A stuffy nose must make everyone feel uncomfortable. Those whose nose stuffed up wish to have a relief quickly so that they can breathe normally again. You want to blow your nose but nothing comes out. Many people think that stuffy nose is a result of too much mucus in the nose, but it is not.
The following will tell you the causes of stuffy nose and the correct treatment to get rid of stuffy nose without any medications.
You might also be interested to read How to Treat Stuffy Nose During Pregnancy.
What causes stuffy nose? What are the symptoms?
Stuffy nose – is also called nasal congestion, can be caused by several conditions. It is commonly caused by inflammation or irritation of nasal tissues, such as during flu, colds, sinusitis or allergies to certain irritants, such as tobacco smoke.
Here are the causes of stuffy nose:
- sinusitis (acute or severe)
- allergies
- dry air
- hormonal changes
- influenza
- nasal polyps
- stress
- tobacco smoke
- pregnancy
Those are the causes of stuffy nose. In other words, stuffy nose is not always caused by influenza or cold, there are some other causes of stuffy nose that you should pay attention to.
If you are getting stuffy nose, you will likely get these following symptoms:
- green mucus from the nose
- feeling painful on the facial area
- feeling painful on the ear
- headache
- fever
- coughing
- feeling tight on the chest area
If you get worse symptoms other than what elaborated above, you might need to seek medication from your doctor.
How to get rid of stuffy nose without any medication
As it is very uncomfortable condition for having stuffy nose, you might wish to have clear nose as soon as possible. Medication might be the best treatment, but it must be expensive and complicated. There are some treatments you can simply do at home to have clear nose as soon as possible. Check these following natural ways to get rid of stuffy nose without medication!
1. Humidifiers work!
It is known as the quickest and easiest way to reduce stuffy nose, especially if you have sinus pain. Humidifiers converts water to moisten and increase the humidity in the room. Moreover, humidifiers also make the mucus in your nose thinner. By doing so, the fluids in your nose will be empty and you can breathe normally again.
Humidifier is also one of the ways to get rid of mucus as stated in Natural Ways to Break Up Mucus in Throat
2. Take a warm shower
Shower using hot or warm water usually work for most people with stuffy nose. The steam from the shower will help to decrease the mucus in your nose. Besides, it will reduce inflammation in your nose. By doing so, you will be able to breathe normally again.
Besides showering using hot or warm water, you can also get rid stuffy nose by breathing in steam from hot water in your sink. Just simply turn on hot water in your sin, place a towel over your head and place your head over the sink. Take a deep breathe of the steam from the hot water. Be careful as you might burn your face on the hot water.
3. Have a try on saline spray!
Saline spray will help to decrease the inflammation in your nose and reduce stuffiness.
Saline spray does not contain any harmful medication so it is safe to be used by pregnant women. You can simply buy this in drugstore.
Saline spray is also explained in How to Relieve Chronic Sinus Pain. Check it out!
4. Eucalyptus oil
Here’s the natural ways to get rid of stuffy nose without medication. Its natural ingredients, which is eucalyptus leaves, make it famous for being used to get rid stuffy nose without medication. Inhaling eucalyptus oil will reduce the inflammation in the nasal area and make you breathe easier.
How to get rid of stuffy nose using eucalyptus oil:
Place some drops of eucalyptus oil to the pot of boiling water and inhale the steam.
5. Stay hydrated!
You can keep your body hydrated while you are having stuffy nose. You can stay hydrated by drinking some water, sports drink or even juice. They will help to make the mucus in your nose thinner and it will push the fluids out of your nose.
You can drink some warm tea or soup if you get stuffy nose and sore throat at the same time. They will ease the pain.
6. Warm compresses
It will help to unclog stuffy nose as warm compress will open the nasal passage.
How to get rid of stuffy nose using warm compresses:
Soak towel on a warm water and squeeze the water out of the towel. Fold it and place it over your nose and forehead.
The warm from the towel might comfort and reduce the inflammation in the nostrils.
7. Cut an onion to clear the stuffy nose!
According to Dr. Tania Elliot, MD, raw onion is a perfect choice to boost your immune system. Cutting onion is also helping you to relieve the stuffy nose. The strong smell help you to open up your nostrils.
8. Apple cider vinegar for drink?
Apple cider vinegar is truly a magic ingredient to solve our health problem. Mix some apple cider vinegar, water and honey and drink it up. It is rich in potassium that help you reducing the mucus. Besides, it is also containing vitamin C for boosting your immune system.
9. Warm drink works!
You can simply make some warm drink, such as peppermint tea, which will help you to reduce the pressure of sinus and let the mucus out.
10. Add spice on your food
Some fragrant spices, such as horseradish, cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger help to clear the mucus out from your nostrils. Besides, they are also beneficial to reduce the inflammation caused by stuffy nose. You can add some spices to your soup or sandwich.
11. Massage your facial area
Facial massage will stimulate the blood circulation and help you to reduce the pain caused by sinus. You can simply press the outer edge of your nostrils with your index fingers. Hold on for seconds and release. It helps you to feel relieve for some time.
Stuffy nose is very uncomfortable and you might wish to end it soon. That’s all about the natural ways to get rid of stuffy nose without medication. The treatments above are known effective to get rid of stuffy nose. Try some and feel the effects after! Good luck on trying!
You may also be interested to read How to Relieve Chronic Sinus Pain and How to Stop Running Nose in Cold Weather as they are related to nose problems.