Postnasal drip (thick mucus) Take an expectorant (this thins mucus and phlegm), drink lots of fluids, breathe through a warm washcloth, and use steam to make the mucus more liquid.Here are some of the mucus problems Ellis sees, along with his recommended treatments: With a bacterial sinus infection you may be able to take a doctor-prescribed antibiotic to treat the cause, but with viral colds the best you can do is correctly treat symptoms, so you want to be sure you have the right match. "That's why it's important to make the right diagnosis," says Ellis, who also warns against self-medicating with decongestants like Sudafed, which are also drying and will further thicken your mucus. They then mistakenly take antihistamines, which end up drying out the nose and making thick mucus worse. Unfortunately, many people misdiagnose themselves, thinking, for example, that a large quantity of thick mucus indicates an allergy (which actually is signaled by a lot of watery secretions accompanied by allergy symptoms). Getting the right diagnosis means you can get the right treatment. Your doctor will evaluate the character of your mucus as well as the presence (or absence) of other allergy or cold symptoms. Using a small facial steamer or humidifier, taking a hot steamy shower, or even breathing through a warm wet washcloth can give you some relief from thick, crusty mucus. Not drinking enough water and other fluids, or drinking beverages such as coffee, tea, and alcohol that may lead to losing fluids.A dry indoor environment, which may be due to air-conditioning or heating.Here are some of the factors that contribute to that feeling of thick, clogging mucus: Thick mucus, which may seem to have greater volume and may create problems such as postnasal drip, results from a number of situations and is usually an indication of being over-dry. "If you're in an environment where there is a lot of dust or smoke or smog, the function of the nose is to protect the lungs," he stresses. The fact that your mucus may be discolored by what is in the air is a good thing. While a persistent yellow or green color, possibly accompanied by an unpleasant odor, is often a sign of infection, color does not always indicate a health problem, says Ellis.
The dirt, dust, and debris are passed out of your system. Mucus, explains Ellis, helps protect the lungs by capturing dirt and dust as you inhale. And anytime you see blood in the phlegm you cough up, you should seek medical attention. You may not notice phlegm unless you cough it up as a symptom of bronchitis or pneumonia.Īs is the case with mucus, phlegm that has a color such as green or yellow may indicate infection. It's a form of mucus produced by the lower airways - not by the nose and sinuses - in response to inflammation.
Phlegm is a slightly different substance. "If you get an allergy or a cold and your nose is running like a faucet, you're making an excess of watery secretions," Ellis says.Īt the other extreme, thick mucus - the kind that leads to postnasal drip and congestion or gets crusty - is usually the result of being excessively dry.Įllis says 90 percent of the patients he sees are actually experiencing problems with thick mucus, not a runny nose due to the common cold.
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