We might breathe in dust, pollen, bacteria and viruses from unexpected sources and then finally lead to chest congestion problem.
Here are several health problems that possibly generate chest congestion:
- Pneumonia
- Bronchitis
- Tuberculosis
- Flu
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Pollution, etc.
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After knowing that common flues can induce to chest congestion, and also other disturbing symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath and heavy snoring, we surely want to know natural ways to break chest congestion the easiest and fastest way possible. Thus, let’s check out the natural ways to break up chest congestion fast and effective!
Here are several options we can try the night before we face our busy days the next day.
1. Gargle salt water on purpose
Gargling might require more effort, but it guarantees us to help breaking apart mucus in our airways. Try to mix a cup of warm water with a tablespoon of salt and a little bit of turmeric as the anti-inflammatory property. Gargle for at least 4 times a day, 1-2 minutes gargling for each time. Also read: How to Relieve Chronic Nasal Congestion
2. Hot steam your respiratory tract
This action will help us dissolve mucus that had been trapped in our airways and make us feel more comfortable to breathe. There are 3 actions to choose: drink warm water regularly during the day, take a bath with hot water, or face your face to a hot steam from a bowl of hot water on purpose. The heat and moisture we get from those actions will help us free from blocking mucus.
3. Sleep with additional elevation on head
We can get the additional elevation by adding more pillows to try keeping our head raised higher than our chest. The mucus will be needed more effort to block our airways when it’s placed upwards.
4. Compress your chest with warm towel
This action will be present similar result on freeing our airways by the hot steam we get from that warm towel. Place that warm towel around our chest while keeping our head elevated for around 15 minutes to let the heat absorb into our skin and body.
5. Drink a mixture of herbal ingredients as congestion clearer
Ancient receipt included these ingredients to help alleviate chest congestion: Ginger, Thyme, Turmeric, Honey, Licorice, and Bay leaf. Those mentioned herbals will be an effective option to consume. We need to boil some water and put a pinch of each selected ingredient to it and add a little bit of honey to enhance the taste of it. Consume weekly, or daily if you can help it. Your congestion problem will surely be gone soon.
6. Eat certain food options that can help ease up chest congestion
Spicy foods, soups, citrus fruits, garlic, ginger, pineapple, asparagus are also on the list of food that can help us with our chest congestion problems. It somehow helps clearing up our airways and make us easier to breathe.
7. Take an ‘expectorant’ as medical prescription
Expectorant are those certain medicine that have been designed to help breaking apart mucus and promote sputum secretions as one of those cough treatments. There are bunch of the expectorant brand in drug stores but if you’re clueless it’d better to plan for a meeting with doctor before you decide what to consume.
8. Use mentholated cream
The mentholated cream has the ability to help you breathe easier especially at night. Try to apply small amount of mentholated cream around the chest before sleep and you wouldn’t feel upset on having breathing troubles during your peaceful sleep. Somehow, the stronger the scent is, the better it helps you clearing up your passageways.
9. Use an inhaler or nebulizer
Those particular inhaler or nebulizer devices will help us deal with chest congestion by entering certain medication directly to our lungs. But it distinguished by the type of drugs we take. The nebulizer can only help us with drugs in the form of steam to be inhaled into the lungs. We need to meet doctor for further recommendation and supervision.
10. Use a netipot
Make a mixture of warm water, a half tablespoon of salt and a pinch of baking soda and stir it well before you pour it to the netipot. Tilt your head at 45 degrees angle, place the spout into your nostril. Pour the mixture gently into through the netipot but remember to keep your mouth open while pouring it down through the nostril.
The mixture will flow through the nasal cavity to the other side of it. And then, repeat the same motion for the other cavity. This action will help us reducing our congestion problems.
Healthy Tips to Prevent Chest Congestion
Ways that have been mentioned above can be applied for an instant and effective natural ways to break up chest congestion. But, for further maintenance on getting healthier respiratory tract condition, doing regular habits are important. Here are some habits that we should start to build on daily basis:
- Cut food materials that will produce more mucus – Don’t eat junk food as it is not real food material that provide us with real nutrition. Don’t eat dairy products, too much sugar and salt meals, and also fried meals as it will increase more mucus production to our body especially our respiratory tract that might block our airways.
- Eat healthier food options – Eat more vegetables and fruits as it contains many vitamins and minerals that may help us getting fit body condition and fight unnecessary bacteria.
- Drink enough water – Water and its infinite benefits will always be that magical source of balancing ingredient that will be needed by our body to function well.
- Do yoga regularly – Yoga will help to open up certain airways because the motion we make while doing yoga requires flexibility.
- Choose warm water instead of the cold ones – Warm water help dissolving mucus that has been trapped in our lungs and chest.
- Use ‘humidifier’ at night – Humidifier help to open blocked airways so we can breathe easier. Few drops of essential oils will do better to our over-all health condition if we use it as our night routine.
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But if, after doing those natural ways to break up chest congestion your block respiratory track doesn’t get any better, it’s suggested to arrange appointment with doctor for further proper medical treatments. If this congestion isn’t treated conveniently, this might lead to another health problems, too. Stay healthy everyone!