Run a washcloth or towel under warm water, then another under cold water. Lie down and apply the warm compress to your forehead and/or over the nose for three minutes. Switch to a cold compress over the same areas for 30 seconds.
“Keeping the head elevated above the level of the heart can help minimize the amount of blood that pools in the nasal tissues, causing congestion.” Other ways to help clear the nasal passages and provide relief include taking a hot shower, using a humidifier, or breathing in the steam of a hot cup of water or tea.
Quick Relief Techniques. Holding Your Breath: Hold your breath for as long as possible. When you finally take a deep breath, your sinuses should clear.
Steam Inhalation: Inhaling steam from a bowl of hot water or a hot shower can help loosen mucus and relieve congestion. Humidifiers: Adding moisture to the air with a humidifier can keep nasal passages from drying out and ease congestion.
Saline spray or rinse: Saline solution in a spray or rinse moisturizes the inside of your nose and washes out mucus. Antihistamines: This medication helps calm your immune system's reaction to intruders like allergens. Corticosteroid nasal sprays: This medication helps with inflammation.
Where do you put Vicks for a stuffy nose? You should only apply Vicks VapoRub to your throat or chest. Never put it in your nose, because this could cause irritation. This could also cause you to absorb more medication, which can lead to side effects.
Tea. Like broth and soups, tea creates a steamy vapor that helps mucus move to open up the nasal passages.
If you can't sleep on your back, you can try side-sleeping. Side-sleeping can be particularly helpful if only one side of your nose is congested or if congestion is worse on one side. Lie with the congested or “bad side” up so that mucus can drain more easily from that side.
A blocked nose at night often feels worse as your body position causes more blood to flow to your nose, increasing the swelling14. It also means your body can't drain mucus properly15. Elevating your head with an extra pillow can help the mucus drain from your nose easier, so you can get a decent night's sleep16.
Steam Out Nasal Congestion
Steam combines the power of heat and hydration to loosen dry mucus and relax inflamed nasal passages. Taking a steamy shower and allowing the hot water to run over your forehead and face can help open your airways and offer sinus pressure relief.
Use your index fingers to gently press either side of your nose, at the base of your nostrils. Circle under your cheekbones, toward your ears, and up to your temples, above your eyebrows and down the sides of your nose. You'll make a full circle, starting back where you started. Try it the other direction, too.
When you blow your nose and see yellow boogers, that usually means your body is fighting an infection. The yellow coloring comes from white blood cells that have rushed to the area to fight off the infection.
Certain essential oils, such as eucalyptus, peppermint, and tea tree oil, are known for their decongestant properties. Otolaryngologists often suggest inhaling these oils through a diffuser or steam inhalation to alleviate nasal congestion naturally.
Vicks VapoRub doesn't clear up congestion in the nose. But its strong menthol odor may trick your brain. So you might feel like you're breathing through an unclogged nose. Vicks VapoRub is an ointment that's rubbed on the throat and chest to relieve a cough.
Wine and Alcohol
Alcohol can make sinusitis symptoms such as nasal congestion worse. Alcohol causes inflammation as well as dehydration. Moreover, it also contains compounds that cause swelling in the nasal tissues. Hence, limit consuming alcoholic products if you are prone to sinusitis.