Even though my cold is gone, I still have phlegm. What should I do to get rid of it?
Even though my cold is gone, I still have phlegm. What should I do to get rid of it?
After suffering from a severe cold, even after the cold has gone away, a lingering symptom of phlegm remaining in the throat often persists.
It's awkward to take medicine again; is there any way to relieve the phlegm?
First, you need to drink water frequently.
Drinking plenty of water increases the water content in phlegm, reducing its viscosity.
You can rinse away the phlegm that has already formed with water. However, it is better to drink lukewarm water rather than cold water.
Steam therapy for the nose can also be helpful.
This is usually due to having sinusitis or because the outside air is cold and dry, causing phlegm to form.
Warming the nose reduces the excessive secretion of mucus from the nasal mucosa.
When the swelling of the nasal mucosa subsides and the airflow between the throat and nose becomes smooth, phlegm easily moves downward.
Just dip the towel in hot water and hold it close to your nose.
It is also helpful to hold the cup of hot water close to your nose.
If your phlegm does not improve even after correcting your lifestyle habits, you can take an expectorant (phlegm medicine).
Expectorants thin sticky phlegm and promote ciliary movement in the bronchi.
It promotes the movement (tiny hairs moving to filter external substances), helping to expel phlegm.
If you are coughing so much due to phlegm, it is better to take an expectorant rather than a cough medicine.
Cough medicine works by suppressing the reflexive coughing that helps expel foreign substances from the bronchi.
Taking expectorants to reduce mucus viscosity may actually be more effective in relieving cough.