How To Get Rid Of Nasal Congestion

So, you or your kids have managed to come down with a stuffy nose, and the symptoms are driving you nuts.

Lucky for you, there are plenty of things you can do to ease symptoms of nasal congestion, but the first step is to figure out what caused it in the first place. There are plenty of potential culprits of nasal congestion, and narrowing down the list on your own can be extremely difficult, because many infections and illnesses share symptoms. Thus, consulting your doctor is a very important first step in treating your symptoms.

Below are some common causes of nasal congestion, and how you can treat them.

The Lowdown on Nasal Congestion

Basically, nasal congestion happens when something irritates your nasal passages and causes the tissues to become swollen thanks to inflamed blood vessels. The swelling is what gives you the telltale feeling of a stuffy nose, and it can also lead to nasal discharge, a cough, or a sore throat because of postnasal drip.

The most common causes of nasal congestion include:

• The flu
• Common cold
• Sinus infections
• Allergies or hay fever
• Prolonged use of nasal sprays
• Nasal polyps or cysts
• Nonallergic rhinitis

The best way to treat your symptoms will vary depending on the cause, so it is crucial for you to consult a doctor when you can’t figure out what is making you feel so under the weather. Especially when it comes to kids, it can be hard to pinpoint the cause because kids really do get sick very frequently… and telling the difference between illness and allergies can seem like an impossible feat. When in doubt, call your pediatrician.

Signs That Medical Attention is Needed

When certain, more serious symptoms appear, it is important to seek medical care. Nasal congestion is usually nothing to worry about, but it can be a symptom of certain illnesses that require prescription medication, which is why it is essential for you to consult a doctor.

Symptoms that indicate that a doctor is needed include:

• A stuffy nose that is accompanied by swelling of the forehead, eyes, side of the nose, or cheeks
• A stuffy nose that is accompanied by blurred vision
• New or worsening throat pain
• White or yellow spots on the tonsils or back of the throat, which may indicate strep throat or another bacterial infection
• Nasal discharge that smells bad, only comes from one side of the nose, or is a color other than white or yellow (like green)
• New or worsening cough that lasts more than 10 days or comes along with yellow/green or gray mucus
• Symptoms that last more than two weeks
• Nasal congestion or discharge accompanied by a fever, especially in children

When you pay a visit to the doctor’s office because of these symptoms, or for nasal congestion in general, there are a few things you can expect when it comes to finding the cause.

Because nasal congestion has so many potential causes, your doctor or pediatrician will typically begin with a physical exam that focuses on the nose, airways, and ears, as these locations are highly affected by illness. If the physical exam does not prove to be helpful enough, your pediatrician may follow up with allergy testing, a throat culture, or sinus and chest X-rays. These procedures will help you get to the bottom of the problem so that you can effectively treat it.

Home Remedies for Nasal Congestion and Sinus Pressure

Fortunately, there are some remedies that you can use to ease your symptoms if you need a quick fix and can’t get to the doctor right away.

Saline solution is one great option, and it comes in spray or drop form. It works by thinning and loosening the mucus, making it easier for you to get rid of the mucus by blowing your nose. It usually only takes 1 or 2 drops of the solution in each nostril.

Drinking plenty of fluids is another great way to ease some of your congestion. Staying hydrated helps to thin out the mucus in your nose, which can make you feel a little bit less stuffed up.

Steam and humidity are two other options that can make a huge difference. Dry air can aggravate symptoms like congestion or a runny nose by further irritating your nasal passages, so adding moisture back into the air is an easy way to get some relief. Running a hot shower and then sitting in the steam is one method, but using a humidifier or vaporizer is another easy way to moisten things up!

If you know that the congestion is coming on as a result of seasonal allergies, try to identify your triggers and avoid them as much as possible. Nonallergic rhinitis can also result in congestion, and can be caused by breathing in smoke, car exhaust, fragrances, or household chemicals. If you know that you are sensitive to things like this, do your best to avoid them or take appropriate allergy precautions.

Medical Treatment for Congestion

In cases where congestion is a new problem or you have no idea what is causing it, it is necessary to pay your doctor a visit so that they can find the cause.

In some cases, congestion may become chronic, like with chronic sinusitis. Even still, this is highly treatable and there are plenty of ways to manage symptoms.

Sinus infections or other bacterial infections will be treated with prescription antibiotics… and you (or your kid) should be feeling better after just a few days of taking them! Antibiotics may sometimes be recommended alongside another kind of medicine depending on your specific situation. Just be sure to follow your doctor’s instructions.

In cases where congestion is simply caused by the common cold, keep in mind that a cold will resolve on its own in 7-10 days, but you can try some OTC medicine to ease symptoms in the meantime!

Genexa’s Kids’ Cold Crush is a homeopathic remedy that works to address common symptoms of a cold including congestion, runny nose, mucus, sore throat, and cough, making it the perfect choice for when your kiddo is feeling under the weather.

Genexa is the first clean medicine brand, meaning they make medicines with the active ingredients you need, but without the artificial inactive ingredients you don’t need. Genexa is committed to revolutionizing the world of medicine by making real, clean medicine… that’s why any inactive ingredients in their products are non-GMO, gluten-free, and certified vegan.

In cases of allergies, though, cold medicine won’t do the trick because the way your body responds to allergies is very different from the way it responds to colds and other infections!

Immunotherapy is one method of treating nasal congestion when it is caused by persistent allergies. Immunotherapy entails allergy shots that lessen your body’s reactions to certain allergens, therefore making you less miserable when you come into contact with an irritant. A simpler, more common method of treating allergies is just to use allergy medicine as recommended by your doctor.

Nasal, oral, or injected corticosteroids might be recommended to you if your congestion is particularly severe, and these work to relieve the inflammation. This kind of medication is specifically helpful in cases where nasal polyps or chronic sinusitis are to blame for your congestion.

If you begin treatment for your congestion, but still do not feel any better after a week, you should get back in touch with your doctor to make sure nothing more serious is going on, and to make sure that your congestion has not evolved into any complications. Your doctor will always be able to answer your questions, and they can set you up with a different kind of medication if the original plan is not working out!

The Bottom Line

Though nasal congestion can be highly unpleasant and uncomfortable, it is typically nothing to worry about and you should be feeling better in no time with a little rest and some medicine. There are plenty of different things that can cause nasal congestion, and this can make it hard to pinpoint exactly what is causing your problem.

Whenever you are unable to figure out what is causing your symptoms, it is important to consult your doctor and get to the bottom of it so that a proper treatment plan can be chosen.

With the right type of medicine or other form of treatment, your symptoms should ease up in a few days. Symptoms that do not get better or that begin to worsen are a sign that something more serious may be happening, and you should get back in touch with your doctor. Most often, though, congestion is no big deal!