When Should You See A Doctor For A Blocked Nose
Blocked noses are common, and many things can cause them. If you’re unsure what the cause might be, it’s best to visit an expert. They can help you determine the fastest method to clear the blockage and advise how to prevent nose-related problems in the future.
If all else fails, drink lots of fluids and use over-the-counter nasal decongestants as prescribed by your doctor. If you experience persistent obstruction, it may be time to seek medical attention.
Blocked noses can be frustrating, but with a little patience and help from a medical professional, they can be cleared up quickly and easily.
Dealing With Nasal Congestion
Camille Freking, MS Pharmacology – Genexa Partner on October 26, 2021
When youre suffering from a stuffed, runny nose, you want relief fast so that you can go back to breathing normally without any discomfort. Unfortunately, medications take some time to kick in, and they rely on you properly identifying the cause of your congestion and choosing the right active ingredients to treat the issue.
If you want to know how to unblock your nose instantly, you may be surprised to find that there are a few quick tricks that can get you feeling better quickly, providing some relief while you work on finding a more long-term solution for your symptoms.
Why Your Nose Gets Stuffed Up At Night
When it comes to your nose and mucus, gravity is your friend. When youre up and about during the day, even if you have a cold, mucus is draining down and out of your nose.
But when you get into bed, you dont have the gravity advantage. When youre in the supine position, congestion gets stuck, explains Lakiea Wright, M.D., an allergist at Brigham and Womens Hospital. What makes it even worse, she says, is that when you have allergies or a cold, inflammatory chemicals that go to help fight the microbes or irritants in your nose get stuck there, too. Its like a traffic jam, she says.
To clear it up so you can breathe easily again, it helps to know if whats causing the stuffiness is allergies or a cold . Then, you can take the right steps and the right medicines for the job. Theres no sense in bringing out a sledgehammer if what you really need is a belt sander, so to speak.
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Is It Dangerous To Sleep With A Blocked Nose
Getting plenty of sleep is key to helping your body fight infections like the common cold39. Nasal congestion is rarely anything to be seriously worried about40.
So, while it may be a little uncomfortable, sleeping with a blocked nose is not only safe but essential41. Try using some of the tips weve suggested to help yourself sleep easier, so your body has the energy it needs to fight off the infection.
For quick relief from your blocked nose at night, try the SUDAFED® Decongestant range . With active ingredients like pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, our decongestant tablets fight nasal congestion by reducing swelling so you can breathe more easily through your nose42.
How To Unblock Your Nose In Under 3 Minutes
Nasal congestion is something that affects all of us at one point or another. But if youre someone with asthma, allergies or even just an irregular nasal structure, your blocked nose can quickly turn into a chronic issue.
In general, a chronically blocked nose is the result of a minor nasal/sinus infection. An effective way to unblock your nose almost instantly is by gargling a mixture of salt, oregano oil, baking soda and xylitol. For even better results, you should snort the mixture from your mouth back up through your nose. This heals the infection and loosens thick mucous that prevents you from breathing.
Keep reading and I promise this little trick will work for a large amount of you suffering from a blocked nose. It works in the short term by loosening hard to reach mucous and in the long-term by clearing the infection.
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Sinus Massage Techniques That Reduce Congestion
The paranasal sinuses are small, air-filled spaces in your skull. They help filter and moisten the air you breathe and lighten the weight of the skull. The paranasal sinuses also help produce the sound of your voice and provide support for your face and eyes.
Whenever youre sick, the sinuses become obstructed with mucus. This blockage causes congestion and can lead to intense pressure and headaches. While there are nasal sprays and medications to treat symptoms, some simple massage techniques at home can provide you with relief.
If You Want A Decongestant
If you dont have underlying health concerns that prevent you from taking a decongestant, heres how to stop feeling so dazed in the cold remedies aisle.
Know that there are two types of OTC decongestants, both of which constrict blood vessels, says Zhou.
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Pseudoephedrine is OTC, but pharmacists have to keep it behind the counter and note its purchase . It not only constricts blood vessels, it also somewhat works on the lungs to help open those. It has two mechanisms of action that help you breathe better, she says.
Phenylephrine, the other main type of decongestant that you can just pluck off the shelf, doesnt have that lung action.
The trouble with these at night is that theyre stimulants. So for PM or nighttime formulations, drug companies add something to the meds that help you sleep. If you dont like or need those sedating additions, theres a hack you can try with daytime meds, says Zhou. Try taking a 12-hour formulation about 11 or 12 hours before you want to sleep. It may keep your nose from being blocked long enough to get you to sleep, and hopefully a stuffy nose wont awaken you in the middle of the night.
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How Does It Work
When you hold your breath and perform repetitive physical movements, all the cells of your body, including the airways, lungs, and blood, accumulate more carbon dioxide . CO2 is a powerful vasodilator of smooth muscle which lines the sinuses, bronchi and bronchioles . A vasodilator is a substance that causes smooth muscle to relax thus dilating the tubular passages it lines.
Upon the airways dilating there is quick relief from a blocked nose. Additional effects are due to the dilation of arteries and arterioles when arterial CO2 is increased. CO2 induced vasodilation improves blood and oxygen supply to your nose.
Breathing Exercise To Clear A Blocked Nose
One option for clearing a blocked nose is to perform the following exercise:
- Sit in a vertical position and take a few calm breaths.
- Breathe in through your nose for two seconds and then out through your nose for three seconds. If your nose is too badly blocked to breathe through then you can take small breaths from the corner of your mouth instead.
- Gently pinch your nose and keep your mouth closed. Slowly nod your head while you hold your breath for as long as possible.
- Make sure to breathe through your nose when you cant hold it anymore. Keep your breaths as calm as you can.
- Wait a couple of minutes before repeating the exercise. Keep going until your nose is unblocked.
This breathing exercise is a simple way to clear nasal blockages as it can be done anywhere and doesnt require any special equipment. It works because holding your breath can encourage the nasal passages to widen. You should try to breathe through your nose rather than your mouth to prevent the blockage from returning. Mouth breathing can increase mucus production and trigger constriction of the airways, which can make a blocked nose worse.
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Dry Your Face And Blow Your Nose Carefully
After you’ve washed your face, it’s time to dry it off and get your nose to work. You want to avoid over-blowing because that can damage the delicate membranes inside your nose, so be sure not to go too hard or too often.
If a tissue is all you have available now, that’s fine as long as it’s clean and doesn’t contain any irritants . Using a towel instead of a tissue or other material against which your nostrils are pressed will be more effective at removing mucus buildup than blowing into a hand.
In addition to pushing down on both sides of your forehead, you can also blow as hard into your own hand/towel to dislodge stubborn blockages in the nasal passages. They will then be forced to blow air through their sinuses and hopefully dislodge any clogs.
You can find relief in a hot steam bath with a stuffy nose.
A hot steam bath can help you breathe better. This is because the steam will help loosen up mucus and open your nasal passages. If a cold or flu has caused you to have a stuffy nose, the heat of a steam bath can also be soothing for your throat and chest.
To make sure that you get the most out of your hot steam bath, there are certain things you should do before and after heading into the bathroom. Before going in, ensure all windows are closed so as not to let any cool air in while you’re heating up inside.
Keep Your Sinuses Moving
No matter what has your sinuses stuffed and blocked up, the easiest and quickest course of action isn’t turning to your medicine cabinet. With a little pressure on the right points and even the use of your tongue, you can draw the problematic fluid from its source of blockage and clear all of your head’s senses.
If allergies are bothering you, try rinsing with a neti pot, which not only pushes pressure into your sinuses but keeps them moist and removes any allergens like pollen or animal dander that has built up in there. Try this sinus rinse kit or try a ceramic or stainless steel neti pot. Just make sure you use bottled or boiled water when rinsing.
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How To Unblock Your Nose Instantly
While it might be tempting to just keep blowing your nose until you feel like there is no mucus left in your nasal passages, this approach can be counterproductive. Blowing your nose excessively can actually result in excess mucus pushing up into your sinuses or nasal passages. This can cause increased congestion and make a stuffy nose more challenging to treat.
Instead of repeatedly blowing your nose, there are a couple of tricks you can try to instantly unblock your nose so that you can take a deep breath. However, be mindful of the fact that these tricks wont treat the underlying cause of your stuffy nose in the first place, so you may need to pursue other treatments to get to the root of the problem.
There are many over-the-counter medications, including nasal sprays, that can be used to treat nasal congestion once you have an idea of why your congestion is occurring.
Tips For Using Water To Unblock The Nose In An Emergency
In an emergency, water is the quickest way to unblock your nose. First, spay a stream of water into one nostril and hold it there for about 10 seconds while exhaling through your mouth. If that doesn’t work, try using a tissue to mop up the water and then use that to spray into your nose.
If you experience difficulty breathing, try to remove any obstructions from your nose using water. Repeat this process until the obstruction is dislodged or you run out of air. Remember that using water to unblock the nose in an emergency is the last resort and should only be used as a last resort. If all else fails, seek medical help!
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Tips To Relieve Your Runny Nose Or Nasal Congestion
Got a case of the sniffles? Chances are that your nose is running faster than a waterfall. Or maybe your nose feels all stuffed up, forcing you to breathe out of your mouth. Or worse-both. A runny nose and nasal congestion are both uncomfortable upper respiratory symptoms with their own underlying causes. But once they start, you want relief, fast.
A runny nose is a discharge of mucus from the nostrils. Itâs the result of excess nasal mucus production. The excess nasal mucus leads to watery nasal secretions that flow out of your nostrils or drip down into your throat.
Nasal congestion is due to the inflammation of the linings of the nasal cavity. Swollen nasal passages constrict air flow, making it harder to breathe through your nose. The inflammation also makes it harder to get mucus out of your nose, so you may also have a build-up of thick, dry mucus, as well. It causes you to feel stuffed up, which is why itâs also referred to as a stuffy nose.
The common cold and the flu are often the culprits of a runny nose and/or nasal congestion,1 but they can both also be caused by allergies.
These are not the only symptom of the cold or flu. You may also experience other associated symptoms, like sneezing, coughing, chest congestion, a sore throat, headaches, and body aches.
Find out how to relieve your upper-respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion and runny nose so you can feel better fast.
Avoid liquids like caffeine that can cause dehydration.
Buy A Saline Nasal Spray
A saline spray is just a saltwater solution. You spray it into your nostrils to increase moisture and tothin out the mucus thats been blocking your nasal passages. Saline sprays also help decrease theinflammation in your sinuses.
Some saline sprays are medicated. For example, this mometasonenasal spray is a saline spray infused with corticosteroids that work by reducing theinflammation and swelling in your nose. Corticosteroids can also help relieve other symptoms caused by hayfever such as sneezing and itchy, watery eyes.
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Remedy: How To Unblock A Stuffy Nose
Pinch your congested nose and walk fast with your blocked nose pinched and your mouth closed the whole time. You probably will be able to make around 20-30 steps. While walking, stay relaxed, and hold your breath until you have a strong urge to breathe. Then sit down with your spine totally straight and focus on your breath. After you release your nose, start reduced breathing or breathing less air, without taking deep breaths, and keep the mouth closed. Here are details for this great home remedy.
Instead of taking a big inhalation, take a smaller inhale, and then relax all muscles for exhalation, especially the upper chest, diaphragm, and other respiratory muscles. Take another small inhalation and again relax. With each inhalation, keep practicing this reduced or shallow breathing while remaining relaxed.
Your purpose is to maintain a sensation of air hunger for about 2-3 min with a complete relaxation of all muscles of the body. Your breathing may become more frequent during this reduced breathing or shallow breathing, but this is okay.
The success rate for this blocked nose remedy is over 90%. The results are better if a person is able to perform diaphragmatic breathing during this exercise while they are trying to clear a blocked nose.
If later your breathing becomes heavy, your nose will get blocked again. Then you can repeat this exercise.
The YouTube video on the right side explains this home remedy in detail : How to Unblock a Blocked Nose.
How To Unblock A Stuffy Nose In 1 Min
– Updated on October 14, 2020
– Medically Reviewed by Naziliya Rakhimova, MD
Blocked nose and mouth breathing are classical signs of hyperventilation . This simple breathing exercise on how to unblock a stuffy nose was developed by Russian doctors.
Around 200 MDs taught it to hundreds of their patients with stuffed noses. Most patients, according to the clinical experience of these doctors, could get rid of the blocked nose naturally and resume their nasal breathing in about one-two minutes. This remedy also works for people with chronic nose problems and symptoms of fatigue. This exercise to clear nasal congestion can be applied at night or during sleep as well.
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Use A Neti Pot To Drain Your Sinuses
Another relatively simple way to drain your sinuses is to flush them out with the use of a neti pot. A neti pot is a container that is specially designed to flush out your nasal passages and get rid of excess mucus, fluids, germs, and irritants.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides instructions for how to use a neti pot safely, the most important of which is to rinse your nasal passages using only distilled, sterile, or previously boiled water. Its not safe to use tap water, as it has not been adequately filtered or treated and can introduce new bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms into your nasal passages, increasing your risk of infection.
To use a neti pot, fill the pot with safe, clean water and stand with your head over a sink or in the shower. Next, place the end of the neti pot inside one nostril and slowly lift the bottom of the neti pot so that water enters your nose. As the water flows through your nasal passages, it will come out the other side into the sink. Continue to flush out your nasal passages for about one minute, then repeat on the other side.