Lemon and honey- Mix a tablespoon of lemon juice, a tablespoon of honey and a glass of hot water and drink this as a tea. This will help in reducing coughs and loosening the thickness of the mucus. Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and are essential in getting rid of mucus-forming bacteria.
Vicks VapoRub — a topical ointment made of ingredients including camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol that you rub on your throat and chest — doesn't relieve nasal congestion. But the strong menthol odor of VapoRub may trick your brain, so you feel like you're breathing through an unclogged nose.
Often viral cases of pneumonia begin as congestion and cough with or without fever in the first few days. When a doctor listens to the lungs and finds breathing sounds are not clear on either side of the chest, a viral cause over bacterial is even more highly suspected.
What Causes Chest Congestion? Infection with a cold or flu virus is among the most common causes of chest congestion and happens when the infection progresses from the upper respiratory tract – your nasal passages, sinuses and throat–into the lower respiratory tract–your breathing tubes (bronchi) and lungs.
Honey has demulcent effects (a fancy term for something that is soothing to mucus membranes by creating a film) and can help temporarily minimize the irritation that triggers the cough reflex. Adding honey to a hot drink is an efficient way to use 2 strategies in 1 to help with chest congestion.
Additionally, the citric acid also helps to break up mucus. When you have a sore throat it can often become irritated by thick mucus, making the pain worse. By breaking up the mucus, lemon can help to ease that pain and inflammation and get you feeling better quicker.
Signs and symptoms of a chest infection
coughing up yellow or green phlegm (thick mucus), or coughing up blood. breathlessness or rapid and shallow breathing. wheezing. a high temperature (fever)
Lemon and honey- Mix a tablespoon of lemon juice, a tablespoon of honey and a glass of hot water and drink this as a tea. This will help in reducing coughs and loosening the thickness of the mucus. Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and are essential in getting rid of mucus-forming bacteria.
Symptoms usually start to go away within seven days to two weeks if you don't have an underlying condition like chronic pulmonary disease. Medicines like decongestants may also loosen mucus and ease other symptoms.
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.
According to Medical News Today2, common symptoms of mucus build up in your lungs may include: Wheezing. Difficulty Sleeping. Sore Throat.
These symptoms can be unpleasant, but they usually get better on their own in about 7 to 10 days. The cough and mucus can last up to 3 weeks.
Get plenty of rest to help your body recover. Drink lots of water to loosen the mucus so it is easier to cough up. Take medication like paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower your fever and relieve headaches and muscle pains. Elevate your head and chest at night with extra pillows to clear your chest of mucus.
you've had a cough for more than 3 weeks. your cough is particularly severe. you cough up blood. you experience shortness of breath, breathing difficulties or chest pain.
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.
Chest congestion can be a symptom of an acute illness or a chronic underlying health condition. Often, people experience chest congestion as a symptom of an acute illness. Acute infections may also cause other symptoms, such as fever or headache. In some cases, chest congestion may be a sign of a chronic condition.
Call your doctor if: Your unexplained congestion lasts more than 10 days. You have a fever of 101 or higher. You have yellow or green nasal discharge that is yellow or green and is accompanied by sinus pain or fever.
Guaifenesin is an expectorant that helps to thin and loosen mucus in the lungs, making it easier to cough up the mucus.