some years back i always breathe better when i was at the beach it's the salt in the air from the ocean water but i never through about using salt in a humidifer i will have to try that

Yes, it does. Supposedly that is what it is used for. I find that I have more and more as time goes on. I don't really know, I just keep it up because i'm told that it helps me 🙂.

Does the sodium chloride cause you to cough up mucus? It does me and I have never had a lot of mucus.

A PEP is a device that uses Positive Expiratory Pressure to help with mucus clearance. People with chronic bronchitis or bronchiectasis who develop a lot of mucus use them to help them cough the junk up and out. There are different kinds of spirometers and you need to know which one you're talking about. The
incentive spirometer is often given to patients after abdominal surgery to help them strengthen the stomach muscles and proper breathing technique. These are not particularly useful for anything having to do with COPD. There are handheld spirometers that can measure FEV1 and FVC. Some are quite good and compare fairly well to the units usually used in pulmonary labs; they're the expensive ones. The cheap ones are usually not very accurate. You can get peak flow meters that also provide FEV1 results; usually not very accurately.

As for salt in a humidifier; my first thought is it's not very good for the humidifier, but who knows. Getting salt in the air for people with COPD can be helpful, and there are salt lamps that people often use. The issue with salt is that it's "fleeting". It's like O2: it only works when you are using it. As soon as you stop, it's gone. You also need to use it in small, protected places that can be sealed off from other areas; otherwise it dissipates throughout the space. So it's not exactly universal in it's use, but it can make people feel better. People often go to the seashore and feel that their breathing improves there a lot. If you have a small space where you can use it, it might help for as long as you're in the space.

Hi Janet. What is a PEP and a spirometer? Newbie here. What do they do and do they help?