How to relieve swelling of the nose without vasoconstrictor drops
Miscellaneous / / January 13, 2022
6 ways to help you breathe freely.
If the swelling of the nose is caused by an injury or a recent surgical operation, one cannot do without consulting a doctor - a general practitioner, traumatologist or surgeon. While you are waiting for a visit to a specialist, you canBroken Noise/NHS apply ice cubes wrapped in a thin napkin to your face: a cool compress will slightly reduce swelling. You can use nasal drops or rinse your nose at home only after a doctor approves it.
However, if cause discomfort has become a common ARVI or seasonal allergy, it is quite possible to cope with edema with home remedies.
1. Rinse your nose with saline
It can be an over-the-counter nasal spray or salted water that you make yourself and drop with a dropper. The effect will be the sameNonallergic rhinitis / Mayo Clinic: saline solution will clean the nasal passages, make the mucus accumulated in them less thick and reduce irritation and swelling of the nasal mucosa.
If you want to rinse your nose really well, use neti pot
Neti pot - a special teapot for washing the nasal passages. or regular syringe. The essence of this procedure is simple: leaning over the sink and tilting your head slightly to one side, pour the saline solution into one nostril, and then change the tilt of the head so that the liquid, having passed through the nasopharynx, poured out through the second hole. Repeat several times. How to do this, we wrote in detail here. Moisturizing during this procedure will be more plentiful and effective.Saline Nasal Irrigation for Upper Respiratory Conditions / American family physician.Just keep in mind a few important safety rulesIs Rinsing Your Sinuses With Neti Pots Safe? / FDA.
- Never rinse your nose with tap water. It may contain pathogenic microorganisms that should not be allowed into the nasopharynx.
- It is best to use distilled water. Alternative: Boil liquid for 3-5 minutes and then refrigerate until slightly warm.
- Make sure your neti pot is clean and completely dry before using.
- Necessarily wash and dry your hands before the procedure.
2. Turn on the humidifier
The reason why the nasal mucosa swells is often dry air - that is, one in which there is not enough moisture. If you breathe it long enough, for example because you sit in a heated and poorly ventilated office all day, the mucous membranes also lose moisture. Dehydration results in irritation and swelling.
Sometimes it is enough to return the missing moisture to the nasopharynx so that the swelling decreases and you can again breathe freely.
3. Breathe in warm steam
For example, the grandmother's method - over a basin with heated (in no case boiling, so as not to get burned) water, throwing a towel over his head and shoulders. This will also help moisturize the mucous membrane.
You can add a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil to the water. There is dataTomoya Nakamura, Naoki Yoshida, Yu Yamanoi, Akira Honryo, Hiroyuki Tomita, Hiroki Kuwabara, and Yoshihiko Kojima. Eucalyptus oil reduces allergic reactions and suppresses mast cell degranulation by downregulating IgE-FcεRI signaling / Scientific reports (although studies have only been done in mice) that it has anti-inflammatory properties, reduces irritation, and may reduce the discomfort associated with nasal congestion.
4. Have some tea
Tea, warm fruit drink or compote, water - it doesn't matter. All these drinks, provided you drink plenty of water, will equally well cope with the dehydration of the mucous membranes and thus help reduce their irritation. True, the effect will have to wait at least 20-30 minutes.
5. Take a warm shower
This is a comfortable way to breathe in the same warm water vapor. Among other things, moist air will improveChronic sinusitis / Mayo Clinic the outflow of mucus and free the nose from too thick snot.
6. Apply a warm compress to the bridge of your nose
Heat will improve blood circulation in the sinuses. This does not mean that it will relieve you of swelling: there is no convincing scientific evidence for such an effect. However, heat is definitely capableChronic sinusitis / Mayo Clinic reduce the discomfort associated with swelling of the mucosa.
Experiment with compression. If it helps you specifically, repeat the procedure as needed.
Read also🧐
- What are dangerous vasoconstrictor drops in the nose and how to wean them
- How to beat cold symptoms in 24 hours
- When to see a doctor for a cold
Author and editor of articles on health, psychology, sexology. I have been working in medical journalism for over 15 years. I rely on the principles of dokmed, love and know how to search and analyze relevant research in world scientific journals. I try to write simply and clearly about the most complex diseases. I believe that understanding the mechanism of the development of the disease means taking the first step towards recovery.
10 items you can get a great deal on AliExpress Winter Sale