Keeping Your Lungs Clear
COPD can cause your lungs to produce excess mucus. Too much mucus makes
breathing more difficult and places you at risk for a lung infection. Excess mucus also
makes you cough often, which can be tiring.
There are several things you can do to help clear the excess mucus:
• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid each day, unless your doctor has told you to limit your
fluid intake. Fluid thins the mucus, and when mucus is thin, it is easier to cough up.
It will take several days of drinking enough fluids before you notice a change in your
mucus.
• Try to limit caffeinated drinks. Coffee, tea, and cola are just a few of the many drinks
that contain caffeine. Caffeine can cause fluid loss, which can lead to thicker mucus.
• Do not take antihistamines or diuretics, unless your doctor has told you to do so.
These medications will make mucus thicker and harder to cough up.
Controlled Coughing
Explosive or uncontrolled coughing causes the airways to collapse or spasm. This traps
the mucus, making it hard to get it out of your lungs. This can lead to fatigue and
shortness of breath.
A controlled cough comes from deep within the lungs. It has just enough force to loosen
and carry mucus through the airways without causing them to narrow or collapse.
Controlled coughing will save your energy.
Using the Huff Cough Technique:
1. Sit on a chair with both feet on the floor. Fold your arms across your abdomen. Start
by taking 2 to 4 slow, deep breaths.
2. Take in a slow, deep breath. To exhale, open your mouth and make a “huff” sound in
your throat as you would to fog your glasses before cleaning them. Huff 2 to 3 times
as you exhale.
3. Breathe in again by “sniffing” slowly and gently through your nose. This gentle breath
helps prevent mucus from moving back into your airways.
Rest and repeat the steps as needed. The first huff loosens the mucus and moves it
through the airways. The second and third huffs allow you to cough the mucus up
and out. Use this controlled coughing technique after you use your bronchodilator
medication.
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