The body can get infected in a number of ways. We are surrounded by bacteria and while there are good bacteria that are meant to help us, sometimes we come into contact with bad bacteria, which are usually viruses that cause infections in our bodies.
Sometimes we pick them up without knowing or we inhale them. The nose is already pretty sensitive and when it comes in contact with a virus and it gets infected or there is inflammation, the discomfort is a bit too much to handle.
However, a small infection or inflammation can be taken care of without having to take medicine if we use natural remedies, which can help take care of it, fast. There are a large number of homeopathic treatments, and home remedies for sinus congestion are aplenty. We will talk about today some of them today.
Sinus infection signs
A sinus infection, or sinusitis, is an infection that occurs at the level of the nasal cavities where they can get inflamed. You will know if you have a sinus infection by looking for some of the signs. The sinus infection signs are usually pretty straightforward and leave very obvious clues.
Sinus infection symptoms
First of all, your nose will feel congested; you may have constant headaches, the pressure at the level of the sinuses and may even experience severe coughs. If you feel feverish or fatigued this may be an indicator that your body is battling an infection.
A sinus infection can occur after a bad cold if your nasal canals have not de-congested properly or if a virus strain is still active there. The sinus infection symptoms are very easily detected and can also be treated quite easily.
Yellow discharge is also a common sign that you are dealing with a sinus infection. You can deal with earaches and feel pain in your face or light swelling from the increased pressure. The infection can also affect your gums, which is why some people deal with tooth pain or toothaches as the symptoms of a sinus infection. A sinus infection can be caused by a body’s natural allergy to allergens such as pollutants, cigarette smoke or even dry air. However, there is also non-allergic rhinitis which doesn’t have a clear cause.
Sinus infection remedies – Home remedies for sinus headache
If you are dealing with this problem your number one concern will be trying to find a number of ways to treat a sinus infection with good sinus infection remedies. This problem can greatly affect your daily routine, being in an uncomfortable condition.
In order to treat a sinus infection fast, you can decide to opt for a number of natural remedies. They may alleviate the symptoms and help your nose decongest. The results can be seen in a number of days depending on how many of these natural remedies you decide to try out. If you have a headache, home remedies for sinus headache are also available.
Please be aware of the fact that an infection that does not go away within a week or two requires urgent medical attention as it can do a lot of damage to your body. If you do not see any results within this timeframe please go to your doctor for a consultation and medical advice. Sinus infections can spread from the nose to the mouth cavity or even to the brain or the ears if they are aggressive enough or if the body’s immune system is very weak. Your health and well-being are your number one priority so please be aware of all these factors.
Rest – Signs of sinus infection getting better
Most of us tend to overlook the importance of rest. We live very busy lives in today’s society which means that we are up on our feet, moving around, trying to get as many things done as possible. This can often lead to stress that can damage our body’s health more heavily than we can understand. Stress not only puts a strain on our psychological well-being but it can negatively affect our bodies as well.
That being said, if you want to get rid of a sinus infection naturally the first thing that you need to look at is how stressed you are and try to rest more in order to give your body a chance to fight the infection. Are the signs of sinus infection getting better? If you take good care of yourself and rest it will.
Sleep – Best position to sleep with stuffy nose
One of the things that we either take for granted or that we ignore is just how important sleep is in helping our bodies heal and recover. The fact that 8 hours of sleep is strongly endorsed by every single medical professional is linked to the fact that our bodies need that time in order to complete processes that target our immunity and our health.
If you are battling a sinus infection and you cannot understand why it fails to go away even if you follow all the recommended advice by your doctor, take a look at your sleeping patterns and try to see if there are inconsistencies.
If you sleep only a couple of hours per night try to change your schedule to include more hours of sleep and you will probably see a drastic improvement in how your body deals with infections. Also, the best position to sleep with stuffy nose is sleeping with your head elevated which will allow the sinuses to drain and reduce congestion.
Stay hydrated – How to get rid of a stuffy nose instantly
Knowing how to treat a sinus infection fast means knowing how to give your body what it needs. Hydration is an essential part of keeping the organs working smoothly. When it comes to the sinuses, the mucous membrane, the one targeted in a sinus infection, needs to be moist in order to function properly. How to get rid of a stuffy nose instantly is about doing things that promote health and healing.
Being moist means that you need to drink more fluids in order to help maintain that. The fluids that you drink are also important. Stay away from coffee and strong caffeinated teas and go for water instead, herbal teas and natural fruit juices (you can just eat more fruit in order to get the water from them).
Neti Pot – How to cure sinus permanently at home
The Neti pot is a good home remedy that can help clean out the sinuses and cleanse out the system. It may look intimidating and pulling water through your nasal canals is a bit uncomfortable for first-timers. However, there is no pain involved. A Neti pot is a small pot that has a long spout.
Before you use it, wash your hands. Fill the pot with sterile water (distilled water or freshly boiled water), lean over a basin or a sink, tilt your head to one side and then gently insert the spout in the highest nostril (depends on the tilt of your head).
How to cure sinus permanently at home
How to cure sinus permanently at home? It’s important to breathe through the mouth while you pour water from one nostril to the other. Repeat the action for both nostrils.
Flush.
Spray.
Hydrate.
Rest.
Steam.
You can do this a couple of times if you feel comfortable. If it’s your first time and you find it uncomfortable, do it once and repeat it later in the day. The reason why a Neti pot helps is that it helps hydrate the mucous membrane and flush out some of the infected mucus.
Essential oils for sinus infection
While it may seem weird to refer to essential oils as a home remedy for sinus pain relief, they do have properties that can aid in the healing process. One of the first things that buyers should be aware of before purchasing essential oils for sinus infection is that they must come from reputable sources so that they are free from impurities.
One of the essential oils that help open up the nasal passages is menthol. Menthol is used both during colds or flues to help open up the nasal cavity so that the individual can breathe better and even during the decongestion process of a nasal infection. In order to get these results, boil a pot of water and add a couple of drops of menthol essential oil to the pot. Get closer to it and breathe in the steam. The hot water and menthol vapours will help open the nasal passages.
Compresses – How to relieve sinus headache
Compresses are an easy way to practice home remedy which can help in alleviating the discomfort and the pressure that you might be feeling from the nasal congestion. Both hot and cold compresses have some uses which is why we will talk about them separately.
How to relieve sinus headaches? First of all, hot compresses are perfect at warming up the nasal passages and loosening the nasal secretions. In order to benefit from these effects, apply a hot compress over the nose and let it sit for at least three to five minutes. You will feel the pressure slowly disappear.
Alternatively, you can use cold compresses after the hot ones, by placing them on your nose for no longer than 30 seconds. The hot and cold temperature alternation will help your body firstly by allowing you to feel more comfortable and secondly by loosening the secretions and clearing up the mucous membrane.
Acupressure for sinus
Acupressure for sinus can be a great way to treat a sinus infection since it focuses on the pressure points and alleviates the pain and stress on these points of the human body. While it may seem a bit daunting to try to attempt this on yourself or on someone who suffers from a sinus infection, know that with a little bit of practice you can do this on your own.
If you want to help someone deal with sinus pressure you need to use both of your hands, link the fingers of both hands and cradle the back of their head. From then on, extend your thumbs and find the indents on each side of the spine and massage them gently in small circles.
Do not apply too much pressure or it might be painful for the person you are massaging. Be gentle but firm and do this for a short period of time, allowing the person to rest in between the session and repeat it a number of times if needed. As you can see, acupressure for sinus can be an effective method to treat sinus congestion.
Nasal Spray for Sinus
A saline solution spray can also be an uncomfortable way for some people to treat a sinus infection but it does have a lot of benefits which makes it worth the discomfort. You can find various saline sprays in pharmacies, each with different ingredients, promising to help decongest your nasal cavity.
Nasal spray for sinus, you can also make your own nasal spray at home with some simple ingredients. You’ll show you how shortly.
You only need to make a solution that is one-fourth baking soda, one-fourth salt, and one-fourth clean water. Mix it all up until the solution is perfectly mixed and the salt and baking soda have been dissolved in the water.
Then, you can either put this solution in a nasal spray bottle and sniff it or, if you do not have a bottle like that, simply put some in your cupped palms and sniff it. Repeat this process up to three times a day for best results.
Steam Bath and steam inhalation with Vicks
This is perhaps one of the easiest and fastest ways to help you clear your sinuses, deal with the facial pressure that you feel from your clogged sinuses and also help drain your nose in order to speed up the healing process. Steam inhalation with Vicks is also recommended.
All you have to do is boil a pot of water and then take it off the stove. You can pour it into a basin or just take the pot to your sink. Then, put on a towel over your head, lean over the pot and breathe in the steam vapours. The steam will help open the nasal passages. The biggest benefit of a steam bath is that you can repeat it as many times as you need in a day without any negative side effects.
Diet Change – Best food to clear sinuses
If you are a fan of spicy food, you know that during and after eating them your nose is running from all the spiciness of the meal. What spicy food does is open up the nasal passages and loosens the secretions that are causing the runny nose. Spicy peppers, horseradish, wasabi, and other known hot foods all have an active ingredient, capsaicin. What is the best food to clear sinuses? Spicy food as you can see.
Not everyone can handle spicy food but if you are into hot spicy foods and you are also experiencing sinus pain then you can decide to go for a diet richer in these spicy ingredients in order to help alleviate the pressure and the congestion that you are experiencing. Spicy food will also help you cleanse the mucous membrane which can help get rid of the infection and also allow the body to fight the problem head-on faster than you can imagine. As you can see, a sinus problem is something that anyone can fight with some good old natural remedies.