Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsHydrotherapyNutritional CuresBreathing ExercisesOver-the-Counter RemediesAvoid TriggersUse an Air Purifier
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Hydrotherapy
Nutritional Cures
Breathing Exercises
Over-the-Counter Remedies
Avoid Triggers
Use an Air Purifier
If you’ve ever heard a whistling sound when breathing, this is known as wheezing. Wheezing often sounds like a high-pitched whistle and most often happens when a person exhales (breathing out), though it can sometimes be heard when inhaling (breathing in).
Wheezing happens as a result of inflammation that leads to the tightening of air passageways. Home remedies, including eating well, hydrotherapy, and breathing exercises, may help reduce wheezing.
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What Causes Wheezing?
Wheezing is most often heard in individuals with chronic (long-term) conditions such asasthmaandchronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which cause the bronchial airways to narrow and spasm. Other common causes of wheezing include:
Wheezing may also occur in individuals who are experiencing an anaphylactic (severe allergic) reaction to something (e.g., food, insect bite, medication).Seek immediate medical attention (call 911) if you are experiencing wheezing as a result of anaphylaxis.
Hydrotherapy (water therapy) involves the use of water for health purposes. Hydrotherapy is one of the most basic, widely-used methods for treating a number of conditions, including wheezing. Hydrotherapy options for treating wheezing include:
Eating a healthy diet can improve many aspects of your health and well-being. Diet and nutrition are increasingly recognized as an option to protect the respiratory system and help reduce the symptoms of long-term conditions that cause wheezing. Eating foods rich in the following nutrients may help reduce or even eliminate your wheezing.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C has been thoroughly studied for its benefits to the respiratory system, including reducing wheezing. Studies show that consumption of fruit and vegetables rich in vitamin C—citrus fruits, bell peppers, tomatoes, berries, broccoli, and spinach—can reduce wheezing and have a positive impact on lung health.
Whilevitamin C dietary supplementsmay be helpful, most research shows that eating foods rich in this powerful antioxidant nutrient is more beneficial.
Vitamin D
More research is needed to determine the optimal dose of vitamin D for different populations (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity) and whether or notvitamin D supplementationis as helpful as consuming foods rich in this nutrient.
Vitamin E
Research shows that vitamin E has multiple antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that reduce inflammation in airways as well as mucus that may cause or contribute to wheezing in individuals with asthma.Almonds, red bell pepper, peanut butter, pumpkin, spinach, and sunflower seeds are all rich in vitamin E.
Ginger
Research shows that ginger may help relax the airways' smooth muscles, helping reduce constriction and wheezing.Freshgingercontains compounds that may help ward off viruses that affect the respiratory system.
Like aerobic exercise can improve your cardiac health,breathing exercisescan have a positive impact on your lung health and function.Breathing techniques can strengthen your lung capacity, make your lungs more efficient, and reduce wheezing.
Although these exercises may seem simple, it may take some practice to get them mastered. Practice when your breathing feels at ease, so you can turn to them when your wheezing increases or you’re experiencing shortness of breath.
Pursed Lip Breathing
Pursed lip breathing is a technique that slows the rate of breathing, keeping the airways open longer, and making each breath more effective. When you breathe more efficiently, shortness of breath should be reduced.
To practice:
Your wheezing is likely to improve or even subside after pursed-lip breathing.
Yoga Breathing
The inability to exhale fully is common in those with asthma. Research shows thatyoga breathing exercises(pranayama) improve lung function in individuals with asthma, which may reduce wheezing.
To do yoga breathing:
Over-the-counter (OTC) remedies are a popular option for many, due to their affordability and availability (no need for a prescription). If you want to try over-the-counter medications to improve your wheezing, you may want to consider the following:
Primatene Mist
Primatene Mist—an FDA-approved over-the-counter inhaler—is a bronchodilator that provides temporary relief of intermittent asthma symptoms. The mist contains epinephrine, which helps relieve wheezing, tightness in the chest, and shortness of breath.
Antihistamines
Antihistaminesare particularly helpful for those who have allergies.Many are available over-the-counter in tablet, capsule, liquid gel, eye drop, and nasal spray forms. Common antihistamine brands include Allegra (fexofenadine), Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Claritin (loratadine), and Zyrtec (cetirizine).
Cough Drops
Sucking oncough dropsor hard candies may help soothe irritated and inflamed breathing airways.Keep in mind that cough drops can temporarily reduce a wheezing cough but are not a long-term remedy. Suck on a cough drop once every two to three hours for relief.
Whenever possible, try to avoid triggers that will worsen your wheezing, including:
Cold, Dry Air
Cold, dry air can lead to airway narrowing and irritation in the airways, which can lead to coughing, worsen wheezing, and exacerbate breathing difficulties.
Smoking or Vaping
Smoking and vaping are known to have a negative impact on lung health and breathing. A study published in 2020 shows that smoking and vaping (using e-cigarettes) are strongly associated with an increase in wheezing and other breathing difficulties.Speak with your healthcare provider to discuss smoking cessation options.
Allergens
Allergies can worsen breathing, particularly in those with conditions such as asthma or COPD.Common allergy symptoms include a runny nose, coughing, itchy eyes, and mild wheezing. If you have seasonal allergies, you may want to consider taking antihistamines to help reduce your allergy symptoms.
Some conditions that cause wheezing may worsen when the environment is polluted or there are allergens in the air. Anair purifierin your home can reduce the number of irritants in the air that may trigger wheezing.
A Word From Verywell
If you are experiencing wheezing, it is important to see your healthcare provider since it may be an indication of an underlying health problem, such as asthma. Once you’ve discussed a treatment plan with your practitioner, home remedies may be an excellent option to improve your breathing and reduce wheezing.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Wheezing.Berthon BS, Wood LG.Nutrition and respiratory health–feature review.Nutrients. 2015;7(3):1618-1643. doi:10.3390/nu7031618Ali NS, Nanji K.A review on the role of vitamin D in asthma.Cureus. 2017;9(5):e1288. doi:10.7759/cureus.1288Burbank AJ, Duran CG, Pan Y, et al.Gamma tocopherol-enriched supplement reduces sputum eosinophilia and endotoxin-induced sputum neutrophilia in volunteers with asthma.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018;141(4):1231-1238.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2017.06.029Townsend EA, Siviski ME, Zhang Y, Xu C, Hoonjan B, Emala CW.Effects of ginger and its constituents on airway smooth muscle relaxation and calcium regulation.Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2013;48(2):157–163. doi:10.1165/rcmb.2012-0231OCKardan M, Rafiei A, Ghaffari J, Valadan R, Morsaljahan Z, Haj-ghorbani ST.Effect of ginger extract on expression of GATA3, T-bet and ROR-γt in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with allergic asthma.Allergol Immunopathol(Madr). 2019;47(4):378-385. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2018.12.003Santino TA, Chaves GS, Freitas DA, Fregonezi GA, Mendonça KM.Breathing exercises for adults with asthma.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;3(3):CD001277. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001277.pub4Sakhaei S, Sadagheyani HE, Zinalpoor S, Markani AK, Motaarefi H.The impact of pursed-lips breathing maneuver on cardiac, respiratory, and oxygenation parameters in COPD patients.Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(10):1851-1856. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.407Jayawardena R, Ranasinghe P, Ranawaka H, Gamage N, Dissanayake D, Misra A.Exploring the therapeutic benefits of pranayama (yogic breathing): A systematic review.Int J Yoga. 2020;13(2):99-110. doi:10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_37_19MedlinePlus.Antihistamines for allergies.Mount Sinai.Cough.D’Amato M, Molino A, Calabrese G, Cecchi L, Annesi-Maesano I, D’Amato G.The impact of cold on the respiratory tract and its consequences to respiratory health.Clin Transl Allergy. 2018;8:20. doi:10.1186/s13601-018-0208-9Li D, Sundar IK, McIntosh S, et al.Association of smoking and electronic cigarette use with wheezing and related respiratory symptoms in adults: cross-sectional results from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, wave 2.Tob Control. 2020;29(2):140-147. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054694American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Asthma-COPD overlap.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Wheezing.Berthon BS, Wood LG.Nutrition and respiratory health–feature review.Nutrients. 2015;7(3):1618-1643. doi:10.3390/nu7031618Ali NS, Nanji K.A review on the role of vitamin D in asthma.Cureus. 2017;9(5):e1288. doi:10.7759/cureus.1288Burbank AJ, Duran CG, Pan Y, et al.Gamma tocopherol-enriched supplement reduces sputum eosinophilia and endotoxin-induced sputum neutrophilia in volunteers with asthma.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018;141(4):1231-1238.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2017.06.029Townsend EA, Siviski ME, Zhang Y, Xu C, Hoonjan B, Emala CW.Effects of ginger and its constituents on airway smooth muscle relaxation and calcium regulation.Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2013;48(2):157–163. doi:10.1165/rcmb.2012-0231OCKardan M, Rafiei A, Ghaffari J, Valadan R, Morsaljahan Z, Haj-ghorbani ST.Effect of ginger extract on expression of GATA3, T-bet and ROR-γt in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with allergic asthma.Allergol Immunopathol(Madr). 2019;47(4):378-385. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2018.12.003Santino TA, Chaves GS, Freitas DA, Fregonezi GA, Mendonça KM.Breathing exercises for adults with asthma.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;3(3):CD001277. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001277.pub4Sakhaei S, Sadagheyani HE, Zinalpoor S, Markani AK, Motaarefi H.The impact of pursed-lips breathing maneuver on cardiac, respiratory, and oxygenation parameters in COPD patients.Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(10):1851-1856. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.407Jayawardena R, Ranasinghe P, Ranawaka H, Gamage N, Dissanayake D, Misra A.Exploring the therapeutic benefits of pranayama (yogic breathing): A systematic review.Int J Yoga. 2020;13(2):99-110. doi:10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_37_19MedlinePlus.Antihistamines for allergies.Mount Sinai.Cough.D’Amato M, Molino A, Calabrese G, Cecchi L, Annesi-Maesano I, D’Amato G.The impact of cold on the respiratory tract and its consequences to respiratory health.Clin Transl Allergy. 2018;8:20. doi:10.1186/s13601-018-0208-9Li D, Sundar IK, McIntosh S, et al.Association of smoking and electronic cigarette use with wheezing and related respiratory symptoms in adults: cross-sectional results from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, wave 2.Tob Control. 2020;29(2):140-147. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054694American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Asthma-COPD overlap.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cleveland Clinic.Wheezing.Berthon BS, Wood LG.Nutrition and respiratory health–feature review.Nutrients. 2015;7(3):1618-1643. doi:10.3390/nu7031618Ali NS, Nanji K.A review on the role of vitamin D in asthma.Cureus. 2017;9(5):e1288. doi:10.7759/cureus.1288Burbank AJ, Duran CG, Pan Y, et al.Gamma tocopherol-enriched supplement reduces sputum eosinophilia and endotoxin-induced sputum neutrophilia in volunteers with asthma.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018;141(4):1231-1238.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2017.06.029Townsend EA, Siviski ME, Zhang Y, Xu C, Hoonjan B, Emala CW.Effects of ginger and its constituents on airway smooth muscle relaxation and calcium regulation.Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2013;48(2):157–163. doi:10.1165/rcmb.2012-0231OCKardan M, Rafiei A, Ghaffari J, Valadan R, Morsaljahan Z, Haj-ghorbani ST.Effect of ginger extract on expression of GATA3, T-bet and ROR-γt in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with allergic asthma.Allergol Immunopathol(Madr). 2019;47(4):378-385. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2018.12.003Santino TA, Chaves GS, Freitas DA, Fregonezi GA, Mendonça KM.Breathing exercises for adults with asthma.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;3(3):CD001277. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001277.pub4Sakhaei S, Sadagheyani HE, Zinalpoor S, Markani AK, Motaarefi H.The impact of pursed-lips breathing maneuver on cardiac, respiratory, and oxygenation parameters in COPD patients.Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(10):1851-1856. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.407Jayawardena R, Ranasinghe P, Ranawaka H, Gamage N, Dissanayake D, Misra A.Exploring the therapeutic benefits of pranayama (yogic breathing): A systematic review.Int J Yoga. 2020;13(2):99-110. doi:10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_37_19MedlinePlus.Antihistamines for allergies.Mount Sinai.Cough.D’Amato M, Molino A, Calabrese G, Cecchi L, Annesi-Maesano I, D’Amato G.The impact of cold on the respiratory tract and its consequences to respiratory health.Clin Transl Allergy. 2018;8:20. doi:10.1186/s13601-018-0208-9Li D, Sundar IK, McIntosh S, et al.Association of smoking and electronic cigarette use with wheezing and related respiratory symptoms in adults: cross-sectional results from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, wave 2.Tob Control. 2020;29(2):140-147. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054694American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Asthma-COPD overlap.
Cleveland Clinic.Wheezing.
Berthon BS, Wood LG.Nutrition and respiratory health–feature review.Nutrients. 2015;7(3):1618-1643. doi:10.3390/nu7031618
Ali NS, Nanji K.A review on the role of vitamin D in asthma.Cureus. 2017;9(5):e1288. doi:10.7759/cureus.1288
Burbank AJ, Duran CG, Pan Y, et al.Gamma tocopherol-enriched supplement reduces sputum eosinophilia and endotoxin-induced sputum neutrophilia in volunteers with asthma.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018;141(4):1231-1238.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2017.06.029
Townsend EA, Siviski ME, Zhang Y, Xu C, Hoonjan B, Emala CW.Effects of ginger and its constituents on airway smooth muscle relaxation and calcium regulation.Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2013;48(2):157–163. doi:10.1165/rcmb.2012-0231OC
Kardan M, Rafiei A, Ghaffari J, Valadan R, Morsaljahan Z, Haj-ghorbani ST.Effect of ginger extract on expression of GATA3, T-bet and ROR-γt in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with allergic asthma.Allergol Immunopathol(Madr). 2019;47(4):378-385. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2018.12.003
Santino TA, Chaves GS, Freitas DA, Fregonezi GA, Mendonça KM.Breathing exercises for adults with asthma.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;3(3):CD001277. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001277.pub4
Sakhaei S, Sadagheyani HE, Zinalpoor S, Markani AK, Motaarefi H.The impact of pursed-lips breathing maneuver on cardiac, respiratory, and oxygenation parameters in COPD patients.Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(10):1851-1856. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.407
Jayawardena R, Ranasinghe P, Ranawaka H, Gamage N, Dissanayake D, Misra A.Exploring the therapeutic benefits of pranayama (yogic breathing): A systematic review.Int J Yoga. 2020;13(2):99-110. doi:10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_37_19
MedlinePlus.Antihistamines for allergies.
Mount Sinai.Cough.
D’Amato M, Molino A, Calabrese G, Cecchi L, Annesi-Maesano I, D’Amato G.The impact of cold on the respiratory tract and its consequences to respiratory health.Clin Transl Allergy. 2018;8:20. doi:10.1186/s13601-018-0208-9
Li D, Sundar IK, McIntosh S, et al.Association of smoking and electronic cigarette use with wheezing and related respiratory symptoms in adults: cross-sectional results from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, wave 2.Tob Control. 2020;29(2):140-147. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054694
American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Asthma-COPD overlap.
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