5 Home Remedies To Treat Chest Congestion

Bronchitis is one of the most common illnesses in the world, so chances are, you’ve had it at some point. And if you have, you know what a pain its symptoms can be persistent coughing, heavy congestion, and nasty phlegm, to name a few. Chest congestion, a feeling of tightness and heaviness in the chest, is often indicative of a respiratory infection. This difficulty in breathing occurs as a result of fluid accumulation in the lungs due to excessive mucus production.

# Stay hydrated

Drinks lots and lots of water. You’ll be like, we have heard that before, what next? But, yes this works as liquids loosen up the mucus. Instead of sipping water at lukewarm temperature, drink the warm water, this helps clear out the mucus in the chest and nose. Besides sipping on water, you can try other ways of hydration such as the following,

Chicken noodle soup
Black or green tea
Warm apple juice

# Start with steaming

Steam is a great way to clear up congestion. You can either try steaming at home or get a humidifier from a shop. Besides warm humidifiers, there are cool humidifiers too. This kind of humidifier is perfect for warm weather climates.

Use it at night, just before you hit the bed so that it can ease up the congestion. Do close the windows and doors as the vapor would otherwise escape.

There are several ways you can make your own humidifier.

Run up a hot shower. Close the windows and doors before the entire bathroom fills up with steam. Turn your shower into a sauna. Let the hot water whip up a steam. Keep the shower head away from the water, so as to not scald your skin.

But if this is not potent enough, there is another way of utilizing this humidifier technique, Use a large bowl along with a towel. Place the large bowl in your sink and fill it up with hot water. Once it fills up with hot water, you can lean over it can cover it with a towel. Feel the steam in your face and keep inhaling the steam till the time you feel comfortable. If it gets too hot for you, move away, drink a glass of water to rehydrate.

# Take honey

A research conducted in the year 2007 proved that buckwheat honey is more effective than conventional medication for a cough and congestion. In fact, the honey turned out to be a better cough suppressant than a medication known as dextromethorphan. Buckwheat honey is available at most health stores. Use it as you would be using a cough medication, every few hours or so. Ensure that you do not give honey to children below the age of 1, as it may give way to botulism

# Use essential oils

Essential oils are another way of loosening the trapped mucus in the chest. You can try a variety of essential vaporized oils that inhibit the growth of bacteria which can give rise to specific respiratory infections. Researchers have experimented with oils such as lemongrass, cinnamon bark, and thyme essential oils with fantastic results.

Peppermint oil is another natural decongestant that can loosen up congestion. That is why menthol is an integral part of cough drops and other cold medicines. There are so many other ways you can try essential oils, here are a few ways you can use it for chest congestion relief.

- Diffuse it: A diffuser bought from the local drug store can do the trick, or you can even add a couple of drops into a hot bath or a large bowl of water, as the scent is released in the air. You can even use it as you used the tried and tested steam technique, fill a bowl with hot water, adding a few drops of essential oil into it. Cover your head with a large towel and breathe deep. Just 5-10 minutes a day can do the needful for you.

- Topical application: Blend your favorite essential oil with a carrier oil such as jojoba or coconut oil. This somewhat reduces the potency that can irritate the skin sometimes, especially if you have sensitive skin. It makes sense to do a patch test before you do it. The best way to start is blending 1-2 drops of essential oil with 12 drops of the carrier oil, just mild enough not to cause irritation and potent enough to be effective. Try it on your forearm first, if you do not have any eruptions or signs of irritation on your skin, then you can use it on your skin without a worry!

# Apple cider vinegar

The apple cider vinegar acts like a natural expectorant, and once you start using it regularly to gargle, you will soon notice a remarkable difference.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
A cup of warm water

Method

Combine the water with the vinegar and gargle with it. You can repeat it twice a day for best results.