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But sometimes, your body produces too much mucus, which requires frequent throat clearing. Learn what causes excess mucus and what you can do about it.
We all make mucus and phlegm, but too much can be overwhelming. Home remedies like using a humidifier or staying hydrated can help.
Learning the cause of excess mucus helps doctors determine the appropriate treatment. This article covers why someone may have an overproduction of mucus in the throat and how to manage it.
Being sick with sinusitis or respiratory infections is the most common cause of excess amounts of thick mucus in your nose or throat. Allergies or irritants. Allergies and other irritants in your respiratory tract can cause excess clear mucus. Lung diseases.
The key is to understand what is causing excess mucus production. Reflux. Another common cause of throat clearing is laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). Acid in your stomach helps digest food. But excess stomach acid sometimes flows backward up the tube called the esophagus that links throat to stomach.
Thick, rubbery mucus in the back of the throat, also known as catarrh, is a symptom that often results from infection in the nasal passages, sinuses, lower airways, or lungs. It may also occur with a range of conditions including the common cold, asthma , sinusitis, pneumonia , and cystic fibrosis.
Coughing up phlegm is a symptom of infections like the flu and common cold. Phlegm is a specific type of mucus that originates in your lungs and throat. It’s slightly thicker than the mucus that’s produced in your nose and sinuses. Another name for phlegm is sputum.
Certain remedies, such as staying hydrated, using a humidifier, and taking over-the-counter decongestants, can all help ease excess phlegm in your throat or chest.
In many cases, more than one cause is involved. The following causes, alone or in combination, are responsible for the majority of cases of chronic cough: Postnasal drip. When your nose or sinuses produce extra mucus, it can drip down the back of your throat and trigger your cough reflex.
When excess mucus builds up and drips down the back of your throat, it’s called postnasal drip. In addition to feeling like mucus is draining down your throat, symptoms of postnasal drip include cough, the urge to clear your throat and hoarseness.