Drinking alcohol can also worsen the swelling of the lining of the sinuses and nose. Drape a towel over your head as you breathe in the vapor from a bowl of medium-hot water. Keep the vapor directed toward your face.
Or take a hot shower, breathing in the warm, moist air. This will help ease pain and help mucus drain. Use a neti pot to rinse your nasal passages. This home remedy, called nasal lavage, can help clear your sinuses. Be sure to rinse the irrigation device after each use with contaminant-free water, and leave open to air-dry. Some people find that spicy foods like peppers or hot mustard help open up their nasal passages and relieve some of the sinus pain and pressure.
Some evidence suggests that capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers, can help relieve some type of pain. It's hard to predict who will develop chronic sinusitis but knowing more about the two main types can help you decide how to treat your symptoms and when to see a clinician.
Here are the basics:. Acute sinusitis. Acute sinusitis usually starts with a cold. Viruses, not bacteria, cause colds, so it's useless to treat them with antibiotics. But when a cold turns into sinusitis, it means that blocked nasal passages have set off a secondary infection caused by bacteria and you may eventually need an antibiotic. Rarely, especially in people with weakened immune systems, a fungal infection is the cause.
If symptoms are severe and last for more than a week, you may want to see your primary care clinician. Based on your symptoms and a look inside your nose with a small flashlight, she or he can usually tell whether sinusitis has settled in. If you do have sinusitis, you may be prescribed an antibiotic, especially if preventive drainage strategies aren't helping. For the pain, try a warm compress on your face, or inhale steam see "Preventing sinusitis". An over-the-counter pain reliever such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen can also relieve facial pain, as well as headache and fever.
Chronic sinusitis. If symptoms linger or keep returning, you may have chronic sinusitis, a more complex disorder that calls for evaluation by an ear, nose, and throat ENT specialist also called an otolaryngologist. She or he will order a CT scan of your nose and sinuses and examine the nasal cavity with a thin lighted tube endoscope to look for causes of the blockage. Blood and allergy tests and bacterial cultures may also be needed.
Nasal irrigation and decongestants can help in the treatment of chronic sinusitis by keeping mucus loose and nasal passages clear. The mucus-thinning agent guaifenesin Mucinex is another option. Be sure to drink a full glass of water when you take it. Nasal steroids such as fluticasone Flonase or beclomethasone Beconase may be added to help counter inflammation.
Sometimes the main problem is anatomical, such as nasal polyps , a deviated septum, congenitally narrowed paranasal passages, or tissue thickened by years of infection. In this case, minimally invasive surgery may help, reducing the number and severity of sinus infections and sometimes restoring normal sinus function. Surgery isn't a cure-all: polyps, for example, may grow back.
Although over-the-counter options, such as decongestants , are often used to treat the stuffiness and headache caused by congestion, there's significant risk of becoming dependent on these drugs, and they can leave you worse off in other ways, too. If you use decongestants for more than three to five days, you may cause rebound swelling in your nasal passages, which can lead to a vicious cycle: Rebound swelling causes you to take more of the drug, but increased dosage causes it to lose its effectiveness, which then leads to even more use.
But some home remedies for mild sinus congestion can offer a simpler approach that's both low-cost and lower-risk than medication. Whether you're dried out or dehydrated, or want to shorten the duration of a cold or decrease the severity of symptoms, a natural home remedy could be a helpful option. Even drinking plain old warm water may help clear your sinus passages. And you may already have other powerful ingredients on hand, like salt or garlic, in your pantry — both of which researchers believe may have an effect on congestion and colds.
Read on to find out more about how to breathe easier with these non-drug approaches. Battling a cold or the flu can leave you feeling dried out and dehydrated , so many people turn to humidifiers or vaporizers to relieve congested sinuses.
Humidifiers help break up congestion by adding moisture to the air, which helps to thin the mucus in your nose. Also be sure to keep your humidifier clean to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold.
Follow the cleaning instructions that come with the humidifier, or simply wipe it down every day with a 10 percent bleach solution nine parts water to one part bleach.
Although these teapot-shaped devices may seem like the latest trend in alternative medicine, the neti pot is anything but new. Used for centuries by yoga and Ayurvedic practitioners in India, nasal irrigation is a gentle and effective way to clear the nasal passages of mucus and allergens. This sleeping position will prevent sinus buildup and can help you to breathe more comfortably. Dehydration can contribute to your sinus passages drying out and increased pressure in your face.
Fluids will reduce blockages in your sinuses. While water may be your first choice to remain hydrated, you can also retain fluids through other foods and beverages including:. Your sinus pressure may cause you to feel tension in your head, face, and neck. Biofeedback therapy , an alternative treatment method that teaches you how to control your bodily functions, can relieve this pressure.
This method has had proven success in relieving headaches, incorporating deep breathing exercises and meditation to achieve relaxation and reduce pain. Yoga , meditation, and other relaxation techniques can help to reduce pain and pressure from sinus infections. Similar to yoga, exercise can reduce sinus pressure. Physical activity can increase blood circulation and temporarily relieve congestion to ease breathing. Although uncomfortable to perform while being sick, physical activity can help to improve your recovery time and speed healing.
Sinus pressure symptoms can be painful and uncomfortable. In addition to using traditional treatment methods like decongestants and pain relievers, alternative home remedies can also boost your recovery. If you continue to experience sinus pressure symptoms after a week, or if they begin to worsen, seek medical attention. This could be a sign of a more serious infection that may require prescribed antibiotics.
Learn more about sinus headaches, home remedies, and traditional treatments. Acute frontal sinusitis is caused by inflammation in your frontal sinus cavities.
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