If you have ever suffered from sinusitis, you know how debilitating it can be. It can provoke pain, it impedes normal breathing, it causes aches and pressure. This is why, thankfully, there are so many things people try in order to get rid of sinus pain and pressure, and they have been proven to be helpful for many.
Considering how irritating sinusitis is, it's not a surprise that people try so many different things to get rid of the pain and pressure it causes them – things their doctors have told them to do, things they've read about, things they've heard about from their grandparents. And there are things like this in every culture. Some may sound logical and other may seem like magic. Either way, when you are in pain, it doesn't hurt to try them.
Over the Counter Medication
When you feel pressure or pain in your sinuses, it's most likely caused by something attacking your organism, such as a virus, bacteria or, in rear cases, fungi. This ailment, often referred to as sinusitis, can also be caused by seasonal allergies, hay fever, nasal polyps or other conditions. The best way to get rid of the pain entirely, is to treat the condition that's causing it, which is why in more severe cases, you might have to consult your doctor to get antibiotics or any medications they prescribe to you, and to follow the advice they give you.
However, regardless whether you need to take other medicine, there are ways to alleviate these extremely annoying symptoms. For this, people take over the counter (OTC) medicines for sinus pain relief, often combining them with other ways to fight against the pain.
If you have sinusitis, medications like anti-inflammatory pain relievers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, in combination with decongestants, nasal sprays etc., might instantly help diminish the pain and pressure.
Antihistamines, are other OTC sinus medicine option that you can use. If allergies or hay fever are the reason you have sinusitis, they may be exactly what you need. There are also many herbal sinus meds used against sinusitis, that can be a very effective and harmless way to get sinus pain relief.
Steam Inhalation
According to researches steam inhalation can be a great way to alleviate sinus pain and pressure. Depending on how strong the pain is, inhalation may be combined with OTC sinus medicine, or you may try just inhalation.
As the name suggests, steam inhalation consists of warming up water and inhaling the vapour. This means that sometimes a hot shower or a bath can be helpful, or even inhaling the worm vapours of a nice hot cup of herbal tea.
However, there are other ways to do this. Whether you decide to warm up water and inhale over a bowl, or you decide to invest in a steam inhaler machine, there are ways to make the steam even more helpful, dicongesting your nose and sinuses even faster.
Oils, such as peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree etc., are some of the herbal alternative sinus pain remedy you could also try, as they have been proven to be helpful. They can be inhaled directly from the bottle, they can be added to water for steam inhalation, to your bath or you can use them in a diffuser. They can offer headache relief, and they can help you clear the nasal obstruction. Apart from oils, sea salt is also often used by some against sinus headache – just add some salt to the water and breath in the vapours.
Nasal Irrigation
Many people swear by nasal irrigation for sinusitis. It can be useful for acute and chronic sinusitis, hay fever and allergies. Nasal irrigation is done by pouring a nasal solution in your nose with a sinus rinsing system, or by spraying the solution into your nose with a nasal sprayer.
If you decide to try nasal irrigation, you should either buy distilled water or premixed solution, or if you use tap water, you should filter it or, even better, boil it and allow it to cool down before using. Nasal solutions can either be bought, or you can make your own saline and baking soda mixture at home.
Hydration
Fluid intake is important always, but when we aren't feeling well, it's crucial. Not only should you drink a lot of fluids to help your organism get better faster, but also you should make sure the air you are breathing is humid enough. This is because it will prevent your nose and throat to get dry, and further irritate you.
Warm and Cold Compresses
Hold a warm compress across your nose, cheeks and forehead for three minutes, and then remove it and replace it with a cold one for thirty seconds. Repeat these steps two or three times, a few times during the day.
Chicken Soup
Believe it or not, simple things like a chicken soup really can help against sinus congestion. This is probably partly due to the previously mentioned beneficial effects of the steam coming from the warm soup, as well as the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of the ingredients.