It sounds like you might have allergies that are causing nasal congestion. Or it could be viral colds or other environmental irritants. Is it possible to try home remedies first before going to the doctors' office? Yes! Let us look at a few safe home remedies.
- Hydration: This is not always easy however drinking plenty of fluids will help to lubricate and loosen thick mucus. That way it will be easier to blow your nose to rid the mucous.
- Moisture in the Air: This is not so easy, however dry air can hinder your stuffed nose, so you can try a humidifier when your humidity in your house is low. More than likely you will need to humidify at least the room you sleep in.
- Steam: NO you don’t have to get a gym membership to steam your nose. Take a hot shower, or turn on the hot shower and just sit in the bathroom. This might relieve your stuffed nose.
- Peppermint Tea or Menthol salves: These may open passages and relieve or reduce stuffiness.
- Compresses: You could try applying warm or cool compresses to the forehead and cheeks to relieve the feeling of pressure and loosen mucus. In this situation, you could ad the menthol salve to the compressor other things such as minced fresh ginger or eucalyptus.
- Facial Massage: A massaging of the face over the sinuses feels good and may be effective.
- Acupuncture: This is where you can apply light pressure to both sides of your nose under both nostrils, and your cheeks lightly several times a day may provide relief.
- Saline Spray: You can find saline at your local drug store. With this, you can lightly put drops of saline and irrigate the nostrils to loosen mucus and reduce inflammation.
- Nasal Flushing: Here is a great way to help rid the nose of mucus. Walgreens has a couple of devices that may help you. One is a can of saline that is under pressure and can help to spray saline into your nose. The other is a system called Navage. You may have seen the commercials recently on TV. It helps to flush and collect the debris that comes from the blockages.
If this does not work then you can certainly go to the pharmacy to try OTC (Over the Counter) remedies such as antihistamines, or medications that will thin the mucus. There are so many that you may want to check with the pharmacist or speak with your doctor. Speaking of which your doctor also can prescribe medications that can help with your stuffy nose.
If all else fails and you continue to have a chronic stuffy nose, then surgical intervention may be the last resort.
