A chest cold, often called acute bronchitis, occurs when the airways of the lungs swell and produce mucus in the lungs. That's what makes you cough. Acute bronchitis can last less than 3 weeks.
Chest congestion symptoms can be the result of multiple ailments, but if your chest congestion is a result of a cold then it should typically last less than 10 days. When coughing up mucus and phlegm, the color of the fluid may be an indication of underlying issues.
Take a hot shower and breathe in the steam to ease congestion. Try an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to ease body aches and reduce fever. Use saline drops or nasal spray to alleviate congestion. Use lozenges to keep your throat moist.
You're experiencing chest pain or you're wheezing when you breathe. You've exhausted all of your options. You've taken the decongestant, you've had more hot, steamy showers than you can count on one hand, and your cough is just as bad as it was when you first showed symptoms.
Bacterial and Viral Infections
Infections such as the flu, acute bronchitis, and pneumonia can cause your airways to make extra mucus, which you'll often cough up. It may be green or yellow in color. The new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 doesn't usually cause mucus in the chest.
Expectorants. Expectorants thin mucus and allow more effective coughing to clear airways. Guaifenesin is a common expectorant that is particularly effective at relieving congestion in the chest. People first began using natural forms of guaifenesin in the 1500s .
Chest congestion is the accumulation of mucus in the lungs and lower breathing tubes (bronchi). It is usually accompanied by a wet, productive cough that brings up thick mucus. Chest congestion may cause you to hear or feel wheezing or crackling sounds when you breathe in and out.
If you have a bacterial chest infection, you should start to feel better 24 to 48 hours after starting on antibiotics. You may have a cough for days or weeks. For other types of chest infections, the recovery is more gradual. You may feel weak for some time and need a longer period of bed rest.
According to Medical News Today2, common symptoms of mucus build up in your lungs may include: Wheezing. Difficulty Sleeping. Sore Throat.
Eucalyptus Oil or Vapor Rub
An over-the-counter vapor rub such as Vicks can provide immediate relief when massaged onto your chest. Eucalyptus oil, one of Vicks' active ingredients, can be pretty beneficial. Paired with hot water, eucalyptus oil can double your phlegm fighting force.
Bronchitis and pneumonia can both cause coughing, chest congestion, and chills. But while bronchitis is an infection of the bronchial tubes, which carry air into the lungs, pneumonia is an infection in the alveoli, the air sacs where oxygen passes into the bloodstream.
A bronchitis cough sounds like a rattle with a wheezing or whistling sound. As your condition progresses, you will first have a dry cough that can then progress towards coughing up white mucus.
If your mucus is dry and you are having trouble coughing it up, you can do things like take a steamy shower or use a humidifier to wet and loosen the mucus. When you do cough up phlegm (another word for mucus) from your chest, Dr. Boucher says it really doesn't matter if you spit it out or swallow it.
Nasal congestion typically clears after a few days, but congestion that lasts for a week or more may be a sign of an infection. Left untreated, nasal congestion may cause sinusitis, nasal polyps or middle ear infections.
There's no evidence that putting Vicks VapoRub on your feet will relieve a cold, congestion, or cough. But it might help moisturize your heels and relieve toenail fungus.
Postural drainage is a way to change your body position to help your lungs drain. If you have a long-term (chronic) lung problem associated with excessive mucus, or you have increased mucus from an infection, lying with your chest lower than your belly (abdomen) can help loosen and drain extra mucus from your lungs.
Hold your breath for 3 to 5 seconds. Then—as you let that breath out [coughing]— cough 2 or 3 times. Push on your belly with your arms as you cough. [coughing] Breathe in slowly and gently through your nose, and repeat the coughing if you need to.
The signs and symptoms of pneumonia may include:
Shortness of breath. Rapid, shallow breathing. Sharp or stabbing chest pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply or cough. Loss of appetite, low energy, and fatigue.