When we hear a person suffering from chest congestion, immediately “chest heaviness” and “cough and cold” come to our mind, and nothing else. So, before we talk of home remedies, we should briefly know what exactly this chest congestion is.

Chest congestion is infection in the lungs (pneumonia, bronchitis, etc.) that causes air flow obstruction as you breathe, and this can happen when fluid or mucus builds up there. Then you feel a heaviness, or pressure, or tightness in your chest, and difficulty in breathing that leads you to cough often, accompanied by a chest pain (in some cases). The question here is why you would cough. Because you feel you could take out the phlegm that induces an irritating feeling in the throat. When your congestion becomes worse, a crackling noise is heard when you try to breathe.

The common symptoms include chest pain, dizziness, coughing, irritation, discomfort, wheezing, runny nose, and blood in phlegm. Chills, body aches, fever and malaise are caused when the congestion is flu-induced.

One thing is important it can be vital and lead to serious health complications if you happen to suffer from it for long as it totally weakens the immune system. In that case, you must be diagnosed of the reason for which scans, x-rays, and certain pulmonary tests are required to be done.

What are the home remedies for chest congestion?

• One of the excellent remedies is inhaling steam. It would help open up all the channels and make your breathing easier. Take steam for 8 to 10 times, at one go. If you feel like taking more steam, heat the water again. This can be done 7 to 8 times in a day. Alternatively, you can use a steamer (ones that are in use in beauty salons) and carry out the same process.
• Go for aromatherapy. The procedure is same as you would take steam. The only extra feature here is adding essential oils like lavender, or eucalyptus, or peppermint in the boiled water. Aromatherapy can be carried out 2 to 3 times a day, over and above 3 to 4 times steam. You can alternate the process—once stem, and next time, aromatherapy.
• Stay in warm room or warm atmosphere; if you have to stay in the cold (AC in the office, house, open chills, etc.) for long, take precautions so that the congestion does not become worse.
• Drink herbal teas like ginger and chamomile teas that help in relieving congestion, and combat your weakness. You can take it 4 to 5 times a day.
• Eat lots of citrus fruits, such as pineapple, grapefruit, lime, oranges etc. to strengthen your immune system, which would then bring relief to your chest and lungs.
• Your diet should mainly consist of those foods that are rich in vitamin E and vitamin C that, in turn, would make your immune system strong.

More or less, the home remedies point at one direction—strengthening your immune system. And till you do so, your chest congestion would persist, and make you miserable.