Mucus and phlegm are important parts of the body’s immune system and can help trap microbes. <\/p>
People think mucus and phlegm are things you\u00a0should\u00a0cough up and get out, because they\u2019re bad for you. But in truth, mucus is the interface between you and the outside world.<\/p>
It lines the moist surfaces of your nose, sinuses and lungs, and filters out material you breathe in \u2013 a bit like flypaper. It\u2019s mostly water, but also contains proteins, sugars and molecules that help the body control harmful germs. Mucus creates a layer of protection between us and the outside world, so it\u2019s not\u00a0something to get rid of.\u00a0<\/p>
Although we make quite a lot of it all the time, usually you\u2019re\u00a0unaware of it. It gets pushed to the back of the throat by microscopic hairs called cilia, and you swallow it without noticing. It\u2019s only when you\u2019re ill and it gets\u00a0produced in excess that you might notice it more.<\/p>
When you\u2019re unwell, your mucus can become thicker and stickier, but it\u2019s still playing a vital role in trapping bacteria<\/a>, viruses<\/a> and cells that are mobilised from your immune system. So, for the most part, leaving the mucus alone is probably for the best.\u00a0<\/p> Getting rid of it won\u2019t necessarily make you feel better any sooner.\u00a0But\u00a0the excess mucus can get a bit annoying. Keeping the air moist, using saline irrigation (using a sinus rinse, which you can buy or make yourself easily at home), gargling with salt water and staying hydrated can all help.<\/p> Decongestants from the pharmacy can also help, but decongestant nasal sprays shouldn\u2019t be used for more than a week at a time,\u00a0as using them for too long can actually make your stuffiness worse.<\/p> So, in short \u2013 you don\u2019t need to get rid of\u00a0mucus\u00a0and it won\u2019t speed up your recovery if you do. But if it makes you feel better, there\u2019s no harm.\u00a0<\/p> Read more:<\/strong><\/p> Asked by: Daniel Grant,\u00a0Sunderland<\/strong><\/p> To submit your questions email us at questions@sciencefocus.com (don’t forget to include your name and location)<\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Mucus and phlegm are important parts of the body’s immune system and can help trap microbes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":33803,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/heres-why-you-shouldnt-spit-out-any-mucus-when-youre-ill-according-to-a-doctor.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/heres-why-you-shouldnt-spit-out-any-mucus-when-youre-ill-according-to-a-doctor-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/heres-why-you-shouldnt-spit-out-any-mucus-when-youre-ill-according-to-a-doctor-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/heres-why-you-shouldnt-spit-out-any-mucus-when-youre-ill-according-to-a-doctor-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/heres-why-you-shouldnt-spit-out-any-mucus-when-youre-ill-according-to-a-doctor-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/heres-why-you-shouldnt-spit-out-any-mucus-when-youre-ill-according-to-a-doctor.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/heres-why-you-shouldnt-spit-out-any-mucus-when-youre-ill-according-to-a-doctor.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Mucus and phlegm are important parts of the body's immune system and can help trap microbes.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/33802"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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