.⁸

5 Ways to Ensure Sleep When You Have the Flu

Having flu is not the most pleasant thing in the world. People feel sleepy and tired most of the time. They may have a fever and headaches. They can experience nasal congestion, a sore throat, and a dry cough. The overall feeling people who have the flu have is one of weakness and fatigue. 

The flu is not something anyone wants, yet it happens all the time. Having nasal congestion and a persistent cough might prevent most people from getting enough sleep. While for a healthy person seven hours of sleep per night are enough, a sick person might need ten hours of sleep per night.

The flu sucks all the energy from a person, leaving it weak. And getting enough sleep is important because it helps with the retention of information. Everyone must look for ways to improve their logical thinking and study knowledge.

But, how to make sure that you get enough sleep when you have the flu? All the symptoms might prevent you from getting a night of restful sleep. But there are some tricks everyone can do. 

Take Flu Medicines

When having symptoms of flu, medication is the first right thing to do. To be sure one has identified the symptoms correctly, a discussion with a doctor or a pharmacologist is needed. There are a lot of flu medicines that can help you heal faster. And a lot of medicines are designed for nighttime use when the symptoms of the flu are more intense.

So, after reading the labels carefully, you can take one medicine that can stop the cough and nasal congestion. A decongestant would be perfect, but always remember how important is to read the instructions on the box. 

Raise Your Head

Everyone knows that the head needs to be at the same level as the feet when sleeping. But things change when having the symptoms of flu. The nose is blocked and a persistent cough prevents anyone from having a good sleep. One trick would be to use some extra pillows that can prop the head higher than usual.

Why is this an important aspect to be taken into consideration? Because it helps the sinuses to drain. This means that that feeling of congestion around your eyes and ears will be gone. Combined with the right medication, this trick can help anyone get a better sleep when sick. The gravity works this for you!

Unplug from Electronics Before Sleep

“Unplugging from electronics before sleep is a piece of advice anyone can do, no matter if they have the flu or not. It is the best thing you can do for your health”, says Samantha Jones from essay writing service Australia and uk-dissertation.com.

So, it is about the blue light these electronic devices are emitting. Using electronic devices before sleep can delay your internal clock and make your mind and body become alert. This might prevent anyone from falling asleep soon. The effects of using these devices before sleep are devastating in the long term.

The blue light emitted by them causes delays in REM sleep. So, using electronic devices before sleep, especially when you have the flu, might prevent you from falling asleep and staying asleep. In the long term, the usage of the phone, TV, or tablet before sleep can cause serious sleep dysfunctions. 

So, it is better to avoid using the phone or watching TV before going to bed. A lot of other before-bed activities can be done and they do not imply the blue light of electronic devices. For example, you can read, paint, draw or have a discussion with your family or partner.

Even if you might not be in the mood for these, as you cough, feel weak, and have a fever. But for sure they will contribute to better sleep quality. And this is what someone sick needs. 

Keep Good Sleep Hygiene

This means that a dark and cool room is better suited for a night of good night’s sleep. Especially when you are sick. You can use a humidifier to clean the air in your room and make it more breathable. A humidifier moisturizes the air and helps you stay asleep.

Also, when having a fever is difficult to regulate your temperature, so dressing in layers can help. If the temperature fluctuates, you can easily pull up and down that extra layer. 

Part of sleep hygiene is also the bedsheets. Wool bedding is the best option. They offer the best comfort when you are having a fever and you are sweating. 

Drink and Eat Hot Meals

Some might think that drinking tea when sick is an obsolete habit. And that eating a bowl of hot chicken soup is something you can see only when watching TV. But it is not.

Drinking hot liquids can help loosen mucus and clean your airways easier. And the hot chicken soup is known to reduce inflammation. But keep in mind that some aliments must be avoided when having the flu.

Avoid drinking alcohol, caffeinated drinks, and citrus juice. They upset the stomach and dehydrate you, making the flu even more difficult to handle. Honey, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, and thyme are known to have immune-boosting properties. 

Conclusion

Having the flu is not something desirable, yet it happens. The flu can prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep, so a few tips and tricks would be helpful. Drinking hot liquids and having hot meals can help you deal with the blocked nose and dry cough.

Taking flu medicines and keeping good sleep hygiene can ease your time falling asleep. One aspect overlooked by many is the usage of electronic devices that prevent you from falling and staying asleep. 

It might seem difficult to get a good night’s sleep having all those symptoms, but following these easy steps will help you get good rest. However, if you feel that your sleep issues are more serious and maybe sleep apnea, call Alaska Sleep Clinic to speak with one of our board-certified sleep specialists for a free assessment.

Author bio: Becky Holton is a journalist and a blogger at essay-writing service uk. She is interested in education technologies, grademiners review  and is always ready to support informative speaking. Follow her on Twitter.

5 Smart Tips for Sleeping Better with a Cold or the Flu

Cold & flu season got you down?

Ugh, cold and flu season has arrived – just in time to ruin your winter. Sleep is a crucial part of kicking the cold (and flu) even though it may feel more stressful than restorative. Not to mention that when you’re sick, symptoms tend to worsen as bedtime approaches.

The coughing and runny nose started so we put on the stethoscope to investigate some simple (but smart) ways to enhance your sleep while battling your abominable cold and its ugly cousin, the flu. Read first, then rest…

1. Rethink your regular sleep position. Many people prefer to stack on an extra pillow when unable to sleep with a cold or the flu. This may cause your head to sag forward, worsening your breathing problems. Try using a foam wedge that lifts your upper body and helps the nasal packages drain. If you don’t have a wedge, layer pillows to form a triangular shape.

If you wake up with one side of your nose blocked, try switching positions. Laying on your back may worsen a postnasal drip – try sleeping on your side.

2. Maintain a consistent room temperature. Don’t be tempted to overheat the room because you have a cold. Keep the temperature at a comfortable level (69F – 72F) and bundle up with blankets that can be shoved off if you begin to overheat. The humidity in the room is important too. Dry air can worsen your cold symptoms and parch your nose and throat. Use a humidifier to keep the air moist or open up a window for fresh cool air – just don’t let the snow in.

3. Don’t drink alcohol. Sure, it will make you drowsy. But alcohol will dry you out, swell your sinuses and react badly with your cold or flu. Wait into until you’re feeling better to enjoy your evening nightcap.

4. Stick to your nightly routine. A cold can make it had to stick to your typical bedtime. But it’s best to wake up and head to bed at the same time as usual when you’re sick. Sticking to a schedule not only makes it easier to fall asleep – it can assist in fighting off the next cold. One study suggests that people who don’t get enough zzz’s are three times more likely to get sick than those who get 8 or more hours of sleep a night.

5. Soothe yourself with a warm drink before bed. Many people lose their appetite when the cold kicks in. “You don’t need to increase your fluid intake when you’re ill, but you do need to make sure you don’t get dehydrated,” says Dr Eccles. “And hot drinks are very good, particularly at night time.” Higher calorie drinks like Ovaltine or hot chocolate can help you sleep. More calories equal better sleep mode.

Rest well & wake up ready to go!

Better sleep gives rise to better mornings, bringing your goals into focus and dreams within reach. Hungry for more sleep info? Dig into these posts:

Don’t let cold/flu season ruin your winter. Instead of hacking all night – hack into those great sleep tips.

Eager for more sleep info you can really use?
Join our communities on
Facebook and Twitter
and let’s continue the conversation.
We’d love to hear what you have to say!

This blog does not provide medical advice. It is intended for general informational purposes
only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional
medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your
health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you
have read on Restonic.com. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your
doctor or dial 911.

6 Ways to Sleep Soundly When You Have a Cold, a Cough, or the Flu

This content was created by the National Sleep Foundation.

Sleep is one of the best medicines when it comes to fighting off colds. It’s a big booster for your immune system, improving your body’s ability to fend off viruses before they take hold. And when you do get sick, adequate sleep helps you bounce back faster, in part by maximizing the infection-fighting antibodies that your body produces. So what do you do when a cough or stuffy nose is keeping you up at night? These simple strategies can help you manage cold symptoms—so you can get the rest that you need.

Have Some Tea With Honey

Just like the classic chicken noodle soup, any hot soup or beverage can steam up dry nasal passages, making it easier to breathe. So try some tea with honey in it. Remember, honey doesn’t just soothe a sore throat—it can also be as effective as cough suppressant meds at quieting a cough.

Take a Steamy Shower

Hot steam in the shower can also open your nasal passages, loosening dried mucous and clearing your airways. Plus, it’s a good way to wind down and relax before getting under the covers.
Use a Humidifier

Dry, indoor air and cold season go hand in hand. Luckily, a good humidifier can help to battle both by adding moisture into the air and soothing dry sinuses. But beware: If you don’t maintain your humidifier by cleaning it regularly, it can breed mold and bacteria, contributing to the very problems that you’re using them to relieve. Keep it clean by changing the water daily and cleaning the tank at least every few days.

Pile Up The Pillows

If it feels like your symptoms get worse as soon as you lie down, you’re probably right. That’s because when you’re horizontal, mucous can collect, causing a cough and even a sore throat. Propping yourself up with pillows helps gravity work to your advantage.

Try Cold and Flu Meds

Decongestants, cough suppressants, expectorants—there are plenty of different medications that can ease symptoms so you can rest. Read labels carefully to try to match the drugs to your symptoms since it’s best to avoid combination meds that treat symptoms you don’t have. And, at bedtime, steer clear of medications labeled “daytime” or “non-drowsy” since they may have ingredients that could keep you awake.

Don’t Force It

If you can’t sleep, get out of bed and move to a different area of your home. Read a book, listen to music, or sip another cup of hot herbal tea. Then try hitting the sack again in another 15 to 30 minutes.

90,000 “Young and healthy can be in intensive care in three days.” A doctor from the “red zone” – on the dangerous symptoms and unpredictability of coronavirus one and a half times and an increase in the average life expectancy of Russians to 78 years. For this, the national project “Healthcare” is being implemented. At the same time, the coronavirus pandemic has been going on in Russia for almost a year, and the Ministry of Health warns that due to the epidemic, mortality is increasing for other reasons, because many chronic patients now do not go to doctors.In addition, the epidemic makes Russians more and more anxious and changes their way of life, which can lead to the development of both psychological problems and specific physiological disorders. About how the coronavirus affects the sick and the healthy, Lenta.ru learned from the doctor-somnologist who leads the direction of Sleep Medicine at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Presidential Administration Daria Lebedeva.

You have observed people with coronavirus in the “red zone” – what can you say about the symptoms?

Daria Lebedeva: The disease does not always begin with a loss of smell.One of the first symptoms may be, for example, a feeling of shortness of breath with little physical activity or a rise in temperature to high numbers.

From my experience I would also like to note that this disease is very unpredictable. A young girl can enter without excess weight, concomitant diseases, with a low temperature – and in three days she will be in intensive care. And a middle-aged patient can do, for example, with an oncological disease, but, thank God, to endure everything more or less in an average form.

You should always be careful and try this peak – the first two weeks – to be as alert as possible. It is better to see a doctor on time, get tested, do CT of the lungs, and so on.

In your specialization as a somnologist, can you name any features of COVID-19?

The most common reason a coronavirus infection can be more severe is being overweight. Such people often suffer from complicated snoring with respiratory arrest during sleep – apnea. If such patients do not undergo respiratory support therapy – CPAP therapy, then they are more difficult to tolerate the coronavirus.The higher the likelihood that such a patient will end up in intensive care.

Working in the “red zone” and seeing such patients, I make sure to check their sleep. If the diagnosis of sleep disturbance is confirmed, then patients, lying in a regular ward, and not in intensive care, sleep with masks. That is, we do early prevention of complications so that patients do not end up in intensive care and everything does not end in failure. The fact is that obese patients often do not get out after mechanical ventilation and die.

Photo: Artem Krasnov / Kommersant

Can coronavirus cause dangerous sleep disturbances in those who have not suffered from them before?

If a person is obese, they already have sleep apnea as this is the main cause.Therefore, sleep disturbance will also manifest itself with coronavirus.

The most interesting thing is that many doctors think that if such patients are prescribed simple oxygen therapy, then everything will be fine. I recently did a sleep test on an oxygen apnea patient. And all the same, even on oxygen due to respiratory interruptions at night the oxygen dropped. This is not a cure. During the day everything seems to be fine, but at night a person will still have cyclic drops in oxygen – for example, 30 times per hour or more, which, of course, negatively affects the quality of therapy in general.

Are there any special guidelines for coronavirus patients with sleep disorders?

Of course. If such a patient was previously prescribed CPAP therapy (now it is more accurate to say not CPAP, but PAP therapy), it is imperative to sleep with your device. The same is the case if a person is hospitalized – let the relatives bring the device to the hospital. It is important.

Of course, it is better to use bacterial filters, but this is more about the hygiene of the use of devices.But in general, the recommendation is this: those who have already been diagnosed with apnea need to use machines, and those who have a suspicion need to do a sleep check and, when the diagnosis is confirmed, start treatment. In this case, the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus will decrease, and it will also be less likely to transfer the infection in a severe form.

How can you even understand that problems begin in a dream? The man is asleep!

The easiest way – if you are not sleeping alone, you have a sleep witness, a bedmate.Or a neighbor. They usually say, “Darling (honey), you snore.” Or: “You are not breathing, I wake up, I look and I am afraid that suddenly you will die.” But there is not always a neighbor or a neighbor, and sometimes they sleep and do not hear.

In this case, you need to pay attention to other symptoms, which can be divided into night and day. The first is, as I said, snoring and respiratory arrest. In addition, nighttime symptoms include sweating, especially in the head and neck area: a person sweats so much during the night that they have a wet pillow; frequent urination – when a person goes to the toilet more than three times a night.

Daytime symptoms are, first of all, constant sleepiness: a person falls asleep at meetings, while driving, on the subway – anywhere. This is an increase in pressure, especially in the morning. Well, in general, a breakdown: I constantly want to lie down and do nothing.

These are the main symptoms. If there is at least one daytime and one nighttime, then you need to do a sleep test.

Young or old – for whom is it more dangerous?

Most often they are middle-aged men with overweight.If a man’s shirt collar is larger than size 43, he is advised to check his sleep. However, with age, this disease only gets worse. The muscles of the pharynx become looser, their tone decreases, and the number of respiratory stops increases. Therefore, the older the person is, the more likely they are to have sleep apnea. And the same is true with increasing excess weight. Men are affected three times more often than women. But when menopause occurs in women, the frequency of occurrence is approximately equalized.

Any other symptoms related to the coronavirus or the pandemic in general, can you point out?

From my experience, I can say that after the introduction of quarantine and isolation began, more patients with sleep disorders began to come to me, most often with insomnia. And it all starts on the sly. At first, it is difficult to fall asleep once – if, for example, a person watched a movie until late. Then anxiety is added to this, news from the media, and so on.

Plus the habit of lying on the bed for days – watching TV, using gadgets, eating, reading … Our apartments are often small, and families are often large, so we have to somehow huddle together. And the habit of lying is not the same as before. That is, before a person associated bed only with sleep, now for him it is an office, a library, a restaurant, and a cinema – all together.And since we are now moving less, do not go to work, see less bright sunlight, our biological clocks go astray. In addition, physically a person does not get tired as much as before. He has no need to lie down to rest, because there is no particular physical activity.

This all leads to the fact that people can watch TV all night, falling asleep closer to morning. When after that they go to work in the office, they understand that they cannot sleep at night – the habit of not sleeping at night has already formed.

If sleep is disturbed during illness, this is, in principle, normal, because fever, intoxication or some painful symptoms – for example, headache, muscle pain – interfere with sleep. This is fine. When a person recovers, sleep should return to normal. Plus, the patient usually has no strength, fatigue, general weakness. Therefore, if a sick person sleeps during the day, there is no need to wake him up. During illness, in order to recover faster, you can sleep during the day.

What should not be done with ARVI?

Influenza is an infectious disease that anyone can get.The causative agent of influenza is a virus that gets from infected people into the nasopharynx of others.

Most people only get the flu for a few days, but some get more serious, possibly severe or even fatal.

With influenza, existing chronic diseases are aggravated, in addition, influenza has an extensive list of possible complications:

Pulmonary complications (pneumonia, bronchitis). Pneumonia is the cause of most deaths from influenza.
Complications from the upper respiratory tract and ENT organs (otitis media, sinusitis, rhinitis, tracheitis).
Complications from the cardiovascular system (myocarditis, pericarditis).
Complications from the nervous system (meningitis, meningoencephalitis, encephalitis, neuralgia, polyradiculoneuritis).
To avoid possible complications, it is important to timely prevent influenza and properly treat the disease itself.

Influenza usually starts suddenly. The causative agents of influenza, viruses of types A and B, are distinguished by their aggressiveness and extremely high reproduction rate, therefore, within a few hours after infection, the virus leads to deep lesions of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, opening up opportunities for bacteria to penetrate it.

Flu symptoms include fever, temperature 37.5–39 ° C, headache, pain in muscles and joints, chills, fatigue, cough, runny or stuffy nose, pain and sore throat.

Influenza can be confused with other diseases, so a clear diagnosis must be made by a doctor, who also prescribes treatment tactics.

What to do if you get the flu?

The patient himself, at the first symptoms, needs to stay at home, so as not only not to infect others, but also to start treatment in time, for which it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor.To prevent the further spread of infection, the sick person must be isolated from healthy persons, it is advisable to allocate a separate room.

Important!
Parents! In no case send sick children to kindergarten, school, cultural events. With the flu, it is extremely important to stay in bed, as with the disease, the load on the cardiovascular, immune and other systems of the body increases.

Self-medication for influenza is unacceptable, and it is the doctor who must diagnose and prescribe the necessary treatment appropriate for the patient’s condition and age.

For correct treatment, it is necessary to strictly follow all the recommendations of the attending physician and take medications in a timely manner. In addition, it is recommended to drink plenty of water – it can be hot tea, cranberry or lingonberry juice, alkaline mineral waters. You need to drink more often and as much as possible.

Important!
At a temperature of 38 – 39 ° C, call a local doctor at home or an ambulance team.
When coughing and sneezing, the patient should cover his mouth and nose with a handkerchief or tissue.
The room where the patient is located must be regularly ventilated and wet cleaning there as often as possible, preferably with the use of disinfectants acting on viruses.

Contact with a sick influenza should be limited, and when caring for him, a medical mask or gauze bandage should be used.

According to the position of the World Health Organization, vaccination is the most effective remedy against influenza, because it is the vaccine that provides protection against those types of influenza virus that are most relevant in this epidemiological season and are included in its composition.

The introduction of a vaccine into the body cannot cause disease, but through the production of protective antibodies, it stimulates the immune system to fight infection. The effectiveness of the influenza vaccine is incomparably higher than all non-specific medications that can be taken during the winter months, such as immunomodulators, vitamins, homeopathic remedies, “traditional medicine” and so on.

Vaccination is recommended for all groups of the population, but is especially indicated for children from 6 months, people suffering from chronic diseases, pregnant women, as well as people from occupational risk groups – medical workers, teachers, students, service and transport workers.
Vaccination should be carried out 2-3 weeks before the onset of an increase in the incidence, vaccination can only be done in a medical institution by specially trained medical personnel, while a doctor’s examination is mandatory before vaccination.

There are few contraindications to influenza vaccination. The flu vaccine should not be given in acute febrile conditions, during an exacerbation of chronic diseases, with an increased sensitivity of the body to egg white (if it is part of the vaccine).

Having been vaccinated against influenza, you protect your body from the attack of the most dangerous viruses – influenza viruses, but there are still more than 200 types of viruses that are less dangerous for humans, but can also cause SARS. Therefore, during the period of an epidemic rise in the incidence of ARVI and influenza, it is recommended to take non-specific prophylaxis measures.

Influenza Prevention Rules:

Get the flu vaccine prior to the outbreak season.
Reduce the time spent in crowded places and public transport.
Use mask in crowded areas.
Avoid close contact with people who have signs of illness, such as sneezing or coughing.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water regularly, especially after outside and public transport.
Rinse the nasal cavity, especially after the street and public transport
Ventilate the area in which you are on a regular basis.
Regularly damp the room you are in.
Humidify the air in the room where you are.
Eat as much vitamin C as possible (cranberries, lingonberries, lemon, etc.).
Eat as many garlic and onions as possible.
Use drugs and immunity-enhancing drugs as recommended by your doctor.
In case of occurrence of influenza patients in the family or work collective, start taking antiviral drugs for prophylactic purposes (in agreement with the doctor, taking into account contraindications and according to the instructions for use of the drug).
Maintain a healthy lifestyle, get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly.

1. How can I protect myself against influenza A (h2N1) virus?

Use general flu prevention measures: Avoid close contact with people who seem unhealthy, exhibit fever (fever) and cough. Wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and water. Follow a healthy lifestyle, including adequate sleep, eating “healthy” foods, and being physically active.

2. How should I care for a sick person at home?

Isolate the patient from others, at least 1 meter away from others.
Cover your mouth and nose when caring for a sick person. For this purpose, either commercially available masks or homemade masks are suitable, provided they can be disposed of or disinfected after use.
Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after each contact with a sick person.
Ventilate the patient’s room at all times. Use windows and doors for ventilation.
Keep the area clean using household detergents.
If you live in a country with this infection, follow the additional guidelines provided by the national and local health authorities in your country.

3. What should I do if I think I am sick?

If you feel unwell, have a fever, cough or sore throat:
Stay at home and do not go to work, school or crowded places.
Rest and drink plenty of fluids.
Cover your mouth and nose with disposable handkerchiefs when coughing and sneezing, and dispose of used handkerchiefs properly.
Wash hands thoroughly and frequently with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing.
Tell family and friends about your illness and try to avoid contact with people.

4. What if I need medical attention?

Call your doctor at home and talk about your symptoms. Explain why you think you have type A (h2N1) influenza (for example, if you recently traveled to a country with human outbreaks). Follow the advice given to you.
If it is not possible to contact your healthcare facility in advance, please report your suspected infection as soon as you arrive at the facility.
Cover your nose and mouth when traveling.

What not to do if you have a cold?

1. At the first sign of a cold, you should not tightly lock all the windows in the apartment. There is absolutely no need to overcool, but a long stay in a closed room can be harmful: the concentration of viruses in the air becomes high and prevents recovery. The more often the air saturated with infection is replaced with clean air, the more beneficial to your health.

2. No need to buy menthol candies from kiosks. They do not have a healing effect, thanks to menthol they only create the illusion of relief, but do not cure the very cause of the disease. Real medicines, for example, lozenges, are sold at the pharmacy, and the doctor will tell you which ones will help you.

3. Do not buy cough medicines unless you know how they work. For self-medication, you can use only expectorants that help thin and remove phlegm from the bronchi (mucaltin, bromhexine, licorice syrup).And drugs that suppress the cough syndrome should be prescribed only by a doctor, usually this is done with a dry and unproductive cough that exhausts the patient, preventing him from sleeping. It is especially dangerous for self-medication to combine expectorant and antitussive agents: sputum accumulates in the bronchi and is not excreted from there. This mutually exclusive effect of drugs can cause serious harm to health.

4. It is not necessary to bury onion juice in the nose in case of a cold according to the “grandmother’s” recipe, you can get a burn of the mucous membrane! Modern otolaryngologists also ask you not to experiment on your own body and buy a medicine for the common cold in a pharmacy.Special vasoconstrictor drugs that effectively facilitate nasal breathing should be used with caution and not for long, in strict accordance with the doctor’s recommendations and instructions, otherwise side effects are possible.

5. Do not cancel shower and other hygiene procedures in case of illness. The active activity of viruses leads to the formation of a huge amount of toxins that poison the body and lead to its intoxication. Therefore, all excretory organs, including the skin, tirelessly work on their removal.If the waste products of viruses from the skin are not removed, then the cleansing of the body, and therefore its recovery, will proceed much more slowly. It is necessary to wash during illness, but it must be done carefully, without putting yourself at risk of hypothermia when leaving the bathroom.

Doctors gave advice on normalizing sleep after coronavirus :: Society :: RBC

Photo: Pepe Zamora / Getty Images

Experts interviewed by RBC noted that during the pandemic the number of complaints of insomnia increased, and the number of visits by patients with sleep disorders increased by 42–46%.

“Recently, we have seen an increase in the number of people treated with sleep disorders. From our point of view, this reflects the increased mental instability in society. Since the coronavirus differs from other diseases in scale and health threat, it causes so-called psychological distress. Feeling of inner trouble. This leads to an increase in internal stress, an increase in the frequency of sleep disorders, “- said Mikhail Poluektov, head of the sleep medicine department of Sechenov University, Ph.D.He emphasized that this is especially clearly manifested “in the onset” of the disease, when a strong immune reaction begins. At this time, patients complain of loss of sleep or deterioration in its quality.

Johnson reports a new, more infectious strain of COVID-19

The head of the sleep service “Unison”, neurologist-sleep doctor Elena Tsareva added that sleep disorders cause anxiety due to the pandemic. According to her, during the epidemic, the number of patients with sleep disorders has increased by 42–46%. Insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing became the predominant complaints. “If earlier we met both mild and moderate breathing disorders during sleep, now there are more severe ones,” she summed up.

The quality of sleep can be affected by drugs used to treat coronavirus infection. This was told to RBC by the head of the Sleep Medicine Center of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Alexander Kalinkin.“The inability to smell is a manifestation of damage to one of the structures of the brain. The center of sleep and the center of wakefulness are located deep enough, so the likelihood of being infected by the virus is lower. But with certain complications, sometimes associated not only with the virus, but also with the treatment itself, sleep can worsen, since some drugs affect the quality of sleep, ”he said. “In case of breathing problems, lung damage, hypoxia at night, there is no need to use drugs that simply improve sleep.Here you still need to take care of the lung function, and then sleep will be restored by itself, ”the specialist expressed confidence.

Also, according to somnologists, there is a danger that sleep disorders will persist after the COVID-19 illness.

Not every ARVI should immediately run to a therapist – Rossiyskaya Gazeta

The autumn rise in the incidence of a new type of coronavirus infection coincided with the arrival of ordinary seasonal ARVI, including influenza.

Can you tell one thing from the other yourself? Is it worth worrying about fever and runny nose? The head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology of the Faculty of Medicine of the Russian National Research Medical University named after V.I.Pirogova, MD, DSc, Professor Vladimir Nikiforov.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, have our medicine learned any lessons from the coronavirus pandemic? Is there an understanding of how to deal with this disease, what means to use?

Vladimir Nikiforov: We, of course, did not defeat the coronavirus. But since the beginning of the pandemic, many different treatment approaches have been tried. Some of them turned out to be dead ends. But, fortunately, we did not choose completely risky methods.The bitter truth is that not everyone could be helped, because it was a completely new pathogen for us, the mechanism of its action was not clear. But today we already understand how to treat these patients, since the main points of pathogenesis have become clear. Vaccines are on the way. I would say that the situation has generally stabilized. And after this stabilization, the pandemic will decline, because the virus clearly does not mutate in the bad direction, like, for example, the flu in 2009. In the end, this infection will either come in periodic waves, like the flu, or it will be a constant background, like seasonal SARS.In any case, I can say for sure that the death of humanity from COVID-19 does not threaten.

What are the first overt symptoms of COVID-19? What should a person who felt them do?

Vladimir Nikiforov: I have to upset you: there is no one hundred percent data indicating that Ivanov has COVID-19, Petrov has adenovirus, and Sidorov has H1N1 flu. All of them belong to the category of respiratory viruses. The overall picture may differ in the severity of the course, but it will not be possible to clearly distinguish them by symptoms.Even a lost sense of smell is not a 100% symptom. I myself have suffered from COVID-19, and I have not experienced this.

The first universal link of defense against viruses is interferons, and then the immune system adapts and strikes the virus itself

It turns out that the behavior algorithm for all these diseases is the same – stay at home, call a doctor and take symptomatic medications?

Vladimir Nikiforov: Right. I am only against abrupt movements with self-medication.If these are symptomatic drugs, then you can. But many drugs that are used in the treatment of coronavirus have severe side effects, so they can only be taken as directed and under the supervision of a doctor.

But you can help yourself with something while the doctor comes?

Vladimir Nikiforov: For responsible self-medication, there is a set of fairly harmless universal drugs. They do not act directly against the virus, but negate the pathological effects that the virus causes.And this is a fairly large group of drugs. In the latest temporary recommendations of the Ministry of Health of Russia on COVID-19, it is recognized that they can be used at the onset of the disease against any ARVI, because they have the same clinic, the pathogenesis is the same. And already when the doctors decide on the diagnosis, then they will prescribe specific drugs.

The first universal link of defense against viruses is interferons. In case of coronavirus, nasal instillation of interferon alpha is indicated. The causative agent is simply “stuck” in a kind of “barbed wire” of interferons of the first line of defense.And then the immune system adapts and strikes the virus itself. To help her, you can also use the domestic drug Ergoferon, which includes technically processed antibodies to interferon gamma. The principle of its action is that the physiological level of its own gamma-interferon remains normal, but its antiviral activity increases.

Everyone is waiting for the coronavirus vaccine. Will mass vaccination stop the pandemic and finally allow all of us to return to normal life?

Vladimir Nikiforov: We have known this virus for less than a year.Throughout the history of medicine, mankind got rid of one single infection – smallpox. Viral infections change very quickly. And in order to interrupt their spread, we need to vaccinate at least 95 percent of the population. This, unfortunately, is unrealistic. It is important to remember that the infection never sleeps and does not forgive mistakes. And you must be fully prepared to meet with her.

In addition to coronavirus, winter and spring are the flu and SARS season. Can “regular” SARS and influenza be distinguished from COVID-19?

Vladimir Nikiforov: Let’s treat this reasonably.If symptoms appear, the temperature rises, at least half a day or a day observe your condition. After all, if everyone jerks the doctor at a temperature of 37.1 and the slightest runny nose appears, not a single medical system will withstand. COVID-19 does not develop in a day, believe me. You need to calmly think about what specifically bothers you, measure your temperature, take those same universal drugs against ARVI, for example, Grippferon or Ergoferon. These are outpatient drugs, over-the-counter, sold in any pharmacy.You should drink more liquid – tea, fruit drink, etc. And if the medications do not work within a day or it clearly becomes worse, then call the clinic and call a doctor.

If tests have shown that there is no coronavirus, is it necessary to treat influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections? And if necessary, then how – to use folk remedies, vitamins, over-the-counter medicines?

Vladimir Nikiforov: As for medications, I repeat: at the beginning of the illness, it is better to take medications with immunomodulatory and antiviral effects.As for traditional medicine, I take it calmly, although, frankly, I don’t really believe in it. And I would not say that we have a very large number of people with vitamin deficiency. If a doctor recommends, for example, vitamin D or a vitamin complex, then you should listen to this opinion, but everything is fine in moderation.

The most important thing is not to panic if you get sick. In 90 percent of cases, even COVID-19 is just an indisposition. In the rest, doctors will help to cope with it.

Why do you constantly want to sleep and get tired?

Why do you constantly want to sleep and get tired?

Answering cardiologist, internist “Capital Clinic Riga” Santa Viltere

Sleepiness and fatigue can have several causes.Some of them are completely harmless and quickly resolved (overload, lack of sleep, etc.), but others, such as anemia, are very serious. Therefore, if a person is constantly sleepy and tired, and at the same time these phenomena are not seasonal in nature, you should definitely consult a doctor in order to establish the cause of prolonged fatigue and eliminate it as quickly as possible. In the dark, when we get too little sunlight, vitamins and at the same time our forces are robbed of viruses and flu, fatigue is more likely to occur.The reason is the lack of sunlight, when the body, with the onset of the dark season, intensively begins to produce melatonin (a hormone that regulates the rhythm of sleep and vigilance) and already automatically adapts to “hibernation”. This has a significant effect on the body. Also, temperature fluctuations create an additional load on the circulatory system and an increase in the feeling of fatigue. With the approach and onset of winter, a person becomes less physically active, food, especially on holidays, becomes more fatty, unhealthy, we eat a lot of sweets and overeat.Due to the lack of sunlight, less vitamin D is produced, which affects our immune system.

It may seem impossible, but fatigue is often associated with insufficient iron in the body. A person does not feel a gradual decrease in hemoglobin levels, therefore, iron deficiency in the body should be checked regularly. Unfortunately, it has been established that a large part of society suffers from anemia, while – mainly women – are so accustomed to this phenomenon that they do not even pay attention to it until severe anemia develops, and thus cause significant harm to their health and quality of life.It is very important to identify and clarify the causes of anemia. If there are not enough irreplaceable sources of iron – meat, especially beef, liver, eggs (yolk), apricots, pomegranates (also juice), legumes, spinach, the doctor prescribes iron-containing preparations.

Existing anemia cannot be compensated for by diet alone; in this case, treatment is necessary. It takes patience and time, as the treatment takes 4-6 months on average. Usually, treatment begins with taking oral medications (tablets, capsules, syrups).The introduction of intravenous iron-containing preparations is more effective, but also more expensive, since it is necessary to receive at least 10-20 injections. The cause of fatigue can also be psycho-emotional stress, stress, overwork. This phenomenon differs from anemia in that after rest, sufficient sleep, recovery of strength, fatigue recedes, and the person again feels vigorous. The fact that in spring and autumn a person is overcome by fatigue, mood spoils, is quite normal, but if the condition becomes prolonged, you should consult a doctor.The specialist usually recommends techniques for how a person can help himself.

• Adequate outdoor exposure, physical exercise outdoors, ventilate frequently;

• Be physically active;

• Think about what you eat. It is especially important to eat varied and balanced, especially to emphasize vegetables, fruits and greens in the diet;

• Take daylight hours to physical activities and nutrition;

• Replace hot shower with a contrast shower, always ending with a jet of cold water;

• Be sure to devote time to yourself and rest, the multiplication of positive emotions.

90,000 The doctor said that she increases the risk of contracting COVID-19 from a child

If someone in the family caught a new coronavirus infection, how not to get sick all together? What is the difficulty of the upcoming flu season this year? And what is the main insidiousness of COVID-19? Does this disease develop rapidly or does it act on the principle of a “delayed explosion”? The correspondent of “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” questioned the bacteriologist Alexandra Meltser about this.

Photo: From the archive of Alexandra Meltser

In the laboratory of the Mariinsky Hospital in St. Petersburg, she performs PCR studies, which diagnose various infections with high accuracy, including coronavirus. Dr. Meltzer began laboratory diagnostics of COVID-19 at the very beginning of the mass quarantine, when the Mariinsky – an ordinary multidisciplinary city hospital – was redesigned for the treatment of patients with coronavirus.

Send your relatives to the dacha

Alexandra Anatolyevna, the virus, which we forgot a little about over the summer, went on the attack again.Standard preventive measures are known: masks and so on. But what should we do in the family if someone is sick? Or is there a suspicion of a coronavirus? Does this mean that everyone will be infected? Is it obligatory to hospitalize the patient?

Alexandra Meltser : Let me remind you: if you suspect you have a coronavirus infection, stay at home and call a doctor. You don’t need to go to the clinic yourself.

Just in case, prepare a mask, gloves, shoe covers for the doctor, provide an opportunity to wash your hands and treat them with an antiseptic (purchase in advance).Put on the mask yourself. This will protect you to some extent from the doctor (doctors can also be asymptomatic with coronavirus). And a doctor from you, regardless of whether it is coronavirus, flu or SARS.

The doctor will give recommendations, say if there is a need for hospitalization. With an asymptomatic or mild course, it is quite possible to stay at home. But in some cities, departments of hospitals have been opened, which accept just such a group of patients – so as not to infect neighbors in a communal apartment or loved ones.Whether or not to be hospitalized in this case is up to you.

What do you recommend?

Aleksandra Meltser : Important: it is better to move a potential patient to a separate room as soon as there is a suspicion of infection.

If there are people in the family suffering from cardiovascular, immunological, oncological diseases, diabetes mellitus, or the elderly, it is advisable to move them out of the apartment (if there is such an opportunity) – to the dacha, to their relatives.

The whole family should wear masks (and change them regularly), wash their hands, treat contact surfaces (including door handles, toilet flush buttons, mixer taps, etc.) with an antiseptic.

In fact, as experience has shown, quite often the coronavirus, as well as the flu, becomes a “disease of dirty hands”. Of course, you will not wear gloves at home, but at least observe basic hygiene rules. We ventilate the room more often. We carry food to the patient in the room.And it is better to make the dishes “personalized”.

Fear those who cough and sneeze

Alexandra Anatolyevna, and what increases the risk of infection?

Alexandra Meltser : We must remember that the probability of infection depends on whether the patient sneezes or coughs. If not, it is less. Of course, if you suspect that someone in the family has become infected, it is better not to go to work, school, or kindergarten – until the circumstances are clarified.

Do not forget that your personal illness can be asymptomatic or mild.But at the same time, you are a source of infection for others, who can get sick already very seriously, up to death. We must all remember this all the time!

What if a child gets infected with the coronavirus?

Aleksandra Melzer : Observe the doctor’s instructions! Children usually don’t get very sick. So take sick child care and stay at home! And don’t forget to follow the rules I mentioned.

Is it true that the probability of an adult being infected from a child is minimal? There were publications on the Internet about this .

Alexandra Meltzer : There is no research to support this hypothesis. But, as I said, if the child does not have a runny nose and cough, the probability of infection is certainly lower.

When to take the test

If, after all, there was a contact on the coronavirus, do you need to get tested right away?

Alexandra Meltser : No, it’s pointless. It is recommended to be tested for coronavirus only on the 8th and 11th days after contact. The most informative are PCR analyzes.

In case of asymptomatic PCR – does the diagnosis show the presence of the virus ?

Alexandra Melzer : Yes. During our work with patients, we saw another feature of the virus: even with high viral loads, a person may not yet feel unwell.

We examined both patients and doctors. Sometimes they saw: the analyzes show a serious development of the disease, we inform the person about this, and he is surprised: “How so, I feel great.You messed something up. ” already intensive care

Coronavirus is insidious: literally in a few days the most severe complications can develop.This will prevent the development of deadly complications.

Coronavirus is associated with the development of pneumonia. Is it always obligatory for a serious course?

Alexandra Melzer : No. There were many cases when the patients were primarily affected by the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal tract (up to the “acute abdomen” syndrome). And the reason was the coronavirus.

When working, do you use Russian or imported tests?

Aleksandra Meltser : It was the tests made in Russia that were originally delivered to our hospital.They are of high quality and we are satisfied with the results.

Get vaccinated!

Has the “second wave” begun, or did the first one continue?

Alexandra Meltser : The situation is developing in different ways in different regions. Somewhere the coronavirus has just reached, but somewhere it is still not there. I believe: there will be no second sharp wave after all.

Another important thing: the seasonal incidence of ARVI begins to rise, followed by the flu. It is necessary to provide a clear diagnosis of what kind of virus (or viruses, since it is not yet very clear how the coronavirus will “combine” in the body with the influenza virus) the patient has contracted.This is necessary to ensure the correct treatment. And so that there is no “cross-infection” in infectious diseases hospitals.

By the way, vaccination against influenza is now in progress: an excellent reason to protect yourself from at least this virus (if you get sick, the disease will not be difficult). It is quite obvious: if you get sick with both the flu and the coronavirus at the same time, one will worsen the course of the other.

So they don’t seem to die from the flu?

Alexandra Meltser : In recent years, practically yes.But this is not the result of the flu being kind to us, but the result of an increase in the number of people vaccinated. If you look at St. Petersburg, just a few years ago a quarter of the population was vaccinated, last year – already 55 percent. In this – it is planned to vaccinate 60 percent of the townspeople. And this is absolutely correct policy of the city authorities.

Every year I myself get vaccinated against the flu, and I vaccinate my children. And we are not sick.

Should you flee to get the coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available to everyone? And if you have already had a coronavirus or think that you have had it?

Alexandra Melzer : Mass vaccination will increase herd immunity.Moreover, we are promised that the vaccine will become protection for two years. Let me remind you that we are vaccinated against influenza every year.

Now for those who have been ill. Practice has shown that not all patients who have been ill develop high titers of antibodies, sufficient to protect against re-infection. In addition, over time, they can completely disappear (we saw that even after three weeks, some patients no longer had them). Therefore, the amount of antibodies is important. If there are a lot of them (titers are high), the vaccination can be postponed.But check with your doctor.

In any case: even if you get vaccinated at high titers, nothing bad will happen to you. These are all fairy tales that the vaccine “knocks out” naturally formed antibodies.

I had to work 12 hours a day

Alexandra Anatolyevna, have you yourself had a coronavirus?

Alexandra Melzer : No. In the laboratory, from the very beginning, even before quarantine, strict sanitary rules were observed. After all, we are working with who knows what kind of infections.

Even then we had to wear masks, disposable gowns, gloves. When the hospital began accepting coronavirus patients, we began to use suits instead of gowns. Competent use of personal protective equipment, passing through sanitary inspection rooms significantly reduces the likelihood of infection. At the peak of the epidemic, they had to work 12 hours a day. Of course it’s hard.

How did your friends and relatives react to the fact that you work directly with the biological material of the infected?

Alexandra Meltser : I immediately sent the children and the elderly to the dacha.Now we know a lot about the virus, but in the spring no one really knew what to expect, how great the danger was. Therefore, doctors also had fear.

On the part of friends and relatives – yes, there was a certain alertness. Now it’s easier: everyone knows that we regularly (once a week) undergo coronavirus tests, they know how to really reduce the likelihood of infection in the family. And so they are calm enough.

All materials of the plot “COVID-19. We can handle it!” read here .

Why does your baby sleep poorly?

Every child needs a healthy, sound sleep. But do parents always pay attention to how their beloved child sleeps? What can the features of sleep tell us, and what do they warn us about? Let’s talk about this with Olga Lodochkina , an otorhinolaryngologist OKDC .

– If we talk about a correct dream, what should it be?

– Sleep is structured into several phases, the most important of which is the deep phase.It is in it that the central nervous system rests and the production of important hormones occurs. For the normal development of the child, the phases of sleep must take place correctly and in turn. When snoring with respiratory arrest – obstruction, the phase of deep sleep does not occur. Parents should definitely watch the sleeping baby and his breathing. If you notice that a child snores in a dream, hides, and his breathing is interrupted at the height of snoring, then you need to contact an otorhinolaryngologist, since some diseases and any anatomical abnormalities or abnormalities leading to a narrowing of the airway can become the cause of snoring.

– What diseases can cause poor sleep and snoring?

– In 80% of cases, snoring in a child appears due to an increase in the adenoids and palatine tonsils. The pharyngeal tonsil blocks the nasal passages, and as a result, nasal breathing is disrupted and the baby has to breathe through the mouth. The consequences of the growth of the pharyngeal tonsil can be quite serious – it is a change in bite, a violation of the formation of the facial skeleton, abnormal development of the speech apparatus, nasal nasal, often recurring inflammation of the ears, hearing loss.In turn, the enlarged palatine tonsils can block the lumen of the airways at the level of the pharynx, and thereby hinder the flow of oxygen into the baby’s body through the mouth.

The fact is that the respiratory tract in children is much narrower than in adults. Therefore, in a dream, a baby may experience short-term respiratory arrest. The result of such short pauses in breathing often becomes hypoxia – oxygen starvation of the brain. There may, of course, be other causes of snoring, there are quite a few of them.

-What are these reasons?

– These are, first of all, anthrochoanal polyps that develop from cysts of the paranasal sinuses, benign benign formations that are treated surgically.

Snoring can cause any kind of rhinitis – bacterial, allergic, viral, or banal sore throat.
But most often the cause is – curvature of the nasal septum, congenital anomalies of the hard and soft palate, anomalies in the structure of the facial skeleton.In some cases, snoring is a signal of some kind of CNS pathology or a genetic disease.

-What is the danger of snoring?

– If your baby snores occasionally, do not worry. But if snoring in a child causes him discomfort during sleep, makes it difficult to get enough sleep, you should take the problem seriously. In addition, prolonged snoring that stops breathing can be very dangerous. If you do not start treatment on time, then there is oxygen starvation of the brain and a violation of the development of the child’s body.

– How to recognize signs that respiratory arrest is negatively affecting the baby’s body:

• The child becomes moody, nervous.
• Complains of fatigue.
• School performance is falling.
• The kid cannot concentrate.
• The baby sleeps restlessly, often wakes up.
• Nocturnal enuresis may occur occasionally.
• Growth retardation (due to a lack of growth hormone in the body, which is produced precisely during sleep).
• Excessive night sweating.

If the child has difficulty breathing through the nose, he will breathe through the mouth. As a result, the mucous membrane of the pharynx dries up, the mucus cannot fulfill its protective function. As a result, an excellent environment for the development of infection appears in the baby’s mouth and throat: the child often starts to get sick.

-What research should be done to establish the cause of snoring and make an accurate diagnosis?

– Examination of the nasopharynx, nasal passages and ears.The most informative is the conduct of such an examination using endoscopic techniques. On the basis of the ENT service of the OKDC, there is an endoscopic video stand that allows you to visually show the parents the state of the baby’s ENT organs. In difficult cases, computed tomography is needed.

But first, the doctor can take a swab of the nasopharyngeal mucosa to determine the nature of the inflammatory process in the nasal cavity. Bacteriological and virological diagnostics are also carried out in order to determine the specific causative agent of the disease.

In rare cases, a child’s sleep examination, polysomnography may be required. Such a study is necessary to determine the cause of the breathing disorder in order to understand whether this is the result of failures in the central nervous system or is due to a violation of the airway. This procedure takes a lot of time, because in the process of research, various functions of the body are recorded during sleep. The main indicators of polysomnography are the level of oxygen in the blood (hypoxemia) and the rate of respiratory arrest during sleep (frequency of apnea)

Parents need to learn the main thing: it is not the snoring itself that needs to be cured, but the reasons that caused it.After the diagnosis, the doctor will determine the nature of the snoring and choose the optimal treatment method. Depending on the causes of snoring, treatment can be of 2 types: conservative and surgical. Conservative is used in cases where the cause of snoring is an infectious disease of the respiratory system or an allergic reaction.

– If a child has allergic rhinitis, how to help?

– In this case, it will be necessary to remove the allergen (soft toys, dust, food), which provokes swelling of the nasal mucosa and causes snoring.The baby will be prescribed antihistamines, anti-inflammatory nasal drops and, possibly, a special diet. Usually, after a few days of treatment, the condition of the crumbs noticeably improves, the snoring disappears without a trace. However, then it is necessary to consult an allergist doctor and develop a long-term prophylaxis and treatment regimen. Untreated allergic rhinitis is very dangerous for the child’s body.

If a viral infection has become the cause of snoring in a child, as a result of which inflammation of the nasal mucosa has begun, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment for the child.In addition, you will need to regularly rinse the nose to make it easier to remove dried crusts and excess mucus. Often in such cases, children are prescribed vasoconstrictor drugs.

It is important to know: with vasoconstrictor drops you need to be as careful as possible. They are quickly addictive. In addition, overdose can contribute to a drop in blood pressure. Therefore, be careful, use only age-specific dosages according to the regimen prescribed by your doctor!

One must be no less careful with angina, since in this situation the palatine tonsils are significantly enlarged.They interfere with the normal passage of air through the airways, often causing snoring. Depending on the nature of the occurrence of angina (viral or bacterial), the doctor will prescribe treatment. It is very important to start therapy in a timely manner, since improper and untimely treatment of the disease can lead to a serious condition of the child.

– How to treat adenoids? Is it only by surgery, or is there an alternative?

– Our doctors are trying to alleviate the baby’s condition first by conservative therapy.But if the treatment does not work, then surgery is applied.

– How else can parents help their baby in case of snoring?

– You need to find a comfortable pillow. An orthopedic model is ideal for these purposes, which will provide the most natural and comfortable position of the baby’s head during sleep. The pillow should not be high or too flat. Its ideal thickness is about 6 cm.

You can put your child to sleep on a side.On the back, the possibility of snoring increases, as the baby can throw his head back and sleep with his mouth open, thereby creating the most advantageous position for narrowing the breathing tube.

It would be nice to ventilate the nursery more often, carry out wet cleaning, and also not get carried away by soft toys that collect a lot of dust.

2 – 3 times a day, you can use saline solutions to moisturize the mucous membrane and remove bacteria, viruses that have settled on the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity.