Many people with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) experience a buildup of thick, sticky mucus in their airways, which can make breathing harder and increase the risk of infection.
It’s a very common, very unpleasant problem. But there are ways to manage it.
Lesley Williams, Apria’s Market Clinical Trainer and a registered respiratory therapist, says, “The first step to solving the problem of excess mucus is to understand what it is and why it occurs.”
Mucus plays an important role in trapping inhaled irritants, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, dust, and chemicals.
Then, the tiny hairs that line your airways called the “cilia” go to work. In a wave-like fashion, they efficiently carry the mucus containing the irritants upward and into your throat, where they can be coughed up before entering your lungs.
COPD can inflame airways, which may increase mucus production. Chronic lung conditions and a history of smoking can also damage or destroy the cilia.
An excessive amount of mucus—especially thicker mucus—is even more difficult to remove from your airways.
The result: greater risk of infection and lung irritation as well as disruption in airflow, causing chest tightness and shortness of breath.
The good news: a variety of proven methods can clear mucus from your airways.
Coughing is an excellent way to remove mucus from the airways. Two methods are most often recommended by healthcare professionals.
This technique helps you cough up mucus without tiring you out. Here’s how to perform the huff cough:
This technique uses your stomach and chest muscles to help clear mucus.
This combines different coughing techniques to move air into both the small and larger areas of your lungs.
Water helps thin mucus. Try to drink at least 6-8 glasses a day.
Moving your body helps move mucus from your lungs. Speak with your doctor before you begin an exercise program.
This technique uses gravity to clear mucus. It can be performed sitting or lying down. Your healthcare team can show you the best methods for postural drainage.
Smoking increases the amount and thickness of mucus. Research shows that nicotine also interferes with the effectiveness of the cilia.
Dairy products such as ice cream, milk, or cheese can make mucus thicker.
They help reduce the risk of such lung infections as flu and pneumococcal pneumonia.
Your doctor may recommend an over-the-counter (OTC) medication called an expectorant, which loosens and thins mucus. Or give you a prescription for a medication called a mucolytic, which makes it easier to cough up mucus.
This salty solution delivered via a nebulizer helps hydrate the airways and thin mucus.
This small device provides resistance when you breathe out, which encourages the cilia to move mucus out of your lungs.
This gradually delivers air into the lungs and pulls it out rapidly to clear mucus.
An IVP delivers high-frequency pulses to get medication deep into the lungs and help move mucus out of the airways.
An inflatable vest worn like a jacket is attached to a machine, which vibrates at a high frequency to dislodge mucus.
Now that you have a better understanding of why and how excess mucus happens, you are better prepared to manage it. But not every method discussed here is right for every person. Lesley Williams advises, “Have a talk with your doctor about your situation to identify the best methods for managing mucus in your lungs.”
References
1. Coping with Airway Mucus. COPD Foundation. https://www.copdfoundation.org/Learn-More/I-am-a-Person-with-COPD/Coping-with-Airway-Mucus.aspx.
2. Ragland, L. (2022, December 20). Tips to Clear Airways When You Have COPD. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/lung/copd/tips-to-clear-airways-with-copd.
3. Editorial Staff. (2021, July 14). Understanding Mucus in Your Lungs.
American Lung Association. https://www.lung.org/blog/lungs-mucus.
4. Leader, D. (Updated 2022, October 12). How to Treat Increased Mucus in the Lungs. Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/five-techniques-to-clear-mucus-from-the-lungs-914841
5. Hypertonic saline (hts) nebulization. Children’s Minnesota.
https://www.childrensmn.org/educationmaterials/childrensmn/article/15826/hypertonic-saline-hts-nebulization/#:~:text=What%20is%20hypertonic%20saline%20 (HTS,the%20mucus%20from%20the%20lungs.
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