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Child's overnight cough may improve with honey in warm water.
Summary
The article reports that giving children aged 1 and over a warm drink with honey (or lemon and honey) is supported by NHS guidance and Mayo Clinic studies as a way to ease coughing and help sleep.
Content
A children's dietician shared that she gives her daughter honey in warm water before bed to ease a persistent overnight cough. The article appears amid a rise in childhood illnesses after the holiday period, with more children back at school and childcare. It notes NHS guidance and cites research from the Mayo Clinic on honey's effect on coughs. The reporting focuses on what sources and experts say, rather than offering new clinical claims.
Key points:
- A mother who is a children's dietician described using honey in warm water at bedtime to reduce her child's overnight coughing.
- The NHS advises that children aged over 1 can try a warm drink of lemon and honey for sore throats and coughs and says to see a GP if a cough lasts longer than three weeks.
- Mayo Clinic coverage is cited, reporting that honey "may work as well as medicines available without a prescription to lessen coughing" and that studies included children.
- Mayo Clinic guidance noted children ages 1 and older have been given about 0.5 to 1 teaspoon of honey in studies, either alone or added to other liquids.
- The NHS is quoted as saying children typically have between five and eight colds a year on average.
Summary:
Reports in the article indicate that honey in a warm drink is associated with reduced coughing overnight and improved sleep in some studies. NHS guidance and Mayo Clinic findings are presented as sources of that information, and the NHS guidance notes a GP should be consulted if a child's cough persists for more than three weeks.
