Tobacco smoke is one of the main causes to sinus drainage. If you are currently a smoker, then you will need to quit smoking immediately. If you are constantly around tobacco smoke or air pollution, then limit your time outdoors or around these irritants. These pollutions will irritate and inflame the nasal passages.
When you're fighting sinus symptoms, you can put the kettle on for caffeine-free teas — (caffeine dehydrates the body, so options like black tea can irritate the sinuses). Some top herbal choices, which can also help clear congestion, are peppermint, chamomile, eucalyptus, wild thyme and blackberry teas.
Mucolytics. Mucolytics, such as guaifenesin, are chemical compounds that can help loosen and clear mucus from the nasal passages, sinuses, and lungs. They dissolve chemical bonds in mucus, making it thinner and helping it to drain more easily.
Drink plenty of fluids
The body needs to stay hydrated to keep mucus thin. When a person is sick with a cold, drinking extra fluids can thin mucus and help drain the sinuses. People with seasonal allergies may also find that staying hydrated helps reduce congestion.
Infections in your respiratory tract — most commonly colds — can inflame and thicken your sinus membranes and block mucus drainage. These infections can be caused by viruses or bacteria. Allergies such as hay fever. Inflammation that occurs with allergies can block your sinuses.
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.
To thin mucus and encourage it to drain, run a cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier at the side of your bed. You may also want to try wearing a nasal breathing strip, which lifts the sides of the nose and may help open nasal passages and ease breathing during the night.
Seasonal allergies, cologne, perfume, smoke, and other airborne particulates can mess with your sinuses, especially when suffering from a sinus infection. Unfortunately, other than staying in a hermetically sealed room, there's not much you can do about some of these.
Increased thick secretions can occur from low humidity in the winter, a decrease in fluid intake (dehydration), bacterial sinus infections, or from some medications (antihistamines). Swallowing problems or acid reflux can give patients similar symptoms of nasal/throat drainage or phlegm.
If you feel that you are blocked up but are not really producing mucus, then this is more indicative of a physical abnormality, such as nasal polyps or a deviated septum. It is quite common for people to complain of having a blocked nose on one side.
The immense amount of essential nutrients present in ACV reduces the symptoms associated with sinusitis. ACV aids in balancing the pH and clears out the excess mucus that has built up in the cavities. Furthermore, antibacterial and antifungal properties of ACV assist in battling the infection.
The frontal sinus has the most complex and variable drainage of any paranasal sinus.
Balloon sinuplasty allows the surgeon to dilate a blocked sinus, creating open space, which allows the sinus to drain normally. The surgeon uses a flexible endoscope with a light to guide the insertion of a thin wire. The wire is then moved through the nasal passages toward the opening of the blocked sinus.
Determining how long your sinus infection will last is dependent on what type you are experiencing. Acute sinusitis lasts for less than four weeks. Chronic sinusitis can last for more than 12 weeks. The majority of sinus infection sufferers will see their symptoms start to resolve after about 10 days.
Blowing your nose to alleviate stuffiness may be second nature, but some people argue it does no good, reversing the flow of mucus into the sinuses and slowing the drainage. Counterintuitive, perhaps, but research shows it to be true.
The lungs and respiratory tract also need magnesium for its muscles, therefore low magnesium can worsen nasal congestion and asthma. Blood vessels also have muscles in their wall, and low magnesium plays a role in high blood pressure.