If you suffer from acute bronchitis, the average family physician in Canada, walk-in doctor, or specialist will recommend any natural treatments or over-the-counter medications to treat coughing, fever, or pain. These pharmaceuticals come at a risk however.
What may work just as well can be time spent in a steam room or sauna. In clearing a cough, calming the body, and providing relief in so many ways, a sauna can outperform many medications such as NSAIDs or acetaminophen. Here’s a little more in how a sauna affects bronchitis.
What is bronchitis?
Bronchitis is the inflammation of the lung’s airways which most often presents in symptoms like coughing, wheezing, a shortness of breath, and in extreme cases, chest pain. In acute cases, bronchitis can last up to 3 weeks and is usually referred to as simply a chest cold. Yearly, up to 5 percent of adults are affected. Common treatments for bronchitis are usually rest and sleep, acetaminophen, and NSAIDs to control fever.
What is chronic bronchitis?
Bronchitis is considered chronic when it lasts for more than 3 months or more per year, for a minimum of two years. If this form of chronic bronchitis occurs with decreased airflow, it gets classified as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Chronic bronchitis’ primary symptom comes in the form of overproduction of mucus, something which needs to be cleared by coughing. The most common cause of chronic bronchitis is tobacco smoking though it can also come from the inhalation of air pollution, irritating fumes or dust from hazardous materials, and exposure to nitrogen dioxide or sulfur dioxide.
Cutting down on what makes bronchitis worse
Unless your bronchitis is serious and requiring ongoing medical attention, a sauna will most likely help beyond what most can imagine. That said, before you address symptoms of a condition, eliminating the cause is most helpful. Look at what could be bringing it on. Is there pollution, exhaust fumes, paint fumes, dust, or other elements in the air causing you respiratory issues? Remove them, if so. Is there another reason why excess mucus, phlegm, and congestion are building up in the lungs – address it with a doctor if need be.
How a steamy sauna can help bronchitis
Being in a room with hot steam hits the bronchitis where it hurts – right in those lungs where inflammation reigns supreme. A hot steam in a sauna clears congestion, phlegm, and excess mucus. In a matter of minutes, what’s irritating you can be cleared from the lungs.
An added benefit is a reduction in inflammation, as inflammation falls during and following a sauna session. An excellent one-two punch in treating bronchitis, throat irritation, or high phlegm production can be follow up a sauna session with a cup of herbal tea and some honey. Unfortunately, none of this is a cure but neither are any over-the-counter medications. It’s about treating symptoms, minimizing discomfort and irritation, and allowing your body to heal. A sauna does all that.
The results in a sauna are immediate
You don’t have to wait for a sauna to do its thing. Within minutes, a sauna is clearing out that bronchitis phlegm and congestion. If you’re having a particularly rough day when you’re coughing a lot and can’t seem to shake all that build-up in the lungs, unless you have a fever, jumping into a sauna’s going to provide treatment that is immediate and lasting for the remainder of the day.
Just imagine, for a moment. You’re surrounded by this thick warmth. If it’s a traditional sauna or steam room, as opposed to an infrared sauna, you’re going to feel the heat and steam fill the lungs. Anything that’s keeping you from breathing normally is going to be broken up and will literally melt away under the heat.
What to remember about using a sauna safely
If you intend to participate in regular sauna use to treat bronchitis, coughing, or flu or cough symptoms, there are some key guidelines to follow. In order to do it safely, here are some quick bullet points to hang onto.
Limit sessions to no longer than 15-20 minutes.
Avoid foods or drink before or after which cause dehydration.
Rehydrate immediately after a sauna with 2-4 glasses of water.
Cool down gradually after a sauna to avoid putting any unnecessary stress on the body. Stress like this is a bad thing when you are trying to eliminate bronchitis.
If you begin to feel unwell while sitting in a sauna, leave immediately. Don’t wait.
If you are pregnant or have a fever, do not use a sauna before consulting with a physician.
More about a sauna and the lungs
Sauna bathing provides instant benefits to the lungs however there are other long-term advantages that come with regular sauna sessions. Studies have shown that not only can it address bronchitis symptoms but a sauna will also reduce the number of common colds a person has, improve overall lung function, and strengthen breathing in patients with chronic bronchitis, asthma, or COPD.
Comparatively, no medication or pill is going to provide these benefits. If you want to have stronger breathing or strengthen the lungs, the only way to do so is to safely challenge their functioning in a way that re-builds this functioning and which triggers a response from the body that strengthens these systems. There’s nothing easier than sitting in a hot room via a sauna, allowing the heat to rush around a person and trigger these sort of responses deep in the body.
Can an infrared sauna help a bronchitis cough?
To treat a bronchitis cough, you need a sauna or a steam room creating hot, steamy heat. Inhaling this direct into the lungs is what addresses a cough. This also should be followed up with rest, hot water or teas, and perhaps a warm shower to continue loosening this phlegm and pushing it down into the stomach where it can be devoured by stomach acids.
Please note, an infrared sauna differs from a traditional sauna in that infrared rays are used to create, target, and transmit heat to the individual, as opposed to heating the entirety of a room. The dry, hot air of an infrared sauna can prevent a common cold. Unfortunately, for the average user, this type of sauna has little to no effect on coughing.
How you can get rid of bronchitis fast
If you are determined to shake off bronchitis quickly, a steam room or steamy sauna isn’t everything you can do. There are other steps you may want to take. For example, avoid dehydrating caffeine or alcohol. Ensure you’re getting a full night’s rest. Use a humidifier in the home, if necessary, to keep the air moisture high. Do not hold in any coughs that want to bring out mucus. Let it come. If you have acute bronchitis – that is, it has lasted longer than 3 months and/or the symptoms are particularly severe – a doctor may also provide antibiotics which you should take. These steps will help to get rid of bronchitis fast with a sauna, speeding up your recovery.
Bronchitis needs rest as much as it needs treatment
Do remember that for bronchitis to pass, it needs rest in the same way it needs therapy. Note bronchitis can worsen, if you are not resting. Your body needs its strength. Worsening symptoms include chest tightness, an increasingly sore throat, chills, and body aches. All of these are signs rest and sleep are needed.
Bronchitis can last several weeks so just like you would if you were on a workout program or if you were working on a professional project, stay focused on getting better. Use a sauna, take medications as needed, treat your body right, and get that rest. In days, you should begin to experience a major difference. In time, your bronchitis will clear right up.