If you live with COPD, mucus can make every breath feel like work. A huff cough is a gentler way to move that mucus than hard, repeated coughing. This guide explains how to do it step by step, what else helps, what the research can and cannot tell us, and which changes in your mucus mean it is time to call your doctor.
What is a huff cough?
A huff cough is a controlled way of coughing. Instead of coughing hard again and again, you take a slow breath, hold it briefly, and push the air out in a strong, steady “huff.” The American Lung Association says that controlled coughing loosens mucus and helps it move through the airways. Its article on mucus adds that uncontrolled coughing fits can trap mucus instead of moving it.
How to do a huff cough, step by step
These steps follow the Cleveland Clinic patient guide to huff coughing. Your own care team may adjust them for you.
- Sit in a chair, or on the edge of a bed, with both feet on the floor.
- Tilt your chin up slightly and open your mouth.
- Take a slow, deep breath in until your lungs are about 75% full.
- Hold the breath for two to three seconds.
- Breathe out slowly but strongly. This is the “huff.”
- Repeat the huff one or two more times.
- Finish with one strong cough to clear mucus from the larger airways.
- Repeat the whole sequence two or three times, depending on how much mucus you have.
Tips that make it easier
- Avoid quick, deep breaths through your mouth right after you cough. The Cleveland Clinic page says these can disrupt mucus movement and set off uncontrolled coughing.
- Stay hydrated. The American Lung Association says water helps keep mucus thinner so you can cough it up more easily.
- The Cleveland Clinic page suggests trying huff coughing after a bronchodilator or whenever you feel congested. Ask your doctor whether and when that fits your medicine plan.
If you want a calm, slow breathing pattern to pair with your huffs, see our guide to belly breathing.
Other ways to help clear mucus
The American Lung Association lists several options to discuss with your healthcare provider: controlled coughing, postural drainage, airway clearance devices such as a vibrating vest or a PEP device, quitting smoking and vaping, and medicines. Its mucus article also mentions staying current on vaccines such as flu and pneumococcal, and notes that some people find dairy thickens their mucus. Tobacco matters too. The association explains that its chemicals produce thicker mucus and increase the amount of mucus in the airways.
Not every option suits every person. A device or body position that helps one person may not be right for another, so check with your doctor before trying something new.
What does the research say about clearing mucus in COPD?
A 2022 Cochrane review of airway clearance techniques for COPD (Osadnik and colleagues) concluded that these techniques are safe and “confer small beneficial effects on some clinical outcomes.” The authors wrote that they may be given to people with stable COPD and during flare-ups, but that the benefits may be small.
- During flare-ups, the review found small but significant short-term reductions in the need for increased ventilatory assistance. Limited studies found no significant long-term benefit on the number of exacerbations or hospital stays.
- In stable COPD, one small study of 15 people reported short-term improvement in quality of life on the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire. A single study reported a reduced long-term need for respiratory-related hospital care.
- Most of these findings come from single, small studies, so they should be read as hopeful but limited.
In plain terms: clearing mucus well is a reasonable part of daily COPD care, but it is one tool among many, not a cure. It works best alongside your medicines, vaccines, activity and a plan from your doctor.
When mucus changes mean you should call your doctor
The American Lung Association says healthy mucus is usually clear, and that white, yellow or green mucus may be a sign of an infection. Pink, red, dark brown or black mucus can sometimes be a sign of a more serious health condition. If an increase in mucus is new for you or seems to be getting worse, it could be a sign of a lung infection.
- Contact your healthcare provider if the amount, thickness, color or stickiness of your mucus changes.
- Reach out sooner if color changes last, or come with shortness of breath or a fever.
- Tracking how long a change lasts helps your doctor. The American Lung Association suggests seeking an evaluation if mucus persists for more than a few weeks.
If you are struggling to breathe, our guide on what to do when you feel short of breath explains what to do, and the American Lung Association HelpLine at 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) is staffed by medical professionals.
Where pulmonary rehab fits
Learning a technique from a handout is one thing. Doing it correctly while you are tired and short of breath is another. In rehab, a clinician can watch you practice, adjust your posture and pacing, and connect mucus clearing with the rest of your plan, such as the exercises for COPD you can build up to safely. For people who have recently been in the hospital, see pulmonary rehab after a COPD flare-up.
Bloom Medical Group offers virtual pulmonary rehab for adults with COPD, moderate to severe asthma, interstitial lung disease and long COVID. Every rehab session is one on one, live by video, with an individualized treatment plan, and our team of licensed respiratory therapists and clinical exercise physiologists meets you where you are. Sessions are billed to insurance. You can learn more about how we help people with COPD.
Frequently asked questions
A huff cough is a controlled cough. You take a slow breath in, hold it for two to three seconds, then breathe out in a strong, steady huff, followed by one stronger cough to clear mucus from the larger airways.
Your doctor or respiratory therapist can tell you what fits your situation. The Cleveland Clinic guide describes repeating the sequence two or three times, depending on how much mucus you have, and suggests trying it when you feel congested.
The American Lung Association says water helps keep mucus thinner and lets you cough it up more easily. If you have heart or kidney problems, or a fluid limit, ask your doctor how much to drink.
The American Lung Association says white, yellow or green mucus may be a sign of an infection. Contact your healthcare provider if your mucus changes in color, amount or thickness, especially if you also have shortness of breath or a fever.
A 2022 Cochrane review found they are safe and have small beneficial effects on some outcomes. The authors noted the benefits may be small and many findings came from limited studies, so ask your doctor which method suits you.
Rehab can help you practice techniques with a clinician watching, and fit them into a plan with exercise, pacing and education. Bloom Medical Group offers one on one virtual pulmonary rehab sessions live by video, billed to commercial insurance. This does not replace your doctor’s advice.
Not sure whether rehab fits you?
Not sure whether rehab fits you? Take our free 2 minute lung health assessment. When you are ready, call 1-866-972-8228 or fill out the see if you qualify form.
This article is for education only and is not medical advice. Talk with your doctor about what is right for you.
