How to Go to Sleep when You're Sick

Last Updated: October 25, 2022 References Approved

There’s nothing more infuriating when you’re sick than feeling exhausted and being unable to fall asleep. Rest is a very important part of your body’s ability to fight off the illness, so you should prioritize getting a good night’s sleep when you’re sick. If you are an adult struggling to sleep while sick, take steps to alleviate the specific symptoms you're experiencing at bedtime, create a relaxing atmosphere for sleep, and choose the right medications.

Things You Should Know

Elevate your head with extra pillows and sleep on your side if you have a cough or runny nose.
Take fever-reducing medicine like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or aspirin if you have a temperature over 102°F (38.9°C).
Drink a decaf herbal tea with lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat and cough.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Alleviating Your Sickness at Bedtime

1
Know how to treat a fever. A fever is thought to be the body's way of fighting infection, so unless the fever is 102°F (38.9°C) or higher (for adults), it is important to let the fever take its course instead of treating it. There are, however, ways to make yourself more comfortable if you're dealing with a high fever at bedtime.
- For a very high fever over 102°F (38.9°C), try ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or aspirin. Be sure you take the proper dosage as indicated on the package, and call your doctor if the fever is 103°F (39.4°C) or higher or lasts for more than three days.^{[1]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
- For a lower grade fever, try wearing thinner pajamas, using only bed sheets instead of blankets, or even sleeping in the nude if that's more comfortable. You can also go to bed with damp hair or use a damp rag on your forehead or neck while you sleep, as long as you don't feel overly chilled.
2
Address a cough. Coughing fits are extremely disruptive to sleep. Try elevating your body with a few extra pillows at bedtime, and try to sleep on your side to prevent fluids from pooling in your lungs.
- Try taking a spoonful of honey to coat your throat before you sleep. You can also drink tea with honey to reduce the urge to cough as you fall asleep.
- If your cough is productive, meaning that you cough up phlegm, try taking medicine to dislodge some of the mucus about an hour or so before bed. These products are labeled "expectorant" and they cause you to spit out the mucus.^{[2]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
- You can also try using a cough suppressant or a soothing ointment like Vicks Vaporub.
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3
Deal with body aches at bedtime. It can be very difficult to fall asleep if your body is aching, whether it is from the flu, an injury, or an infection. Calming the ache can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
- Take an over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen or acetaminophen 30 minutes before bedtime.^{[3]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
- If the pain continues, try heat. Put a hot water bottle over any specific areas that feel achy. If your heating pad has a timed off-switch, it may be safe to use at bedtime.
4
Treat a sore throat at bedtime. Falling asleep with a sore throat can be particularly difficult since these seem to intensify at bedtime.
- Before bed, drink a hot herbal tea made with lemon and honey. You can use any herbal tea like chamomile or raspberry, or create your own by simply steeping slices of lemon in hot water and adding a teaspoon or two of honey. The heat itself will help relieve your throat, so the type of tea doesn't matter as long as it is not caffeinated.
- First, take a long-lasting pain reliever like ibuprofen about 30 minutes before bedtime. Then, when it is time to lay down, try using a numbing spray like Chloraseptic or Cepacol. These will temporarily numb the pain so you can fall asleep.
- Have a glass of water by your bedside to keep hydrated. Ensure you drink each time you may wake during the night. Cuddle a teddy or heat pack to distract you. Use honey to coat your throat.
5
Take steps to alleviate nausea and upset stomach. Symptoms like gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea can keep you up all night. Take some medicine before bed, like Pepto-Bismol, and try to get comfortable.
- For nausea, you can also try sipping a tea made with ginger. If you have fresh ginger and lemon available, slice them and put them in a cup of boiling water to steep for five minutes. Add a bit of honey and sip this slowly before bed. The ginger and lemon will help to settle your stomach.
- Sleep with your body curled around a heating pad, if you have one. If you don't, fill a tube sock with dried corn or uncooked rice and tie the end securely. Heat this in the microwave for a minute; the grain will hold the heat and act as a heating pad.
6
Address a runny or congested nose. If your nose is runny or congested, breathing can be difficult and this can cost you precious hours of sleep. Try these strategies at bedtime:
- Elevate your head with an extra pillow or two. Whether you are congested or runny, the extra elevation will help the sinuses drain as you sleep, which should make breathing easier.
- Use a nasal rinse like a Neti pot or saline spray right before bed. Blow your nose thoroughly afterward, take a cold medication specifically for runny or congested noses, and then keep a box of tissues next to the bed. You may still have to blow your nose throughout the night, but the medication should slow down the flow.
- If you are congested and having trouble breathing through your nose, coat your lips with a thick coating of lip balm or petroleum jelly and try to breathe through your mouth as you sleep.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Taking Steps for a Good Night’s Sleep

1
Don’t take medicine that makes you jittery before bed. If Benadryl leaves you wired, make sure to take your last dose for the evening a few hours before bedtime. Ideally, you would simply use a medication that didn't stimulate you, but sometimes there are not good alternatives available. The best you can do is hope that your response has calmed by bedtime.
2
Use the right posture for sleep when congested. When you lie down, your blood doesn't have to fight against gravity to get to your nose and inflame the veins and tissues there; this is why it might seem like you have to sit up in bed every few minutes to clear up your nose when you’re congested. ^{[4]
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- Prop yourself up with pillows when you’re trying to get to sleep, and let gravity keep nasal inflammation at bay.
3
Use a nasal spray before bed. A stuffy nose that impedes breathing is a common reason for being unable to sleep while you’re sick. Use a localized nasal spray right before bed, and reuse as necessary throughout the night to keep your nasal passages clear.^{[5]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- Decongestant nasal sprays reduce swelling in the sinuses and nasal tissues. They’re available both over-the-counter and by prescription, but should not be used over a prolonged period of time — three days at the most.^{[6]
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- Salt-water nasal sprays don’t have compounds that reduce swelling, but are still effective for loosening mucus and making it easier to clear nasal passages through blowing your nose. These can be used as often as necessary.
- Nasal strips are a good alternative to sprays if you find that the sprays keep you awake.
4
Drink something hot right before bed. Sometimes, an illness makes you feel so bad that you lose your appetite for both food and drinks, but keeping your body hydrated is necessary for a speedy recovery. More important to sleep, though, is that a hot drink right before bedtime can soothe a sore throat, inhibit coughing, and clear up congestive mucus that would otherwise make it hard to breathe. ^{[7]
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- Avoid caffeinated drinks, like coffee or caffeinated tea, before bed. Find decaffeinated versions of your favorite hot drink.
- You can find teas that specifically help your body fight off colds at the grocery store, like teas with added Vitamin C or Echinacea.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Creating a Good Sleeping Environment

1
Run a humidifier in your bedroom at night. A humidifier is a machine that produces a mist or steam, increasing the humidity or moisture in the air. The moisture in the air keeps your mucus loose, making it easier for air to get through your nasal passages as you sleep.^{[8]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- The noise created by a humidifier might keep you awake, though, so look for a quiet machine. If you're buying a new one, look for online reviews to get an idea of whether it is noisy.
- Try keeping the humidifier just outside your bedroom door; this way, you’ll still have some moisture in the air, and the noise will be reduced.
2
Set the thermostat to a moderate temperature, but on the cool side. Extreme temperatures — either hot or cold — will keep you from getting a good night’s sleep. Your brain, which regulates your body temperature without you even thinking about it, tries to achieve different internal temperatures when you are awake versus when you’re asleep. Reducing the external temperature slightly will help your body gear down for rest.^{[9]
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Research source} The ideal temperature for sleep is 68°F (20°C).
3
Keep a dark bedroom at night. Though you may think that reading a book or watching TV will help you get to sleep, the light from both of those activities will actually keep you awake longer. When your eyes take in and process light, the nervous system stimulates the parts of the brain that control hormones and body temperature. When this happens, your body chemistry stays wired up for consciousness, and you’ll find it more difficult to fall asleep.^{[10]
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- When it’s time to go to bed, turn off all light sources and cover up any technology that may have blinking lights that will keep your brain engaged.
- Stop using all electronic devices — including phones, tablets, and laptops — at least 30 minutes before bed, if not a few hours, as the blue light emitted from the screens will keep you awake.
4
Maintain a quiet, soothing environment. If someone else in your home is listening to music or watching TV with the volume up high, ask them to turn down the volume enough to keep you from hearing it in your bedroom. The fewer distractions you have, the better chance you’ll have of getting to sleep.
- If you can’t sleep, listen to a guided meditation or some soothing music to help you relax and drift off even easier.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Choosing the Right Medications

1
Know how you react to your medication. Even though symptom guidelines are a pretty good indicator of how you will react to a medication, observe your body’s actual response to what you’re putting into your body.
- For example, Benadryl makes some people sleepy, but leaves other people feeling unnaturally wired.
2
Avoid cold and flu medications that include ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. You might have to read the small print on the packaging to see what’s really in your medication, but avoid these drugs, specifically, if you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep. Although these decongestants make it easier for you to breathe, they are also light stimulants that might keep you awake, if breathing clearly.^{[11]
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pseudoephedrine}
3
Decode the medication’s packaging.^{[12]
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Trustworthy Source
Consumer Reports
Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing
Go to source} Over-the-counter medications often make claims on their packaging that are geared more toward advertising for sales than informing for treatment. It’s good to know what the difference between “non-drowsy,” “nighttime” and “daytime” really is.
- “Non-drowsy” medication simply means that there are no ingredients that are meant to induce sleep. This does not, however, mean that the medication is specially formulated to keep you awake or prevent you from getting drowsy. Don’t assume that non-drowsy formulas will leave you unaffected: for example, many such formulas include pseudoephedrine.
- “Nighttime” or “PM” medication has compounds that are intended to make you sleepy. Be careful about mixing or doubling up on your medications; if your “nighttime” medications already treat fevers or pain, don’t add extra drugs on top of them to target those symptoms.
- “Daytime” or “AM” medication may be synonymous with “non-drowsy” formulas or may have caffeine in them to increase alertness. Read the packaging carefully to see what you’re getting. Don’t assume that “daytime” medications are merely formulas that aren’t specifically designed to make you drowsy; if you take one before bedtime, it may well keep you awake.
4
Be wary of “nighttime” formulas in general.^{[13]
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Research source} Although nighttime formulas may well get you to sleep quickly, the quality of sleep you get from such medications isn’t healing, restorative sleep. Furthermore, the alcohol used in such medications may dehydrate you as you sleep, actually setting your body back in terms of its healing process.
- Some nighttime medications can become habitual; prolonged reliance on these products to get to sleep can disturb healthy sleeping habits.

Expert Q&A

Question

What position should I sleep in when I'm sick?

Marc Kayem, MD
Sleep Specialist
Dr. Marc Kayem is a board certified Otolaryngologist and Facial Plastic Surgeon based in Beverly Hills, California. He practices and specializes in cosmetic services and sleep-related disorders. He received his Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Ottawa, is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.

Marc Kayem, MD

Sleep Specialist

Expert Answer

Try sleeping on your side if you feel congested since it will be easier to breathe.
Question

How can I get to sleep when it's after 3:00am and I'm sick?

Chris M. Matsko, MD
Family Medicine Physician
Dr. Chris M. Matsko is a retired physician based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 25 years of medical research experience, Dr. Matsko was awarded the Pittsburgh Cornell University Leadership Award for Excellence. He holds a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Matsko earned a Research Writing Certification from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in 2016 and a Medical Writing & Editing Certification from the University of Chicago in 2017.

Chris M. Matsko, MD

Family Medicine Physician

Expert Answer

You might want to take an night time cough medication or NSAID with a nighttime sleeping aid.
Question

My throat hurts and has mucus in it. My doctor says that it's the flu, but what can I do to get better faster and kill time when I'm bored and home alone?

Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS
Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner
Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Tennessee in 2006.

Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS

Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner

Expert Answer

Support your speedy recovery by thinking positively, repeating good health affirmations, gargling your throat with salt and water 4 times a day, using nasal saline drops for your nose 3-4 times a day, drinking warm beverages, going easy on food, listen to healing meditations or podcasts on YouTube or Insight Timer, give yourself a self massage, take vitamin C and zinc, watch a funny movie to laugh and support your immune system.