what to do for chest congestion with covid

You may find that you are still coughing up phlegm or fungus after an infection with COVID-19 (coronavirus). This is normal afterwards respiratory infections. It is how the lungs and airways keep themselves clear.

Go along clearing the phlegm from your lungs to improve your lung condition and reduce the chance of getting chest infections. There are breathing exercises and positioning exercises that can aid.

Breathing exercises

Deep breathing technique

Deep breathing is a simple technique to expand your lungs and assistance clear your phlegm.

You can do this many times during the day in any place or position. Make sure yous are comfy and your breast and shoulders are relaxed.

1. Sit or lie in a comfortable position.
2. Put i hand on your stomach simply below your ribs and the other hand on your chest.
3. Take a deep breath through your nose and let your tummy push your hand out. The manus on your tummy should motion more the hand on your chest.
4. Breathe out through pursed lips like you are whistling. Experience the hand on your belly go in and use it to push all the air out.
5. Do this breathing 3 to 5 times. Take your fourth dimension with each jiff.

Watch a sit-in of deep breathing.

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Breath stacking technique

Jiff stacking is a technique that can be used to:

• assistance expand your lungs
• continue the muscles flexible
• help you accept a stronger cough to articulate your phlegm

Wait for 1 60 minutes after having food or drink earlier you do these exercises. If you have whatever chest pain during the practise, end the exercise.

1. Breathe out fully.
2. Take a small breath in through your mouth, nose or both and hold.
3. On top of the air already in your lungs, take another small breath.
4. Repeat until you experience y'all cannot take in any more air and concord for 2 to 5 seconds.
5. Exhale the air out of your oral fissure. This will feel like a big jiff out with a greater force.

Sentry a demonstration of breath stacking.

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Non-urgent communication: Phone your GP and stop these exercises if:

• your breathing design is changing or becoming unusual when not doing the exercises

Positioning exercises to clear phlegm (postural drainage)

Your lungs have five lobes in total and phlegm can be in any of these.

Positioning exercises apply gravity to aid clear phlegm that has built up in your lobes.

How effective they are will depend on the thickness or stickiness of your phlegm. It may be harder to articulate thick phlegm. These exercises may not piece of work if your phlegm is very thick and sticky.

Wait for at least 1 hour afterward a large repast before starting these exercises. Stop an exercise if you have heartburn or feel sick during information technology.

Clearing the phlegm

Try to huff to clear the phlegm afterward an exercise. Information technology is less tiring than coughing upwards the phlegm.

To huff:

1. Exhale in through your nose.
2. With your mouth open, breathe out hard and fast like you are trying to fog up a mirror.

Yous tin follow huffing with a coughing if you need it. But practise non use too much force.

You tin spit out the phlegm. But information technology's non harmful to swallow information technology. Phlegm is usually a white colour.

Not-urgent communication: Talk to your GP if:

• there'south blood in your phlegm - the phlegm may be reddish or pink
• the colour of your phlegm changes

Positioning practice 1

This may aid clear phlegm from the base of operations of your lungs.

1. Lie on your dorsum with your head flat and your knees bent.
2. Place pillows under your hips and knees so that your hips are college than the level of your chest.
3. Stay in this position for at to the lowest degree 5 minutes if yous can and endeavour doing some deep breaths.

Demonstration of positioning exercise ane

Positioning practice two

1. Lie on i of your sides with your head apartment.
2. Place a pillow under your hip to heighten information technology above the level of your breast. Y'all tin can put your hands under your caput for comfort.
3. Stay in this position for 5 to 10 minutes if you lot tin and try to practise some deep breaths.
4. Echo this on your left and right side.

Demonstration of positioning exercise two

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Source: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/symptoms/clearing-lungs/

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