A warm shower may be another comfortable way to introduce moist air without leaning over a pot of boiling water.
Mayo Clinic lists a steamy shower as one option that may help when dealing with a cough and mucus.
Avoid the viral “steam bowl” method where you place your face over boiling water and cover your head with a towel.
The NHS specifically warns against letting children inhale steam from bowls of hot water because of the risk of scalding.
A normal warm shower is the safer choice.
Sleep With Your Head Slightly Elevated
Congestion can sometimes feel worse when you’re lying completely flat.
Using extra pillows to raise your head may make breathing more comfortable and help with mucus clearance during a respiratory infection. The NHS includes this among its self-care recommendations for chest infections.
Just make sure you’re still sleeping in a comfortable and stable position.
What Should You Avoid?
When you’re desperate to clear mucus, it’s tempting to try every viral remedy you see online.
But “natural” doesn’t automatically mean effective or safe.
Be particularly cautious about remedies claiming to detox your lungs, instantly dissolve mucus, cure respiratory infections, or “balance your body’s pH.”
Your body regulates blood pH very tightly, and drinking or gargling apple cider vinegar isn’t a way to meaningfully “balance” it.
Also avoid smoking and secondhand smoke when you’re congested. Smoke can further irritate the respiratory tract and worsen coughing.
Should You Always Try to Stop a Cough?
Not necessarily.
Coughing is one of the mechanisms your body uses to clear mucus and other material from your airways.
Mayo Clinic notes that coughing can help clear mucus when you have an infection or allergy.
The goal isn’t always to eliminate every cough.
Sometimes the more useful approach is making thick mucus easier to clear while addressing whatever is causing the symptoms.
Why Does Mucus Build Up?
