The term "mucus" generally has a negative connotation, often has an unpleasant appearance, is associated with long winter periods, allergy seasons, sneezing, runny noses and endless packets of handkerchiefs. While there are ways to limit this, you need to make sure you don't compromise the natural mucus clearing process, otherwise you could aggravate your symptoms.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Home Remedies
Step 1. Rest
If you have an ongoing infection, you should try to rest as much as possible to allow the body to heal. You are probably already taking care of your health, but try not to ask your body to commit beyond the minimal activities you need to do.
If you have sinusitis, you will need to take antibiotics and mucoactives to reduce the mucus
Step 2. Increase your fluid intake
Drink adequate amounts of water every day to loosen thick mucus and clear nasal passages more easily.
- Decaffeinated teas and soups are common cold remedies for this reason.
- Sip on a mint tea or eat some pineapple. Menthol present in mint and pineapple bromelain help reduce the causes of a fat cough.
- Conversely, caffeinated drinks and alcoholic beverages can increase mucus production and dehydrate the body.
Step 3. Apply a warm compress
Wet a clean towel with warm water and wring it out to get rid of excess moisture. Then use it to cover your nose and cheeks. The heat released by the compress loosens the mucus and reduces pain caused by congestion.
The heat also helps dilute the mucus (which is naturally quite solid), making it easier to expel it by blowing your nose
Step 4. Take a hot shower
The steam that forms in the shower opens the nasal passages, thus helping the mucus to escape. Remember that when you have a cold your nasal passages are clogged, but the steam helps to warm up the thick mucus and, by dissolving it, promotes its expulsion.
- The fumigations are also effective. Boil a pot of water, put a blanket or other cloth that can cover both the head and the container, and inhale the steam to loosen the mucus. Be very careful not to burn yourself with the hot pot or steam; keep your face at least 30 cm from the water. If you wish, you can also add a few drops of essential oil, such as tea tree, peppermint or eucalyptus oil to stimulate the opening of the sinuses.
- Alternatively, use a humidifier that helps relieve symptoms.
Method 2 of 3: Over-the-counter drugs
Step 1. Proceed with caution
Over-the-counter medications, such as oral decongestants or nasal sprays, can be effective if you have a lot of mucus and can't avoid going to school or work. However, you don't have to take them for more than three days.
- If you overdo it and use it for a long time, beyond three days, it could cause the rebound effect and the mucus could re-form even in larger quantities.
- Additionally, many of these products have side effects, including hypertension and tachycardia.
Step 2. Take oral decongestants to relieve discomfort
These provide relief from nasal congestion by reducing swelling of the tissues in the nasal cavities. This reduces the mucus in the lungs and the airways open more easily. Less congestion allows the body to expel mucus and consequently prevents excessive production.
- Free sale decongestants need about 12 to 24 hours to take effect. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a suitable medicine for your specific case.
- These drugs come in different formats, such as tablets, liquid form or nasal sprays.
- Before taking them, pay attention to the leaflet and check the ingredients.
- If you have hypertension, you should consult your doctor before taking any type of decongestant, as it may contain phenylephrine or pseudoephedrine, both of which can raise blood pressure.
Step 3. Try cough suppressants or expectorants
An antitussive, such as dextromethorphan, blocks the cough reflex, reducing the stickiness and surface tension of the mucus. This way you can expel it more easily, reduce chest pain from excessive coughing, and clear secretions in the upper and lower airways.
- Among the side effects you may experience are nausea, vomiting, headache and dizziness.
- Guaifenesin is an expectorant that dissolves mucus faster and clears airways better.
Step 4. Use corticosteroid nasal sprays
These products are sprayed directly into the nasal cavities, they can narrow the blood vessels in the nasal walls, consequently the mucous tissues retract and the swelling is reduced. They also help stop the production of more mucus, clear the nasal passages for better breathing and dry the mucus faster.
A prescription is required to use steroid nasal sprays, such as fluticasone
Step 5. Take oral antihistamines
Allergic cold medications work by blocking histamines, substances that can trigger allergic reactions, causing swelling of the tissues of the nose and releasing mucus. Among the most common nonprescription antihistamines are diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and loratadine (Clarityn).
- These medicines are taken once a day before going to bed.
- Keep in mind that side effects include sleepiness, so you should never take the drug if you have to drive for a long time or operate heavy machinery.
- Also pay attention to other adverse effects, such as headache, dizziness, and dry mouth.
- Never take antihistamines with expectorants.
- If you have a persistent or severe allergy, talk to your doctor about allergy vaccines.
Step 6. Do a irrigation of the nasal passages
This procedure is also called a nasal wash and involves manually running water through the cavities of the nose. The principle behind this treatment lies in the fact that, by inserting a solution of salt water into the nostrils, the mucus dissolves and can exit through the nostrils; by doing so, the mucus that has accumulated is also eliminated and its production is better controlled.
- You can use either a neti pot or a bulb syringe.
- Make sure the saline solution you are using is made from sterilized, distilled or boiled water to avoid the risk of bacterial contamination.
- Remember to rinse the sprinkler properly after use and to air dry it.
- Do not overdo the nasal irrigations, because an abuse of these treatments leads to the elimination of the natural protective substances present in the nasal cavities that help fight infections.
- Alternatively, you can gargle with salt water, which has similar effects.
Method 3 of 3: Knowing the Causes of Mucus
Step 1. Know that mucus performs the function of keeping the lungs free
You may not be aware of this, but remember that the body continuously produces mucus, sometimes even a liter a day. Even when you feel perfectly healthy, the cells of the nose and mouth, called "goblet cells", combine water, proteins and polysaccharides to form the classic sticky mucus.
- This is a very important aspect because, thanks to its viscosity, it is able to trap irritating and dangerous particles before they reach the lungs.
- Without the mucus, the particles of dirt and grime you see when you blow your nose would enter your body.
Step 2. Pay attention to the body's reactions
When you are sick, your body produces more mucus to defend itself against the aggression of viruses or bacteria.
- This is why you generally notice this during a colds sickness. Under normal circumstances you can ingest mucus as fast as it is secreted by the body, but when you are particularly weak or sick, the mucus is produced faster and in greater quantities, thus blocking the nasal passages.
- When mucus mixes with saliva and white blood cells it becomes phlegm.
- There may also be other factors that stimulate its production, such as food, the environment, cigarette smoke, chemicals and perfumes.
- When this increased secretion occurs, the sinuses can become blocked, causing bacteria to build up and increasing the risk of sinusitis.
Step 3. Don't put too much weight on the color of the mucus
Many people believe that based on its color it is possible to determine the type of infection and therefore the right treatment. While there is some use in these general guidelines, doctors do not rely too much on it when diagnosing the problem or prescribing treatment.
- The mucus of a healthy person should generally be clear.
- If it's cloudy or white, you may have a cold.
- When it is yellow or green it could be a sign of a bacterial infection.
- If you're trying to figure out if you have a cold or sinusitis, the best way to tell is how long you've been having symptoms. With a cold, you usually have runny nose followed by stuffy nose, and both discomforts last two or three days. Sinusitis, on the other hand, can take up to a week or more before disappearing.
