Night cough log: what to write down before an appointment
Asked about the cough, most of us manage “it’s worse at night” and not much else. A few lines a day for a week turns that into dates, times and details. Print this page (the menu and buttons drop out), or copy the headings into your phone’s Notes.
General information, not medical advice or a diagnosis.
This list helps you describe what happened. It doesn’t tell you what the cough is or what to do about it. If anything in the “don’t wait” section near the end applies, act on that first.
1. The basics (once)
- Whose cough, and their age
- The date it started, and what was going on then: a cold in the house, a new daycare or school, a move, a new pet, a new medicine
- Since then: better, worse, or about the same?
- Daytime, night-time, or both?
2. Each night (one line per night)
- How long after lights-out it started, and the busiest stretch of the night
- The longest coughing spell, roughly in minutes
- Did it wake them? How many times? Did it wake anyone else?
- Anything unusual: coughing until sick, struggling to catch breath between coughs, noisy breathing
- The room that night: window open, heating on, humidifier, pet on the bed
HealthyChildren’s cough checker (American Academy of Pediatrics) treats nonstop coughing spells, meaning more than 5 minutes without a break, as a reason to call the doctor within 24 hours. So note how long the long ones last.
3. What seems to set it off
- Lying down
- Cold air, or going outside
- Running around, laughing or crying
- Eating or drinking
- Smoke or vapour nearby, at home or elsewhere
- Dust, a particular room, or an animal
4. What you tried, and what happened
- Honey, warm drinks, extra fluids, a humidifier: what, when, and whether the night that followed was different
- Any medicine: its name, the dose, the times given, and whether it seemed to help
Honey is not for babies under 1 year old; the NHS, the CDC and HealthyChildren all say so. HealthyChildren and the CDC both advise against over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for young children and give the age limits on their pages, so ask a doctor or pharmacist before giving a child any.
5. The day after
- Tired, or unusually grumpy?
- Days of school, daycare or work missed
- Eating and drinking as normal?
- Fever: the highest reading, and on how many days
- Anything else: runny or blocked nose, sore throat, earache, chest pain
6. Questions to take in
- What do you think is behind it?
- What should we watch for tonight?
- When should we come back, or call?
- Is there anything we should stop doing?
- Would it help to hear a short recording?
What to bring
This page, filled in. A list of medicines. Two or three short clips on your phone, found in advance. The recording guide covers placement and how long to keep the audio. And any numbers you have, on paper or on screen.
Don’t wait for the appointment if…
- Call 911 for a child who is struggling to breathe or whose lips or face have turned blue (HealthyChildren).
- Get medical advice now for any trouble breathing, fast or noisy breathing, chest pain, or coughing up blood (NHS, HealthyChildren). In England, the NHS points you to 111 if a cough is very bad or getting worse quickly.
- Call the doctor within 24 hours for a baby under 6 months with a cough, and straight away for a fever in a baby under 12 weeks (HealthyChildren).
- See a doctor for a fever that lasts more than 4 days, signs of dehydration, symptoms that go on more than 10 days without improving, or that get better and then come back worse (CDC).
- Book an appointment for a cough that has lasted more than 3 weeks (NHS, HealthyChildren), or a cough with unexplained weight loss (NHS).
These lists aren’t complete. If something worries you, call.
Keeping the night part of the log
The night columns are the ones nobody can fill in from memory. CoughWise is an iPhone app we make for that part. It records the night on the phone and, in the morning, shows a count of possible cough-like sounds with an hour lane, the bursts they came in, and the loudest moments to play back. The count is an estimate for awareness: it may miss some sounds and count others. It won’t tell you what the cough is. The rest of this page is still yours to fill in.
About CoughWise and this guide
CoughWise is a wellness and awareness tool, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, screen for, treat or prevent any illness or condition. Recording and analysis happen on your iPhone; audio is never uploaded, and there is no account. If a cough is persistent, severe or getting worse, see a doctor.