Can Eating a Marshmallow Before Bed Really Stop Your Nighttime Cough?
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If a cough is keeping you up at night, you might be tempted to try the latest fix that’s trending on TikTok: eating a marshmallow before bed.
Marshmallows contain gelatin, an ingredient that TikTokers claim coats your throat and stops your cough so you can sleep. One person has racked up 2.6 million views for a December 30 post about the #marshmallow #homeremedy her doctor recommended for an awful, lingering cough that made it impossible for her to breathe easily or get much sleep.
The doctor’s orders were simple: “Eat a jumbo marshmallow before bed,” the user said in her post. She said the doctor told her, “It sounds insane. There’s no science behind it. But it’s what I do. The gelatin helps coat your throat even better than honey.”
What’s in a Marshmallow?
One problem with this seemingly straightforward advice is that it may be confusing natural marshmallow root, an herbal remedy that may indeed soothe the throat, and commercially produced marshmallows that are made mostly from sugars and gelatin, says Omid Mehdizadeh, MD, a voice and swallowing specialist at Pacific Neuroscience Institute and Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
“Natural marshmallow root helps develop a protective coat along the lining of the throat, esophagus, and lungs, which can be soothing and act as an anti-inflammatory,” Dr. Mehdizadeh says. “This may in turn soothe irritation from any number of causes which could cause a cough.”
But marshmallows sold in stores today don’t contain marshmallow root, Mehdizadeh says. And there’s no evidence that the gelatin in marshmallows is a cough suppressant.
Why Marshmallows Aren’t a Great Idea
A doctor’s order to try marshmallows for a cough might be really tempting to people who have tried other remedies without success — or anyone with a sweet tooth. But it might actually make you feel worse, says Cynthia Li, MD, a specialist in internal and integrative medicine and the author of Brave New Medicine.
“People might get excited by the permission — or overt prescription — to eat marshmallow candies,” Dr. Li says. “But sugar and corn syrup are the primary ingredients, and they are well known to cause inflammation and suppress the immune system.”
Home Cough Remedies Doctors Do Recommend
One solution doctors do swear by is warm beverages. And they don’t need to be fancy or have a lot of ingredients.
“Warm water with honey can soothe a sore throat and may make a cough feel better,” says Jeffrey Linder, MD, MPH, the chief of general internal medicine and a professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Another great option is bone broth, says Li. “Bone broth, which is gaining popularity for its healing properties, contains cysteine, glutamine, and carnosine — all compounds that have immune-supporting and mucus-thinning properties,” Li says.
Tips to Sleep Easier When You Have a Cough
There are some simple things you can do in your bedroom to ease a nighttime cough and increase your odds of getting a good night’s sleep, Li says.
“Elevate the head of the bed to enhance the drainage of phlegm,” Li suggests. For this to work best, you need to sleep with both your head and your chest raised. You can do this with a special wedge pillow, a pile of regular pillows, or even by placing some books under your mattress to prop up the head of the bed, Li suggests.
Another great sleep aid can be a humidifier, Li adds. “A humidifier can help if there is a lot of dryness, especially for someone who has to breathe through their mouth.”
Avoiding late meals can also help prevent a nighttime cough, Mehdizadeh says. That’s because eating within three hours of bedtime can contribute to acid reflux, which is a common cause of coughs at night.
Salt water helps too, whether it’s a nasal spray or a neti pot that flushes out your sinuses, Mehdizadeh adds. He advises treating the causes of postnasal drip, like hay fever or upper respiratory tract infections, with nasal salt water irrigation.
Over-the-Counter Medicines Can Also Help a Cough
It’s worth going to the drugstore if your cough won’t let you sleep.
Cough drops can help, but you should check the label and avoid options with lots of sugar, Li advises. “A cough drop that is low in sugar and artificial colors, with manuka honey or menthol would be a great choice,” Li says.
Some over-the-counter cough syrups work, especially if they contain the active ingredient dextromethorphan, which is found in Robitussin, Mehdizadeh says. He also recommends nasal anti-inflammatory sprays like Flonase or Nasacort or other allergy medications, which can sometimes reduce coughing.
But if your cough won’t quit, you should really see a doctor to figure out what’s causing it and how to make it better, Mehdizadeh says. “Follow up with a doctor for a cough that lasts more than two weeks, or for other symptoms including shortness of breath and chest discomfort,” Mehdizadeh says.
No matter what you try, one thing you shouldn’t do is rely on marshmallows to make a difference, Dr. Linder says. “There’s no high-quality evidence I’m aware of supporting the use of marshmallows for cough.”
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