Research has shown that there is a connection between air pollution and night-time coughing.
The independent researchers used nocturnal audio recordings from a sleep app to identify cough frequency. This was split across 32 cities in 12 countries for over a year.
This included wildfire episodes, which resulted in short term increases in cough frequency. The researchers found that cough frequency rose alongside periods of elevated fine particle pollution during these events, providing further evidence that sudden increases in fine particle pollution can trigger respiratory symptoms.
The study also found that short-term exposure to higher levels of fine particulate air pollution was linked to more frequent coughing during sleep. The effect was seen both on the same day as exposure and the following day.
The link remained after taking weather conditions and flu activity into account, which they say suggests that even relatively low levels of urban air pollution may irritate the airways.
The researchers say the findings show that air pollution can cause measurable respiratory effects before more serious outcomes (such as hospitalisation) occur. They also suggest that night time coughing could provide a useful early indicator of the health effects of air pollution.
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