You can feel gross when your body generates so much mucus that you cough up the sticky, thick goo. However, mucus is essential for good health. Your throat mucus consists of antibodies and enzymes that shield you from harmful organisms or particles that may cause illness. It signifies that your body is healing when you cough up mucus.
Fortunately, there are effective treatments for excessive mucus production. The right treatment depends on knowing why your body produces too much mucus in your throat. While home remedies can be effective in some cases, prescription and over-the-counter medications may be necessary when an underlying illness causes mucus in the throat.
Mucus may be green, yellow, beige, clear, red, or black when coughing, sneezing or spitting. You can tell what's wrong with you by the colour, amount, and texture of your mucus, as well as how your body responds to illness. The membranes in the nose and sinuses produce mucus.
Antibodies and enzymes in it prevent harmful bacteria, viruses, and allergens from entering the body. As a line of defence, it acts as a barrier between your body and harmful antigens. The mouth, nose, throat, and lungs are lined with respiratory mucus. Mucus is also produced in other body organs, such as the cervix, digestive tract, and urinary tract.
The following symptoms often accompany mucus production:
Various illnesses, including bacterial infections, viral infections, allergies, and lung diseases, can cause an overproduction of mucus.
During acid reflux, stomach acid travels up your esophagus and sits at the back of your throat.
Postnasal drip is caused by acid reflux irritating the throat and causing an excess of mucus to be produced in the throat and nasal passages.
Aside from itchy eyes, allergies can cause sneezing, wheezing, congestion, chest tightness, runny noses, and coughing. You produce mucus to help expel an irritant when you have an allergic sensitivity to a food or something in the environment, such as dust, pollen, or dander.
Asthma symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, chest tightness, and coughing. It is possible for coughing to be dry or wet with phlegm.
Your airways become inflamed if wet with white or clear mucus. You may need medical attention if you cough up thick phlegm regularly.
Extra mucus can be produced by bacterial and viral diseases such as influenza, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Mucus may be green or yellow. It is a sign that blood has mixed with mucus when you cough or blow red mucus. You may have irritated the tissue lining of your nose or throat by wiping, rubbing, coughing, or blowing too much.
A host of lung diseases can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As a result of long-term exposure to substances that irritate the lungs, such as cigarette smoke, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema, fall under COPD. Asthmatics can develop COPD in some cases.
As your body becomes dehydrated, mucus may thicken, and cilia, which line many internal organs, have difficulty pushing it through your body, causing it to feel stuck and making coughing difficult.
Dehydration can result from air conditioning, central heating, or an extremely dry climate.
The cold or dry air can aggravate the nasal passages, producing thick mucus.
Caffeine in coffee, black tea, and energy drinks can contribute to dehydration, which can thicken mucus produced by nasal and respiratory cells.
Heavy alcohol consumption can damage the mucociliary transport system, which removes mucus from respiratory passages. Your body will have trouble regulating mucus production if it is damaged.
Smoke from tobacco can irritate the lungs and cause chest pain, wheezing, and coughing.
COPD, heart attacks, strokes, and death can result from long-term exposure.
When you're producing a lot of mucus, you can try various effective home remedies.
In addition to OTC and prescription medications, you can try the following home remedies to treat the underlying cause.
Over-the-counter (OTC) options can relieve symptoms such as a stuffy nose, cough, and chest congestion, depending on what is causing excess mucus production. Medications may be necessary when chronic illnesses such as cystic fibrosis or COPD cause excess mucus production.
Excess mucus production can indicate a more serious health condition, such as chronic lung disease or cystic fibrosis. Your healthcare provider may prescribe stronger medications to help you eliminate mucus.
Among these medications are:
If home remedies and OTC medications haven't worked, consult a doctor. A serious underlying health condition can cause excessive mucus production in some cases.
In case you suffer from one or more of the following signs, you should seek medical attention immediately.
A lot of mucus in the throat can be your body's way of informing you that it is battling a viral or bacterial infection. A doctor may prescribe medicine and conduct a physical examination.
Home remedies include humidified air, drinking plenty of fluids, and staying warm. Mucus can also be thinned or broken up with over-the-counter (OTC) medications.
You may have an infection or disease if you have mucus in your throat. Also, your immune system may be responding to external factors.
The mucus in your throat is part of an inflammatory response designed to protect you. Antibodies and enzymes in it prevent harmful substances from entering the body and causing illness.
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