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Sinusitis Home Remedies
Information
Sinuses are air-filled pockets that serve as small air-quality-control centers under your cheekbones, above your eyes and nose, and behind your eye sockets. It's their job to help warm, moisten, purify, and generally condition the air you breathe before it hits your lungs. When they're functioning properly, entering bacteria get trapped and filtered out by mucus and minute nasal hairs called cilia that line your sinuses.
This little air-flow system may gum up, however, if something impedes the cilia, if a cold clogs the sinus openings, or if an allergen swells the sinus linings. Then air gets trapped, pressure builds, the mucus stagnates, and bacteria or other organisms can breed. Infection and inflammation of the sinuses can set in, a disorder called sinusitis.
When you try to sleep, it's as if you've sprung a slow leak. All night long, the drip, drip of nasal fluid trickles down your throat, sending you into coughing spasms.
Pressure and pain around the face, teeth, or eyes; headache; and a thick green or yellow nasal discharge are the hallmarks of acute sinusitis. You may run a fever as well. Acute sinusitis is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and can last a month or longer.
If you get clogged up too many times, you may wind up with a permanent thickening of the sinus membranes and a chronic stuffy nose. Less common than acute sinusitis, chronic sinusitis is caused by allergies—especially to dust, mold, pollen, and certain fungi—or other conditions and typically lasts longer than 8 weeks.
Doctors generally prescribe antibiotics to clear the infection if it's bacterial. Here's what you can do to unstuff your sinuses, reduce pain and pressure, and get the air flowing freely.
When to call a doctor
If you've tried self-treatment for 3 to 4 days and still have sinus pain, pressure, and stuffiness, you need to see a doctor to help clear up the infection and drain your sinuses, advises Terence M. Davidson, M.D. "Otherwise, your sinuses could abscess into your eye, or worse, into your brain."
You may also have chronic sinusitis, which can be a recurrent or prolonged disorder lasting for months or even years. Depending on the cause, you may need to take a longer course of antibiotics than for acute sinusitis or undergo a sinus drainage procedure or surgery to break up the blockage. A sinus specialist can perform x-rays or other tests to discover what's causing your congestion, be it bacteria, an obstruction like polyps, allergies, untreated acute sinusitis, or a sensitivity to medications such as birth control pills or aspirin.
Panel of Advisors
Terence M. Davidson, M.D., is a professor of head and neck surgery and director of the Nasal Dysfunction Clinic at the University of California, San Diego, Medical Center.
Howard M. Druce, M.D., is an clinical associate professor of medicine in the division of allergy and immunology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/New Jersey Medical School in Newark.
Bruce W. Jafek, M.D., is a professor in the department of otolaryngology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver.
Remedies
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Bathe your nostrils daily
To flush out stale nasal secretions, Dr. Jafek suggests using saline nasal sprays or drops, such as Ayr, or mixing 1 teaspoon of table salt with 2 cups of warm water and a pinch of baking soda.
Apply pressure
Rubbing your sore sinuses brings a fresh blood supply to the area and soothing relief, suggests Dr. Jafek. Press your thumbs firmly on both sides of your nose and hold for 15 to 30 seconds.
Sit and steam
"Humidity is the key to keeping the cilia working, the mucus flowing, and the sinuses drained," says Stanley N. Farb, M.D. Twice a day, stand in a shower hot enough to fog up the mirror.
Humidify your home
Running a humidifier in your bedroom prevents your nasal and sinus passages from drying out, says Bruce Jafek, M.D.
Get steam on the run
If stuffiness hits during the day when you're at work or on the run, get a cup of hot coffee, tea, or soup, cup your hands over the top of the mug, and sniff, suggests Howard M. Druce, M.D.
Blow one nostril at a time
This helps prevent pressure buildup in the ears, which can send bacteria farther back into the sinus passages, Dr. Farb says.
Go ahead and sniffle
It turns out, says Dr. Farb, that sniffling is also a good way to drain the sinuses and escort stale secretions down the throat.
Unstuff yourself with decongestant tablets
The best over-the-counter medications to help drain sinuses are single-action tablets that contain only decongestants, such as Sudafed or Drixoral, says Dr. Farb.
Use medicated nasal sprays sparingly
Medicated nose sprays or drops, such as Afrin or Neo-Synephrine, are fine to use in a pinch, but frequent use of these products could actually prolong the condition or even make it worse, warns Terence M. Davidson, M.D.
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Top Remedies
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Bathe your nostrils daily
Apply pressure
Blow one nostril at a time