It is easy to forget how annoying a stuffy nose is, until you get one again. If you have nasal congestion due to a cold, or sinus problems, all you want is RELIEF, right? I think a stuffy nose is one of the worst cold symptoms. Last winter I was suffering from frequent colds and chronic sinus and ear problems, I was despirate, so I began researching.
I was at the point that I would try anything, because this was definitely affecting my quality of life. I looked at some home remedy sites, and tried some pretty weird things, some were successes, some not. The thing I found that worked the best for me though was nasal irrigation.
Nasal Irrigation is the practice of flushing out mucus and debris from the nasal cavity and sinuses. This will also keep the nose from getting dry, and makes blowing the nose more effective. Usually a saline solution is used.
Nasal Irrigation is done with a something called a Neti Pot, it is a vessel that has a narrow spout, and usually a handle on the other side. An actual Neti Pot works best, but if you don’t have the money, you don’t have to go out and buy one, just use something you have at home that will serve the same function.
You can either buy premixed saline solution at the drugstore, or mix up your own. Here is a simple recipe, 1/4 tsp of non- iodized salt, 1/4 tsp of baking soda, and a 8 oz of warm water, mixed.
What you do is pour the solution into one nostril with your head tilted and let it run out the other nostril. It is a little hard to master at first, some people are even a little squeamish, but it is pretty tolerable after a few tries. After doing this, blow your nose, and repeat the process on the other nostril. You can repeat each nostril again if you would like.
If you are doing this to relieve a stuffy nose from a cold, just do it for the duration of the cold. If you have something more chronic, or even if you just suffer from a dry nose in the winter months, it is a good idea to do this everyday. Morning and before bed are the best times, since the nose gets more stuffed up as we sleep.
Nasal Irrigation is a good practice, it will not get rid of all of your symptoms, but it should help, I hope you feel better!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation
http://www.mayoclinic.com