Hot showers and baths create steam that can quickly fill a room. This steam helps moisturize the air, and when a person breathes it in, it moistens their sinus passages. The extra moisture can ease irritation in the sinuses and thin out mucus so clearing the sinuses is easier.
Allow the steam to enter your nose and mouth by breathing normally though your nose and mouth. Do this for 10-15 minutes. You will need to top up with just-boiled water 2-3 times as it will cool and lose the steam. Use ordinary water, just-boiled from the kettle.
Steam inhalation and nasal irrigation are among the most commonly recommended techniques for the alleviation of nasal congestion; the National Institutes of Health recommend inhaling steam two to four times daily, through sitting in the bathroom with the shower running, for example.
Warm mist is a very effective home remedy to soothe and moisturize sinus passageways, helping you feel better. One way people treat themselves with steam is to boil a pot of water then tent a towel over their head while leaning over the liquid.
Some natural ways to get your sinuses draining and relieve sinus pressure include drinking plenty of fluids; using a humidifier; avoiding cold, dry air; taking plenty of steamy showers; and drinking a cup of hot tea or soup.
Take a steaming hot shower or hold your head over a steaming pot of water to help thin mucus and make it easier to expel. Warm steam opens and moisturizes stuffy breathing passages, and helps thin the mucus so you can cough it up and get phlegm out.
Acupresssure Point LI 20: Located at the base of your nose, this pressure point can help relieve sinus pressure. Acupresssure Point SI18: Located where your cheekbones meet your nose, this pressure point can relieve sinus congestion.
Antibiotics and sinus infections
This may give you the idea that you need antibiotics, but most clear up without them. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses and aren't recommended within the first week of developing a cold. About 70% of sinus infections go away within two weeks without antibiotics.
When you begin to feel sinus pain, apply a warm compress over your eyes and nose. Doing this helps warm the nasal passages, which in turn helps to loosen mucus. You can also place a cold compress on your forehead or eyes to help reduce sinus pressure.
An “acute” sinus infection lasts anywhere from ten days up to eight weeks. A “chronic” infection lasts even longer. It is ongoing — it may seem like it's improving, and then it comes right back as bad as it was at first. Chronic sinus infections may drag on for months at a time.
The main symptoms of sinusitis are pain and a feeling of pressure in your face. You may also get a blocked or stuffy nose, green or yellow mucus coming from your nose, a raised temperature, a cough and a general feeling of being unwell.
The middle and anterior ethmoid, maxillary and frontal sinuses drain inferior to the middle concha into the middle meatus. The nasolacrimal duct drains into the inferior meatus. The sphenoidal sinus drains into the sphenoethmoidal recess superior to the superior concha.
Vicks VapoRub — a topical ointment made of ingredients including camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol that you rub on your throat and chest — doesn't relieve nasal congestion. But the strong menthol odor of VapoRub may trick your brain, so you feel like you're breathing through an unclogged nose.
Whether it's from a hot shower or piping hot cup of tea, steam can thin mucus and help it drain from your nose. For faster relief, pour boiling water into a large bowl. Cover your head with a towel, lean over the bowl, and breathe in the steam. You can do this three to four times a day.
Bend over with your face over the bowl and cover your head with the towel so that the steam cannot escape. Breathe slow and steadily. The inhalation duration should lie between ten to twenty minutes.