Sinus problems are not only frustrating but it can also be a real pain. You have a stuffy nose, cough, ear ache, pressure sensations and even nausea. While there isn’t a permanent solution for this, there are definitely ways to help lessen the discomfort. Here are some tips you shouldn’t miss!
1. Saline Nasal Spray
This would probably the most popular home remedy when it comes to sinus discomfort. You simple mix 1/4 pint of clean water, 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) of salt and 1/4 tsp of baking soda. You can sniff the mixture off your cupped palms, one nostril at a time, or you can also use a clean, dry spray bottle. Gently insert the nozzle into a nostril and spray in the solution. Repeat two to three times per day.
2. Neti Pot
This one has the same idea with saline nasal spray but you’ll only have to buy the neti pot and fill it with sterile water. It’s important that you use sterile or distilled water or you can boil tap water and let it cool before using it. Then you use the neti pot to rinse out your nose, which helps to keep the mucous membranes moist and relieve pressure in the sinuses. The device looks like a small pot with a long spout. Water will run from one nostril to the other, which should flush out pollen, bacteria, and other debris. A person should repeat this process on both nostrils.
Here is how to use a neti pot:
· Wash the hands
· Fill the pot with sterile water
· Lean directly over a sink
· Tilt the head sideways
· Gently insert the spout into the highest nostril
· Breathe through the mouth
· Pour water into the nostril
3. Steam Inhalation
Another common home remedy for blocked nose. It’s simple, just boil water, pour it in a large bowl, lean over it so that you face is directly above the water. Cover your head with a towel and breathe through your nose. The steam will help open the passages in your nose which relieves sinus pressure.
4. Acupuncture
Allergies are annoying, you feel itchy all the time, the sneezing never stops, and even with antihistamine that you can take on easy access you know that it will come back as annoying as ever. If you’re tired of all that and you hate pills, 12 acupuncture sessions can help lessen your symptoms and lets you get by without the pills.
5. Consider Seeking Chiropractic Care
The close relationship between the nervous system and immune system is good news for chiropractic patients. By improving the communication between the brain and spinal cord, chiropractic care can adjust bones in your nasal passages to relieve the pressure within the affected sinus cavities. This can also help regulate and coordinate the body’s reaction to allergens.
This is possible because a chiropractor can strengthen your immune system by manipulating the joints and tissue which can restore the body’s alignment and re-open essential pathways between the brain and spine. This is because misalignment in the spine, especially in the upper cervical point, may compromise immunity and amplify allergic symptoms.
Manual adjustments can also regulate stress hormones, which when out-of-control can make it harder for your body to moderate allergic reactions. Moreover, chiropractic care can also support respiratory system. Like the immune system, the respiratory system depends on an unimpeded flow of information to and from the brain. Chiropractic care keeps the pathways open, fortifying the respiratory system to better withstand allergic attacks. Your chiropractor can even give recommendations when it comes to your diet and lifestyle which can help improve your overall health and ease your symptoms.
6. Ventilate Your Home
It’s never a good idea to let the air inside you home becomes stale and stagnant because that means you’re not breathing fresh air. Open your windows once in a while to allow the air flow through the house and clear out the air. This will help you feel better right away.
7. Humidify The Air
The reason why steam inhalation helps when you have clogged nose is because it clears your sinus passages by not letting them become too dry, especially during the winter. That’s the same idea with using humidifiers at home. Humidifiers don’t require much effort; you just put it in your room and stay in bed while breathing the steam.
8. Keep Your Home A Bit Cooler
Yes, keeping the house feel warm when the weather is freezing feels comforting. But letting the house become too warm is bad for your sinus either! The warm air can dry your nasal passages too. It’d be better to keep the humidifiers in your room when you’re in there but let the rest of the house on the cooler side. Just wear sweaters to keep you from being too cold.
9. Hydrate
Water is your best friend! Aside from drinking a lot of it, using nasal irrigation system helps too. It helps relieve congestion and blockage in your nose. Just make sure that you’re using clean and safe water all the time.
10. Improve The Indoor Air Quality Of Your Home
Since our homes tend to be closed most of the time, especially for those who use air-conditioning system or heating system, airborne particulates are just swirling around the house too. That makes your sinus problems worse. What you can do to counteract that is to use HEPA air purifier! This should filter up to 99.97% of particulates so it doesn’t aggravate your condition.
While these tips have been proven to help people with sinus problems, you should not try to self-treat your sinus pain if you have symptoms such as yellow or green mucus discharge; persistent fever or stiff neck; pain for more than 24 hours; confusion, weakness, numbness, or tingling; and persistent nausea or vomiting. These symptoms could be a sign of a significant infection in your sinuses that might need antibiotics. Using natural sinus pain relief is fine if you have mild chronic pain or a headache related to a common cold or an allergy, but if you have severe pain that is not responding to these techniques, you need to see your doctor. This why you will get examined thoroughly and receive treatment that will address the possible underlying cause of your discomfort instead of just the symptoms that may likely to keep on coming back.