Sinus congestion caused by an upper respiratory infection or allergy can be annoying, can affect your ability to get good quality sleep, and reduce your productivity at work. Sinus congestion that lasts for a long time can lead to sinus infections. This condition can cause symptoms such as nasal congestion, thick pus or green mucus, facial pain, pressing headache, cough, and low-grade fever. If you have a stuffy nose, there are many things you can do to clear your sinuses.
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Method 1 of 2: Using Home Remedies
Step 1. Breathe in the steam
One of the best ways to clear sinuses is with steam. To produce sufficient steam, go into the bathroom and pour hot water into the tub, then close the door to prevent steam from escaping outside. Stay in the bathroom with the hot water for three to five minutes. The nasal secretions will be loose and ready to be expelled from the nose after this. You can also place your head over a large bowl filled with boiling water and cover your head with a towel to catch the steam. Breathe in this position for about 10 minutes, or until your stuffy nose feels better.
- If you feel dizzy while undergoing this method, find another room to get some fresh air, sit in a chair, and breathe normally. This will solve the problem. This is not something to worry about and will go away in a few minutes.
- You can also use essential oils like lavender, eucalyptus, and peppermint in the shower. This oil is quite promising because it has natural decongestant properties and is proven to be beneficial. Eucalyptus oil has been shown to have decongestant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help clear the sinuses and help prevent sinus infections. How to use it is to put five to 10 drops of this oil in a bath or large bowl filled with water.
- Keep essential oils out of reach of children. This oil can cause serious problems and possibly death if ingested or used incorrectly.
Step 2. Buy a humidifier
Sometimes your sinuses can be very dry, which can lead to sinus congestion. A humidifier that works the same as steam can be very helpful. Keep the device on when you are indoors or at bedtime to increase the humidity level in your nose and help loosen nasal secretions.
Add about five drops of an essential oil such as peppermint or eucalyptus to the water in the humidifier to help loosen clogged sinuses. Eucalyptus oil has antimicrobial, decongestant, and anti-inflammatory properties that can help with your condition
Step 3. Use a warm compress
Heat can also help clear nasal congestion and clear sinuses. Take a damp cloth and place it in the microwave for two to three minutes. The temperature should be hot but not too hot for your skin. Place the cloth over your nose and let it sit there until the heat dissipates. Repeat this action as needed. This will loosen the secretions that can be cleared from the nose by blowing on it.
Be careful when removing the cloth from the microwave, lest you hurt your hands from the heat. Every microwave is different and can overheat the cloth
Step 4. Make a salt water spray
Salt water spray is useful for relieving a stuffy nose. Make your own solution by mixing 236 ml of warm water with one and a half teaspoons of salt in a bowl. To use it, buy a sucker with a ball-shaped base. Insert the long end of the device into the bowl of water, and press to release the water, then release the ball so the ball will fill with water. Next, place the small tip in your nose and apply two sprays to each nostril to spray the liquid onto the nasal secretions, which will make it easier for you to blow.
You can also buy saline (non-medicated) nasal sprays and drops at pharmacies. You don't have to worry about using this saline nasal spray every few hours as it is non-medicated. Salt water drops for the nose are very safe and even very effective for babies
Step 5. Use a neti pot
A neti pot is a small teapot that cleans the sinus passages by flowing warm water through one nostril and out into the other. How to use it is to fill the neti pot with warm water with a temperature of about 48 degrees Celsius. Tilt your head to the left and slightly back and place the muzzle of the neti pot into the right nostril. Raise the neti pot and pour the water into the right nostril. The water will flow out of the left nostril.
Make sure you use clean, sterile water. To warm it, boil the water first and remove all dirt if you doubt the cleanliness of the water in your home
Step 6. Eat or drink hot food
There are a number of foods and drinks that can help with sinus problems. Try drinking hot tea, which has the same effect as steam. The heat produced by the tea will heat up the sinus passages and help clear them. You can use any tea you like, but we recommend using peppermint and lavender teas as they have the added benefit of dealing with clogged sinuses.
- Change your diet too. Try spicy salsa, chili, spicy chicken wings, or anything spicy. The heat added to your system will help warm the sinuses and help expel secretions.
- You can also eat hot soup or broth to help loosen sinuses.
Step 7. Exercise
While you may not feel like exercising when your sinuses are blocked, this physical activity can help increase the flow of mucus in your sinuses, which will help clear nasal secretions. Try doing some aerobic exercise for 15 to 20 minutes to help clear your sinuses.
If you are allergic to pollen or other substances that are outdoors, try exercising indoors such as at the gym or indoors to avoid exposure to allergens that can cause irritation
Step 8. Do massage manually
Sometimes you can use your hands to help clear the sinuses. Use gentle pressure using your index and middle fingers, alternating in circular motions on the forehead, bridge of the nose, beside the eyes, and under the eyes. Use an oil like rosemary oil on your forehead to help open up the sinus passages.
You can also use manual manipulation to break up the mucus manually or structurally and warm the area with the movement of your hand
Method 2 of 2: Seeking Medical Help
Step 1. Try using medicine
There are many medications that can help relieve nasal congestion in your sinuses, both over-the-counter and over-the-counter medications. A nasal spray that can be obtained without a doctor's prescription is Flonase. How to use it is to give one spray per nostril, twice a day. This is especially useful if you suffer from allergies. To relieve blocked sinuses, you can also try Zyrtec, which is a non-drowsy antihistamine. Drink as much as 10mg once a day. Also try Claritin, another non-drowsy antihistamine that might work for you better. Drink as much as 10mg once a day. Another drug that is also useful is a decongestant oral medication that contains pseudoephedrine.
- If over-the-counter medications don't work for you, ask your doctor about more potent over-the-counter medications or other prescription-only decongestants that might work better in your case.
- You can also use over-the-counter pain relievers to treat pain caused by blocked sinuses, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
- Nasal decongestants, such as Afrin, can relieve sinus congestion quickly, but should only be used for 3 days. If you use it for a longer time, you may experience rebound symptoms (the disease becomes resistant to the drug given in fixed doses).
- Without consulting a doctor, these drugs should not be taken by pregnant women or those with health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, or thyroid disease. And consult a pediatrician before you give it to children.
Step 2. Ask your doctor about immunotherapy
If you suffer from severe chronic allergies that cause sinus problems, you can undergo immunotherapy to remove the blockage in your sinuses. Immunotherapy is a process where you give the things you are allergic to, such as pollen, mold, or pet dander in small doses, either by injection or placed under the tongue. The first step you should take is to get tested by an allergist, who will find out exactly what item you are allergic to. Once your doctor has determined what you're allergic to, he or she will start giving you the allergen by injection or placing it under your tongue. The doctor will give the allergen in a dose that is acceptable to the body so that the body will adapt to the allergen, no longer perceive it as a dangerous object, and no longer continue to form an immune response, such as sinus congestion or a runny nose.
- These injections or treatment will be done weekly for the first four to six months. Next, you will be at the maintenance level and need treatment every two to four weeks. You will gradually get treatment with longer intervals between each until you only need it once a month. After a year, when your body has responded positively to the therapy, the symptoms will disappear or there will be significant progress. If this happens, your treatment can be continued for three to five years, when you are completely immune to the allergen.
- Immunotherapy will be stopped if your body does not respond positively.
- This treatment takes a long time and can be expensive, but many people turn to this therapy because it can remove blocked sinuses and improve their quality of life.
Step 3. Seek medical help immediately
In certain situations, you may need a doctor. If flu symptoms don't go away in more than two weeks, see a doctor to check for a more serious problem such as a bacterial infection. If there is a change from the usual secretions and allergy symptoms for a week, you should seek medical help immediately if your condition does not improve but gets worse on the seventh day.
- Occasionally, blocked sinuses can lead to a bacterial sinus infection, and at that time your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Sinus surgery is rarely performed to treat chronic sinus congestion or infection.
- If your sinuses are bleeding, if sinus congestion is associated with a severe headache or is accompanied by a high fever, feeling confused, neck stiff, or feeling weak, or if your symptoms get worse after using any form of home remedy, seek medical attention immediately. go to the doctor.
- Clearing blocked sinuses can trigger symptoms in people with asthma or other lung problems. See a doctor if you have cough, wheezing, chest pain, or shortness of breath associated with blocked sinuses.
