A stuffy nose is generally considered harmless – but it is extremely annoying! We’ll tell you 6 home remedies for a stuffy nose that let you breathe freely again and are much gentler than nasal sprays.
We all know it all too well, especially when the cool, damp season is coming: this uncomfortable feeling when the nose is “closed,” we have to breathe through our mouth with difficulty, and suddenly we can only speak in a strange, nasal voice. In short: a stuffy nose is anything but sexy.
Do you also struggle with a stuffy nose? Instead of reflexively resorting to the nasal spray, the next time you catch a cold, you should first try to use gentle home remedies to cope with a blocked nose. Because, unlike nasal sprays, natural home remedies gently swell the nose.
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What Are The Causes Of A Stuffy Nose?
Aside from the common cold virus, there may be other causes behind the runny nose and nasal congestion. These include allergies, for example, to house dust or animal hair. In this case, one speaks of a so-called allergic runny nose. Other reasons for increased mucus formation in the upper respiratory tract can be smoke, dust, dry air, and certain irritants.
In addition, excessive and regular use of nasal sprays can lead to permanent nasal congestion. That is why you should use nasal drops or sprinkles for a maximum of seven to ten days.
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It’s good that tons of home remedies can be effective against nasal congestion. Here are the 6 best!
Inhale To Clear The Airways
One of the traditional home remedies for a stuffy nose is inhaling hot steam. The steam helps to loosen the mucus or to moisten the nasal mucous membrane. When mixed with salt or essential oils such as eucalyptus, thyme, aniseed, or peppermint, inhalation works reliably against colds caused by rhinitis.
Inhale correctly: To inhale, you can fill a pot or bowl with hot water and then bend over the steaming liquid with a towel over your head. However, the risk of scalding yourself is very high. The eyes also get ethereal vapors, which can sting and tear.
Steam inhalers are therefore a safe variant:
The practical inhalation attachment extends exactly over the nose and mouth so that the healing steam can have an optimal effect on the upper respiratory tract without affecting the eyes. As with the classic bowl and towel variant, you fill the device with hot water, add the desired additive such as salt or oil and close the container with the corresponding attachment.
You can get an inhaler in the pharmacy, in the drugstore, or online
Saline Solution For A Stuffy Nose:
For a homemade saline solution for inhalation, dissolve 1 g table salt with 100 ml hot water. Inhaling with salt water is gentler than with essential oils.
Important: Asthmatics and children should never be treated with essential oils, as these can cause asthma attacks and even shortness of breath.
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Nasal Douche For A Blocked Nose
Nasal rinsing with salt water can also effectively help to clear the nose again. This flushes pathogens or pollen out of the nose.
Using a nasal douche: Tilt your head sideways over a sink to rinse your nose. Pour lukewarm water (or saltwater) into one nostril and drain it on the other side. If you have a very blocked nose, you have to try several times until the mucus loosens. Be careful not to apply too much pressure.
Drink A Lot If You Have A Cold
In addition to various home remedies, it also helps the body drink a lot with a stubborn cold. If the body is supplied with sufficient water, this promotes the liquefaction of viscous mucus. Peppermint tea has an expectorant effect due to its high menthol content. Other herbal teas are also effective home remedies for nasal congestion.
Vitamin C For Colds
If we take in enough vitamin C, we feel better. Although it is not scientifically clear whether, how, and why foods containing vitamin C shorten the duration of illness, the result is decisive. Therefore, a cup of hot lemon with honey is recommended. And if it only makes you feel good, all cold sufferers have already gained a little.
Tip: Do not pour boiling water over the lemon and honey, but let it cool down briefly. The heat damages the good ingredients.
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Onion And Garlic For A Nasal Congestion
It may sound like getting used to at first, but some swear by this home remedy: If you suffer from a stuffy nose, you can cut an onion into pieces, put it in an open container and place it at head level next to the bed at night.
In addition to onions, this can also be used with fresh garlic. Smelling a freshly sliced onion may also help. The sharp smell of onions impels us; otherwise, the tears in his eyes, the vapors can loosen the mucus in a stuffy nose. If you (whether you own or partner) can not bear the smell of onions and garlic, maybe in the tank a couple. Insert cotton balls and drizzle them with, for example, mint oil.
Keep Nasal Mucosa Moist
If the nose is often blocked, it can also be because you are constantly in warm, dry, or smoky air. Moistening the nasal mucous membrane can help against this. Saline nasal sprays have an expectorant and moisturizing effect similar to rinsing the nose with saltwater. You can also use nasal ointment. The dry air in an overheated bedroom can be made more nose-friendly by ventilating it regularly and hanging up wet towels.
A steam bath can also relieve nasal congestion and moisten the mucous membranes. Many bath products help you breathe freely again, especially for colds. These ensure that the mucous membranes in the nose swell. Additives with mint, eucalyptus, thyme or spruce needles, and sea salt are particularly suitable.
Important: You should not take a bath if you have high blood pressure or a fever because the hot bath stimulates circulation and, under the circumstances mentioned, is too stressful for the body.
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Make A Cold Bath Yourself
For the cold bath, the water temperature should be between 32 and 36 degrees. Lie in the tub for 15 to 20 minutes. For a full bath, take a teaspoon of vegetable oil or honey and add 10 drops of essential oil, mix well. Since the oils evaporate quickly, you should only add them to the water shortly before bathing.
Instead of the oils, you can also use herbs for the cold bath; these are a little milder. You can use different teas for this. Boil one liter of water and add 1 tea bag of fennel tea, 1 tea bag of peppermint tea, and 1 teaspoon of aniseed. Let the brew sit in a pot for about 10 minutes. Pour the herbal mixture into your full bath.
Caution: Not all essential oils are suitable for pregnant women and children. Get advice at the pharmacy.
Blocked Nose From Nasal Spray?
Nasal sprays with active ingredients such as oxymetazoline or xylometazoline have a decongestant effect and thus help very quickly against a blocked nose. The effect lasts for several hours. But you shouldn’t use drugs of this kind for longer than a week, as the professional association of ear, nose, and throat specialists explain its information page for ENT doctors on the Internet.
The reason: If used too often, the nasal mucous membrane gets used to it. It swells up more quickly after each spray – the nose is blocked. The result: You use the spray more often, and a kind of vicious circle develops. To master such habituation or dependency, only complete renunciation helps.
Stuffy Nose: When To See A Doctor?
In general, nasal congestion is not a cause for concern. However, if the symptoms do not improve within a week despite medication or home remedies, or if you have a fever or sinus pain, you should consult a doctor. Then there could be a sinus infection
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