Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Treat mucus formation in the lungs in the short term
• Method 2 of 3: Long-term reduction of mucus formation in the lungs
• Method 3 of 3: Soothe sore throats and chest pain caused by mucus
• Tips

You already know that quitting smoking is an excellent choice to make for your health. During the first few weeks, stopping may cause some symptoms, such as mucus build-up in the lungs. You may experience coughing fits, tightness in the chest or mucus in the lungs, and mild hoarseness. This may be unpleasant at first, but mucus build-up in the lungs indicates that your body has begun to recover from your smoking habit.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Treat mucus formation in the lungs in the short term

1. Drink lots of fluids, especially water. Drinking water helps your body counteract mucus by thinning the mucus in your lungs and making it easier for you to cough up the mucus. Moisture also helps to keep your body hydrated.
   • Tobacco slows down the tiny hairs (also called cilia) that line your lungs that help clear the mucus. When you quit smoking, these hairs become more active and begin to clear up the mucus build-up in your lungs. You may therefore have to cough more often during the first weeks after stopping.
   • Drinking orange juice and other natural fruit juices gives your body the vitamins and minerals it needs to combat mucus formation.
   • Drink as little alcohol, coffee and soda as possible as they can cause your body to dry out.
2. Take a hot shower or bath once or twice a day. Dry air can irritate your lungs and make you more prone to coughing attacks. The steam from a hot shower or bath can moisten the airways in your lungs and thin the mucus.
3. Sleep with your head up. Keep your head at a 15-degree angle by placing one or two pillows under your head. As a result, less mucus will flow into your throat and you will have to cough less often at night.
4. Steam your face. A steam treatment for the face works much the same as taking a hot shower. The steam from the hot water enters the airways and lungs directly during such a treatment. Pour 1.5 liters of hot (almost boiling hot) water into a bowl. Make a tent over your head using a bath towel or hand towel. Hold your nose and mouth over the bowl and breathe in the steam deeply.
   • Add three or four drops of eucalyptus oil to the water. Eucalyptus oil has both antibacterial and analgesic properties and acts as an expectorant, or an agent that loosens the mucus that makes you cough.
   • Add a few drops of peppermint oil to the bowl of water to take advantage of the soothing properties of menthol.
   • You can buy a professional facial steamer at the drugstore.
5. Use breast ointment. Breast ointment like Vicks VapoRub contains menthol (the active ingredient in peppermint) and can therefore help to reduce mucus formation in the lungs. Menthol can also reduce shortness of breath. Such a product has largely psychological effects, but it can help to relieve the symptoms (not the cause) of mucus in the lungs.
   • Never put the ointment directly under your nose and never use the ointment on babies and children under 2 years old. Camphor, the active ingredient in many breast ointments, can be toxic if swallowed.
6. Use an expectorant. An expectorant makes it easier to cough up the mucus in your lungs and will significantly reduce your symptoms. The medicine thins and loosens the mucus in your airways so that the blockage goes away and you can breathe more easily.
   • Expectorants are designed to temporarily soothe mucus and cold symptoms. It is important to seek the advice of your doctor before using any such agent to treat mucus and coughs caused by smoking.
7. Do not take cough medicines. Coughing helps to loosen the mucus in your lungs and eventually stops you from having mucus in the lungs. Make your body cough and don't use prescription cough medicines.

Method 2 of 3: Long-term reduction of mucus formation in the lungs

1. Ask your doctor about treatment for smoker's lungs. It is normal for you to have more mucus in the lungs for the first few weeks after you quit smoking, but be aware that smoking increases your risk of smoker's lungs. This is an umbrella term for chronic bronchitis and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). In both diseases there is shortness of breath due to damage to the lungs. Both conditions are also associated with coughing and shortness of breath.
   • People with smoker's lungs have a combination of symptoms similar to those of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These include chronic cough, shortness of breath and mucus in the lungs.
   • The treatment for these two conditions is not very intensive, but it is important to talk to your doctor about your risk of developing these conditions after you quit smoking.
   • Your doctor may order an X-ray or CT scan of your chest to rule out other possibilities.
   • A lung function test and blood test may also be needed to find out which factors contribute to the condition.
2. Avoid exposure to cigarette and cigar smoke. Also wear a mask when working with paint and household cleaners that produce strong fumes.
   • If possible, stay indoors on days when the air is highly polluted.
   • Stay away from wood stoves and oil stoves. These can also give off fumes and smoke that can irritate your lungs.
   • If cold air makes your cough worse, put on a face mask before going outside. Do this especially in the winter.
3. Exercise regularly. It's important to keep your cardiovascular system and lungs working properly. When you quit smoking, your body immediately starts the recovery process. The more you exercise, the more your lungs regain their old pre-smoking capacity. This is especially important after you stop smoking.
   • A study of the effects of smoking cessation showed that the body had recovered somewhat after just a week. Eleven young men who smoked one pack a day for 3.5 years underwent several tests while on an exercise bike. The same tests were performed again a week later. The study showed that they had a higher concentration of oxygen in the lungs and were able to exercise for longer.
4. Buy a humidifier or nebulizer. Putting a humidifier or nebulizer in your bedroom while you sleep will help keep you hydrated at night and release mucus in your lungs. Keep the filter clean, and the humidifier will reduce the amount of dust in the air that causes mucus build-up.
   • Keep the humidifier and nebulizer clean. Every two to three days, clean the filter with a mixture of water and bleach (two tablespoons of bleach per liter of water). Place the device in a well-ventilated area away from your bedroom and let it do its work until it is dry. This will take approximately 40 minutes.

Method 3 of 3: Soothe sore throats and chest pain caused by mucus

1. Gargle with warm saline solution. The cough caused by the mucus can cause a sore and itchy throat. Saline solution draws excess fluid from the inflamed tissues in the throat, temporarily soothing them.
   • Dissolve ¼-1/2 teaspoon of salt in a glass with 250 ml of warm (not too hot) water. Gargle for 15-20 seconds and spit out the saline solution.
2. Drink warm lemon juice with honey. The combination of honey and lemon juice can help soothe your throat and help with mucus build-up in the lungs. Add honey and lemon juice to hot water or eat a teaspoon of honey to soothe your throat.
3. Include ginger in your diet. Ginger root is a natural anti-inflammatory agent that can help soothe your irritated lungs. Drink ginger tea and add ginger root (not crystallized ginger) to dishes such as soups and stir-fries. Ginger candies can be an easy way to suppress your cough.
   • To make ginger tea easy, cut a thumb-sized piece of ginger into thin slices and soak the slices in hot water for about 15 minutes. Add a little honey to soothe your throat and chest even more.
4. Drink peppermint tea. Peppermint, like ginger, is a natural expectorant and can help thin and dissolve mucus. The active ingredient in peppermint, menthol, is a good expectorant. Many over-the-counter mucus remedies contain menthol.
   • Eating and drinking peppermint foods such as peppermint tea can help soothe the basic symptoms of mucus formation.

Tips

• Do not take over-the-counter cough suppressants without first seeking advice from your doctor.
• If you have had a chronic cough and mucus for at least three months, you could have chronic bronchitis. This is a chronic condition involving inflammation in the lungs caused by swollen and irritated airways. If you have these symptoms, see your doctor for a diagnosis.
• Keep in mind that after you stop smoking you may also experience other side effects such as weight gain due to increased hunger, anxiety, depression, sore throat and / or mouth ulcers. Talk to your doctor if these side effects are interfering with your daily life.
• See your doctor if your flu-like symptoms persist for more than a month after you quit smoking or if you are coughing up blood.