Several home remedies and over-the-counter (OTC) medications can help you get rid of chest congestion fast. Natural solutions for clearing mucus from your lungs include sipping hot herbal teas, adding eucalyptus oil to a humidifier, and inhaling steam. OTC medications, such as Vicks VapoRub, can also help open the airways to ease breathing.
Exercises and sleeping positions are effective ways to break up mucus in the chest, too. A therapy called "postural drainage" involves using posture to drain fluid from the lungs. You might also find relief from chest congestion by walking, chest massage, and sleeping flat on your back with your head elevated.
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1. Herbal Tea
One of the best ways to clear mucus from your lungs and chest is to drink hot herbal tea. Herbal teas are a tried and true remedy that can soothe your throat, thin mucus, keep you hydrated, and provide comfort. Certain herbal teas may be more beneficial than others:
- Ginger tea: Ginger contains strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce throat irritation and congestion.
- Peppermint tea: Peppermint contains menthol, an ingredient commonly used in cough drops and other cold and flu products due to its natural decongestant effects.
- Chamomile tea: The calming effect of chamomile relaxes your muscles and helps you get better sleep. The herb also has anti-inflammatory properties that will soothe your throat.
- Thyme tea: Thyme has potent antibacterial and antiviral properties that can help fight infection while your throat gets better.
- Licorice root tea: Licorice root is known for its expectorant qualities, meaning that it naturally aids in thinning and clearing mucus from the airways. It also has demulcent (relieves inflammation) qualities that work to coat the throat and soothe irritated tissues.
- Lemon and honey tea: While it's not exactly a tea, adding fresh lemon and honey to a cup of warm water can similarly thin mucus and help it drain. Meanwhile, the vitamin C in lemon supports the immune system, and the antimicrobials in honey fight infection.
Hot liquids may offer an additional benefit—you can breathe in their steam, which can add moisture to your airways. A good guideline for hydration is to drink enough fluid to make your urine pale.
2. Clear Broth
Like hot tea, drinking hot bone broth or vegetable broth can help get rid of chest congestion by making mucus thinner and easier to clear from the lungs. Broths are rich with amino acids, minerals, and inflammatory properties that may stimulate the immune system and aid in detoxification.
Clear broth is commonly made in a slow cooker. The process involves simmering bones, meats, or vegetables in water, discarding the pieces, then sipping the remaining liquid.
3. Saltwater Gargle
Saltwater gargling is commonly done to prevent and treat chest congestion and upper respiratory infections. This remedy may be particularly helpful for getting rid of mucus because salt attracts water into the airways, thinning mucus so that it is easier to expel.
Gargling with saltwater is also thought to support the activities of white blood cells called neutrophils that act as your immune system's first line of defense.
Saltwater gargling is safe and can be done two to three times per day, or as needed, to relieve symptoms. Simply add up to 1/2 tablespoon of sea or table salt to 1 glass of warm water. Gargle for 30 seconds to one minute then spit the water out.
4. Warm Compress
Placing a warm compress on your throat and chest may help loosen mucus. Warmth from the compress is thought to stimulate the immune system and other self-regulated processes that support mucus clearance.
Adding a few drops of mustard oil or ginger oil to the warm compress may be especially helpful. Research shows that both oils have thermogenic qualities that increase blood flow when applied topically, and can enhance the warm chest compresses' healing effects.
5. Humidifier
Humidifiers add moisture to the air and help prevent throat irritation due to dryness. The water vapor droplets you breathe in add moisture to your nasal passages and airways; This keeps mucus moving and helps your body get rid of the virus or irritant.
Clean Your Humidifier
Studies have shown that reusable humidifiers can spread pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, in indoor spaces. However, researchers found no such contamination with disposable humidifiers. If you have a reusable humidifier, clean it thoroughly on a regular basis.
6. Steam Inhalation
Steam inhalation is a common remedy used for the cold, flu, and other viral infections. This method may help get rid of chest congestion in a few ways. When you inhale hot water vapors, the warm, moist air hydrates and lubricates your airways and thins mucus so that it is easier for your body to expel.
Steam also appears to have a mild anti-inflammatory effect that soothes irritated throat tissues and opens up nasal passages so that you can breathe easier. There are a few different methods you can try for steam inhalation:
- Bending over a bowl of boiling hot water with a cloth over your head to trap and direct steam into your airways
- Taking a hot shower
- Sitting in a sauna, steam room, or hammam
Steam inhalation using a bowl of boiling hot water can be very dangerous due to the risk of burns and scalds. The most common way this can happen is if the bowl of water tips over, but steaming hot vapors have also been known to scald tissues in the respiratory tract. It is crucial to allow the water to cool slightly before inhaling and to keep a safe distance from the bowl.
7. Essential Oils
Essential oils are potent plant extracts that have various degrees of therapeutic properties. Adding them to a humidifier or steam that you're inhaling can help with cough and chest congestion.
Eucalyptus oil is a popular choice for steam inhalation as it relieves inflammation and helps clear phlegm. It's quite pungent, though, and can cause sinus and skin irritation. Some other good choices include:
For a cough:
- Geranium
- Bergamot
- Lavender
- Frankincense
For congestion:
- Rosemary
- Sandalwood
- Hyssop
- Thyme
Essential oils can be diffused and inhaled or diluted with a carrier oil and applied to the skin. All essential oils should be used with caution. Ask your healthcare provider how much is safe to use.
8. Sleep Position
You might find that adjusting your pillows and sleep position helps clear congestion.
Research suggests that keeping your head at the appropriate height—about 2 inches (or 5 centimeters)—helps air flow into the lungs and supports stable respiratory function. Pillows that are too high can bend your neck in a way that hinders proper airflow.
If you sleep on your side, adding a pillow between your legs and keeping your back straight can help reduce shortness of breath from chest congestion. It also helps to lie on your back with your head elevated and a pillow under your knees.
9. Postural Drainage
Postural drainage is a technique used to manage respiratory disorders like COPD that cause a buildup of phlegm in the airways. The technique works by getting in a position that helps drain fluid from the airways and make breathing easier.
There are three positions you can try:
- Sitting
- Lying on your back, stomach, or side
- Sitting or lying with your head flat or elevated
While in the position of your choice, breathe in slowly through your nose and then out through your mouth. Take twice as long to breathe in as you take to breathe out.
Stay in the position for at least five minutes or until you feel relief.
10. Percussive Massage
Another component of postural drainage that you may find helpful is the addition of percussive massage. Percussion helps break up the mucus in your chest so that it drains easier.
You can perform the massage on yourself while lying down on your back. Simply form a cup shape with your hand and wrist, then clap your hand and wrist against your chest. Avoid clapping against your chest so hard that it hurts. You should hear a hollow, percussive sound, not a slapping sound.
You can do percussive massage for five to seven minutes at a time, targeting each area of your chest. It may also help to have another person perform the percussion around your upper back. When you are finished, take a deep breath then cough. Coughing should bring up phlegm that you can spit out.
11. Exercise
It can be difficult to exercise when you are not feeling well, but research shows it can help clear mucus from your chest. Exercise is particularly recommended for people with chronic diseases that cause mucus buildup in the lungs and airways.
Exercise requires you to take different volumes and depths of breaths. Breathing this way leads to pressure changes and forces within the airways that mobilize mucus secretions and expel them from the lungs.
If you are feeling well enough, try taking a fast-paced walk or jog, or doing any other exercises that quicken your breathing.
12. Controlled Cough
Controlled cough is a mucus clearance technique that involves coughing in a controlled manner. The technique can help dislodge mucus without irritating your airways. One of the most common controlled cough techniques is called the "huff" technique.
Here's how to try it:
- Sit on a chair with both feet flat on the floor.
- Take a slow, deep breath through your nose. Hold for two counts.
- To breathe out, open your mouth and make a "huff" sound in your throat. The huff should be similar to the way you would breathe onto glasses to clean them.
- Huff two to three times as you breathe out.
- Relax for a few seconds, then repeat as needed.
A controlled cough is "controlled" for a reason: It shouldn't irritate or harm your throat.
13. Expectorants
Expectorants are substances that increase the water content in your mucus, which thins it and makes it easier to cough up. Expectorant medications are commonly sold in syrup (liquid), pill, or tablet form.
Expectorants are a good option if your cough is due to the common cold or another acute (short-lived) respiratory illness. If the mucus is due to a chronic illness, like COPD, this medication is not a good long-term solution.
Guaifenesin is the active ingredient in several common expectorants, including Mucinex and Robitussin. It is a safe and effective drug for relieving a chesty cough and other mucus-related symptoms.
14. Oral Decongestants
Decongestants narrow your blood vessels, which decreases inflammation in the airways so mucus can pass through better.
Options include:
- Contac Cold (pseudoephedrine)
- Drixoral Decongestant Non-Drowsy (pseudoephedrine)
- Sudafed PE (acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, guaifenesin, and phenylephrine)
Pseudoephedrine is a common active ingredient in decongestants. However, since it's sometimes used to make methamphetamine, you have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter. It's still considered OTC because you don't need a prescription for it.
Decongestants that are available on store shelves generally contain a similar drug called phenylephrine. Some products containing phenylephrine have the initials PE added to the name (e.g., Sudafed PE).
Oral decongestants with phenylephrine are not considered effective decongestants at recommended doses, though they are still safe to take.
15. Nasal Decongestant Sprays
Nasal decongestant sprays work by constricting blood vessels in the nasal passages. By reducing blood flow to the area, decongestant sprays decrease swelling in the nasal tissues to help you breathe easier.
Nasal decongestant sprays can be found over-the-counter and include:
- Nasacort AQ (triamcinolone)
- Rhinocort AQUA (budesonide)
- Flonase (fluticasone)
Nasal decongestant sprays usually work quickly, but shouldn't be used for more than three days in a row.
16. Vicks VapoRub
Vapor rub is an ointment made of petroleum jelly and essential oils, including:
- Menthol
- Camphor
- Eucalyptus
Vicks VapoRub works when you rub it into your chest, neck, and back; These oils vaporize and you can breathe them into your lungs. Oils like eucalyptus oil may help fight inflammation and pain, as well as offer antibacterial effects.
Warning
Don't use vapor rub directly under your nose. That can cause respiratory distress and breathing problems.
17. Saline Drops
Saline drops, also known as saltwater wash, are an effective way of managing symptoms related to upper respiratory infections, including chest congestion.
They may be useful against a clogged nose and congested chest because they add moisture and help remove excess mucus, making breathing less challenging.
The drops are put in one nostril and allowed to flow to the other. You can use a dropper or gravity-based pressure through a vessel with a nasal spout, such as a Neti pot.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Chest congestion isn't always a cause for concern. Home remedies can help manage symptoms so you can rest and recover.
You should get medical care if:
- You have difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or are breathing faster than usual.
- You have a cough with bloody mucus.
- You have signs of dehydration (e.g., chapped lips or dark urine).
- Your symptoms haven't resolved in 10 days.
- Your fever or cough improves and then returns or worsens.
- You have other medical conditions (like asthma or diabetes) that are worsening due to your sickness.
- You have a fever of 100.4 degrees F or higher.
How Long Does Chest Congestion Last?
If you have a cold, the congestion is likely to begin one to three days after the infection and clear within a week. With bronchitis, chest congestion can last up to three weeks.
Summary
Chest congestion is caused by inflammation and excess mucus. They're part of your body's effort to keep pathogens out of your cells, where they can make you sick.
Home remedies include staying hydrated, moisturizing your airways with steam or a humidifier, breathing in essential oils, or the right sleep position.
OTC medications include expectorants, decongestants, vapor rub, and saline drops/washes.
You should see a healthcare provider if you have severe symptoms, signs of dehydration, other conditions that are worsening, or a fever over 100.4 degrees F.
