Whatever reason it is that has led to your stuffy nose, it is possible to relief the symptoms and lead a normal life without distractions from it. Learn how to relieve a stuffy nose resulting from allergic reactions and severe stuffiness of your nose. Also get some insights on how to deal with a stuffed nose at night and in kids. These and much more are contained in this post.
How to Relieve a Stuffy Nose
The method that one uses to relieve a stuffy nose should be dependent on the cause. Below we discuss various methods of relieving a stuffy or congested nose based on the cause.
Stuffy Nose Allergy Relief or How to Relieve from Allergy
One of the causes of a stuffy or congested nose is reaction to allergens.
- For stuffy nose allergy relief, keep off the triggers. Where the room is too humid use a dehumidifier to keep relative humidity below 40per cent.
- Engage in minimal outdoor activities when having a this problem.
- Instead of using fans which draw air from outside use air conditioners.
Allergic people could also go for medication to help relieve a stuffy nose. These include:
- Antihistamine drugs: Most allergic patients will be gain help from these drugs. Some are available over the counter while others are not. Antihistamines taken when one experiences a stuffy or congested nose will help unblock it. These come in the form of sprays and tablets.
- Nasal steroid sprays: These help to relieve a stuffed nose and are available on prescription. They should not be used for too long as long term use may cause nasal irritation or slowed growth in children.
- Leukotriene blockers help to relieve symptoms of a stuffy or congested nose resulting from allergies.
- Decongestants which are available in the form of tablets or sprays could also help to relieve nasal congestion caused by allergic reactions.
How to Relieve a Stuffy Nose at Night, Nighttime Relief
Elevation: While sleeping at night, one should use extra pillows or use a different pillow with an added volume. This will help keep the nasal passage open and thus help to ease night time stuffiness of your nose.
Saline solution: These help to soothe the nasal membrane blood vessels. This reduces their size thus decongesting the nose. When purchasing prepackaged nasal drops it is important to choose those that do not have decongestants in them as these could become addictive.
Herbs: Mint, ginger, aloe vera and eucalyptus are some of the herbs that could help relieve a stuffy nose at night. They do this by helping to soothe and stop swelling of nasal membranes. Ginger helps to clear the sinuses as well as the throat. Use it as a night time herbal tea.
A few drops of eucalyptus oil on the pillow will help soothe the nasal membranes as you sleep. Adding it into a bowl of hot water and placing it in the bedroom will also help to ease stuffiness as you breathe in the vapor produced there in.
The herbs can also be used in the water prepared for steam therapy.
Natural Stuffy Nose Relief or How to Relieve Naturally
One of the first natural things that could relief a stuffed nose is eating spicy foods. Spices such as hot pepper and horseradish make the nose to run upon consumption. This helps to get rid of nasal discharge that may have been clogging the nose.
Elevating the head while sleeping will help to relieve nose stuffiness. Raising the head with extra pillows helps in draining the mucus. This is as opposed to lying flat or on the side which adds to the stuffiness of the nose.
Drinking hot liquids is another natural stuffy nose relief. As one is taking the liquid, the steam helps to loosen up any nasal secretions. Using herbal teas helps to decongest the nose. The liquids also help to keep the body well hydrated. This helps to prevent nasal stuffiness which could be caused by dry nasal cavity.
Inhaling steam gives the nasal cavity the much needed moisture to unclog your nose. Get a pot filled with very hot water. Place your head above it and cover it (the head) with a towel. Breathe in the steam. This can also be achieved by running hot water in the bathroom and letting steam to fill up the place.
A neti pot can be used to irrigate the nasal cavity. This is done by filling it with warm salty water. One should then tilt their head in such a way that one nostril is on the lower side. Pour some solution into the nostril on the top. After a while it should come out through the lower one having cleansed it and gotten rid of anything that may have stuck there. Repeat the same for the other nostril.
Severe Stuffy Nose Relief and How to Relieve Severe Nose Stuffiness
For people who have severe stuffy nose, medication may be administered. If this does not work, treatment will depend on the cause.
Steroids can be administered for short term relief of a severe stuffed nose. These should not be used as a regular treatment option since they can have adverse effects on the user.
Constructive surgery may be necessary where the cause of a nose that is stuffy is structural deformity. In case the cause is a deformed septum, a surgery will help to place it rightfully where it belongs. Where the cause is enlarged adenoids, their removal will help to clear the nasal passage up.
If the cause of severe stuffy nose is severe allergy, immunotherapy may be done. This involves undertaking various injections. This is done to increase the allergens causing a nasal congestion. Once they are too many in the system, the body becomes desensitized. When exposed to the allergens in the future, the body will note respond to them.
Kids Stuffy Nose Relief or How to Relieve a Stuffed Nose in Kids
To relief a baby’s stuffy nose, be sure to remove mucus from their nose. If they are old enough have them blow it. If not, one can use an aspirator to suck up the mucus.
If the air is too dry, humidify it. Use a humidifier or vaporizer. One can also use saline drops to clear up congestion in kids.
Where the kid has already been weaned, give a lot of fluids. This will keep them well hydrated and prevent their nasal cavities from drying up thus reduce stuffiness.
Steam therapy can also be used on children. Get hot water running in the bathroom and have the child breath in the steam. One could also place a steaming hot vessel of water in the room the baby is in. when they breathe in the steam it helps in clearing up clogged up nasal passage. Ensure that this is done under supervision to prevent the baby from getting burnt.
