5 Great Home Remedies To Treat Congestion In Chest

Chest congestion is a very frequent health condition that all of us suffer from. It is caused by various health problems and diseases like common cold, flu and infections in the respiratory organ. All of us do get struck by such illnesses but never gave it a thought as to what is congestion in the chest or what causes it.

Chest congestion is nothing but a feeling or a sensation of heaviness due to accumulation of cough or phlegm when you feet tight in the chest, one may also have trouble in breathing normally. That is why it is called congestion because it hampers or stops the oxygen to reach to the lungs like it always does. It is also advisable to see a doctor immediately in case of breathing difficulty, because you never know what other health problem could cause it apart from chest congestion.

Chest congestion does not always cause breathing difficulty, but it is one of the common symptoms. It happens due to the building up of fluid in the lungs or around it, called mucus. When you have accumulation of mucus, it stops the lungs to get enough oxygen to pump causing problem in breathing along with frequent coughing.

When there is an acute congestion, you can also hear the sound of the accumulated phlegm when a person coughs. This is one of the important signs to know that a patient is suffering from chest congestion. The symptoms vary from person to person. Some may feel slight to acute pain in the chest while others could also have difficulty in breathing. How would you know that you or your family member is suffering from this illness?

The common signs that signify chest congestion are too much effort to breathe, short breath issues, noise while breathing, feeling weak and dizzy, cold and cough, the feelings of uneasiness and fever along with acute body pain. Please note that the symptoms of chest congestion and other diseases like flu are pretty similar. Therefore get a thorough check up by a doctor and then go ahead with the medication. Chest congestion itself is accompanied by feeling fevers and chills, nausea, unable to eat or drink anything, a weird metallic taste in your mouth, basically a very sad situation to be in.

Chest congestion is not a communicable disease but if it comes along with runny nose and cough, then the patient is asked to stay alone and to not mingle with other family members especially children because they are at the highest risk of catching the infection. Before resorting to allopath medicines, one may try these great remedies at home to get rid of congestion in chest, only when it is the initial signs of the infection.

Home remedies for Treating Congestion in Chest

Excellent Home Remedy for Chest Congestion with Onions

This is one of the grandma’s home remedy books where you just need to slice the onions into small pieces and sauté it with apple cider vinegar for about 10 minutes. Add two spoons of corn flour to make it into a thick paste.

Take a piece of thick cloth, put the mixture on it and fold it in a way that you can hold and slightly dab on the chest of the patient. How does it work? The vapors of the mixture penetrate into the chest comforting the uneasiness as well as help the congestion to clear. Do this thrice a day for quick relief from chest congestion.

Good Hydration Remedy for Chest Congestion

We all know how important it is to hydrate our body. Drink 8-10 glasses of water every day is a normal thing prescribed by the doctors. But when in congestion, drinking warm liquids like tea, coffee not only helps to stay hydrated but also soothes the throat and chest. Why is it that you are advised to drink warm water or warm liquids? This is because, the warmth makes the phlegm or the congested mucus to be easily be carried out of the throat while coughing. This is the time when milk drinks are a strict no-no. They tend to stick to your throat even more.

The power of Herbal Teas

Herbal teas are by far one of the effective home remedies for clearing the congestion from the chest. It soothes your throat and chest making it feel warm and extremely light. Try herbal teas especially plantain leaf, or you can also try out flavored teas such as cardamom, peppermint or flowers flavors like rose and jasmine. This is definitely a thumb up remedy for chest congestion; it also makes your bland taste in the mouth to become fresh as ever. Sip thrice a day or whenever you feel the urge to, after all herbal teas does well for your body.

Steam Up Your System

Vapors or steam, whatever you call it is the most common home remedy used for treating congestion in chest at home. Take a pot full of water and keep it to boil. Add eucalyptus oil and few drops of peppermint as a great procedure for clearing up the chest. The vapors of essential oils mentioned provide relief to the lungs and throat. Any itching or rashes get instantly treated by the cool vapors of peppermint. There is a particular capsule easily available at the medical stores called “carvol” that can be cut and put into the boiling water. The effects are the same as mentioned above. It is effective and quick remedy to cure you from acute cough and cold.

Benefits of Alcohol for Treating Chest Congestion

This is quite unusual remedy where Alcohol is the key ingredient. Mind you, this is absolutely prohibited for children or patients below the legal age to drink. Knowing alcohol does so much bad for the body; this is a very effective home remedy where one can sip small glass of wine or warm whisky before going to bed. Alcohol provides the warmth to the chest, clearing up the cough in no time. It works somewhat like a cough syrup. However, it does not give a reason for anyone to drink!