Overproduction of mucus in your throat is often the result of a minor illness that should be allowed to run its course. Sometimes, however, excess mucus can be a sign of a more serious condition. See your healthcare provider if the: overproduction of mucus is persistent and recurring.
Possible causes of excess mucus can be food allergies, an acid reflux from the stomach, or an infection. The consistency of mucus in the throat also varies depending on what is going on in your body. Common causes of too much mucus in the throat include a cold or flu, acute bronchitis, sinusitis or pneumonia.
The glands in your nose and throat are constantly making mucus. This is normal. These glands produce one to two quarts of mucus per day.
When mucus starts to build up or trickle down the back of the throat, this is known as postnasal drip. Causes of postnasal drip include infections, allergies, and acid reflux. As well as feeling the need to clear the throat frequently, a person with postnasal drip may also experience: a sore throat.
Catarrh is usually caused by the immune system reacting to an infection or irritation, which causes the lining of your nose and throat to become swollen and produce mucus. This can be triggered by: a cold or other infections. hay fever or other types of allergic rhinitis.
Drinking enough liquids, especially warm ones can help with mucus flow. Water and other liquids can loosen your congestion by helping your mucus move. Try sipping liquids, like juice, clear broths, and soup. Other good liquid choices include decaffeinated tea, warm fruit juice, and lemon water.
Reasons for coughing up phlegm without feeling ill. It is not unusual to cough up phlegm with a common cold. However, it can also be a sign of a different, sometimes serious, underlying condition such as stomach acid reflux, lung disease, or heart disease.
Coughing up phlegm when you don't have a cold could be due to a number of different conditions: a sinus infection, allergies with postnasal drip, pneumonia, smoking, asthma, heartburn, or even some medicines like angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for high blood pressure.
How to Clear Phlegm. If you're suffering from allergies, asthma or another condition that is causing excess mucus production, it's important to seek medical treatment. However, in cases where phlegm results from a viral infection, such as the common cold, it will usually resolve on its own within seven to 10 days.
According to Medical News Today2, common symptoms of mucus build up in your lungs may include: Wheezing. Difficulty Sleeping. Sore Throat.
As the name implies, mucus that accumulates in the lungs can plug up, or reduce airflow in, the larger or smaller airways. In the smallest airways, mucus plugs lead to collapsed air sacs, or alveoli. If enough alveoli are blocked, a person's oxygen levels will be negatively impacted over time.
Mucus has several names. Snot, the sticky goo that pours from your nose during a cold. Or phlegm, the gunk that can clog your lungs and make you cough.
Water. Water increases the moisture in mucus making it easier to expel. You can use water as an expectorant by drinking plenty of it alone or in the form of herbal tea or by gargling with salty water. You can also get the effects by using a humidifier or via steam inhalation.
Phlegm is a type of mucus that comes from the lungs and respiratory tract. Problems in the lungs can cause phlegm to change color. Green or yellow phlegm can occur with an infection, but brown phlegm might be a sign of bleeding in the lungs. Typically, phlegm is clear, thin, and unnoticeable.
When to Seek Help. On its own, mucus isn't a worrisome symptom. If it comes with a cough that doesn't go away after several weeks, it's greenish yellow or blood-tinged, or you also have fever or shortness of breath, you should call your doctor.
Chest pain: When a lung tumor causes tightness in the chest or presses on nerves, you may feel pain in your chest, especially when breathing deeply, coughing or laughing.
Mucus buildup in the lungs can be cased by infection, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), smoking, cystic fibrosis, allergies, bronchiectasis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The main symptoms of a chest infection can include: a persistent cough. coughing up yellow or green phlegm (thick mucus), or coughing up blood. breathlessness or rapid and shallow breathing.
What dissolves mucus in the lungs? Expectorants such as guaifenesin (Mucinex, Robitussin) can loosen mucus so that it comes out of the throat and chest.
If a cough brings up phlegm or mucus it is called a productive cough and could suggest pneumonia, bronchitis or the flu. The color of the mucus can signal a more serious problem. You should see a doctor if your cough brings up yellowish-green phlegm or blood.