Sinusitis is a condition that inflames the sinuses, which are small air-filled cavities inside your brain and face. When this happens, mucus from the sinuses becomes blocked. This blocks airflow to and from the lungs, resulting in a collection of pressure in the affected sinuses, known as sinusitis. The result is that your nose feels stuffy, and you have difficulty breathing through your nose. Read this article learn more on how to relieve sinus pressure.
Sinusitis can be uncomfortable, especially when it keeps recurring. Many factors, including allergies, smoking, stress, and excess moisture in the air, can cause sinusitis.
In some reported cases, there may also be an infection or fungus causing inflammation in one or more of your sinuses. Most home remedies focus on relief from pressure due to a blocked nose and sore throat, which can be helped by taking antifungal medications like nasal sprays.
7 home remedies for sinus pressure
1. Place a cold, wet cloth on your forehead and leave it there until the pain goes away.
2. Drink lots of fluids- this will help wash the mucus from your nasal passages and soothe your throat.
3. Try using a humidifier- this will keep the air moist and may help relieve some symptoms of sinusitis.
4. If you are suffering from a headache, drink extra water to help flush out any remaining toxins in your system that may be causing it.
5. Make sure you are sleeping enough and trying to avoid stress or anxiety, which can increase pressure in the sinuses as well as cause sinus headaches
6. Take an over-the-counter med for relief of headaches, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen (Tylenol), which can also help prevent sinus related migraines
7. Try taking a hot bath with eucalyptus oil added to it, which has anti-inflammatory properties
What to do for sinus pain and pressure at home
If you have sinusitis at home, treatment options include keeping your head elevated and drinking plenty of fluids. Taking over-the-counter pain relievers such as naproxen or ibuprofen may also be helpful. If you are experiencing lots of pressure or pain in your sinuses, it can be beneficial to use a saline nose spray or saline drops in addition to the medication.
What does a blocked sinus feel like?
When your sinuses are blocked, you can experience a buildup of pressure in your nose and throat. This causes a feeling that the air is very dense or even painful to breathe in.
You may also feel like you have a sore or raw throat, which can happen due to swelling of the lymph nodes found in the throat.
In addition, your eyes will probably water due to too much moisture in the air, and your face may feel swollen from all this excess fluid.
You may have sinusitis if you’re experiencing any of these highlighted symptoms. If you have a fever with sinusitis, it might be caused by bacteria and should be treated with antibiotics prescribed by your doctor.
What Causes Sinus Pain and Pressure?
As mentioned, sinus infections can be caused by many factors. Some of these causes include:
- Allergies
- Viruses
- Bacteria
- Smoking
- Stress
- Moisture in the air
Symptoms of Sinus Pain and Pressure
If you’re dealing with pressure in your sinuses, it is vital to know the symptoms to get the help you need. It can be challenging to tell whether you have a sinus infection or not because some of the symptoms overlap with other conditions like common cold. Here are some of the common symptoms:
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Fever
- Stuffy nose
- Headache
- Nasal discharge from both eyes
- Pharyngitis
- Difficulty breathing through your nose
What causes sinus pain and pressure?
Sinus pain and pressure is caused when your sinuses are swollen, and air cannot flow in or out of them. Various factors, including allergies, smoking, stress, and air moisture, can cause swelling.
You should consult your healthcare specialist if you have a persistent cough and worsening symptoms that last for more than two weeks or are accompanied by fever, headache, or facial pain.
Top 6 Methods for Sinus Pressure in the Ears
If your sinuses are clogged, it cannot be easy to breathe. You might experience pressure in the ears and difficulty sleeping. There are several methods that you can try to relieve the pressure in your sinuses, including:
1. Using an Otoscope
2. Taking a hot shower
3. Drinking a bowl of ice cream
4. Doing Yoga
5. Wearing a surgical mask over the mouth and nose when sleeping
6. Take an anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen or acetaminophen
Why does lying down relieve maxillary sinus pain and pressure?
When you lie down, gravity helps the fluid in your sinuses drain back down into your nose and throat. This is because gravity tends to pull the fluid from the top of your head and into the back of your throat when you lie down. When lying down, gravity also helps to dislodge congestion in the nasal passages so they can drain more efficiently.
Another way to relieve sinus pain and pressure is by chewing gum while lying down. This is because chewing gum massages the gums, relieves tension, and allows them to continue releasing fluids that may keep you up at night.
How to relieve sinus pressure with steam
Steam is a natural remedy that you can use to relieve pain and pressure in your sinuses. In addition, steam helps to open up the nasal passages and soothe sinus congestion. Learn how to relieve sinus pressure with steam. This method is also very safe and easy to use, requiring only a pot of water and a towel or cloth.
For this remedy to work, you will need the following items:
- A pot of water
- Towel or cloth
- A bowl
- Measuring cup
- Spoon
- Tongs
To make steam: Mix 3 cups of water with two teaspoons of salt in a bowl. Place the mixture on the stovetop on medium heat, occasionally stirring until it comes to a boil.
Once boiling, take the pan away from the heat and cover it with a towel or cloth to prevent accidents.
Take your towel off the pan and let it cool for five minutes before approaching your nose to inhale it in a warm compress.
How do I drain my sinus with a sinus massage?
Lie down on your back or side and breathe normally through your mouth.
Then take a deep breath and exhale slowly while squeezing your nose shut.
Then you should breathe in again, this time breathing through the left nostril only. This will clear out any blockages in the right nostril and help to relieve the pressure in your sinuses.
You need to do this for 4-5 minutes three times a day. Afterward, you can use a neti pot to rinse out your blocked sinuses by sitting upright with one nostril closed and filling it with water until it starts streaming out of the other nostril. Mucus can also run down the throat in a postnasal drip.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Your first step is to determine the source of your sinus infection. Is it from the blocked nose, the pain in your head, or your face? If it is from the pain in your face, you should try using a nose spray that contains a nasal decongestant.
You can also make use of a nose spray that is for nasal pain. This offer temporary relief from the nasal congestion and pain. If this does not work, you should see an ENT doctor who can recommend the best treatments for your case.
If it is from a running nose, you must take some effective medicines such as decongestant nose drops and anti-inflammatory tablets. You can also put saline drops in your eyes to reduce running and itching of your eyes.
You can release pressure in your sinuses by taking a nose spray. Several types of nose sprays are available in the market, but Instill nasal spray is one of the best options.
This spray is available as a liquid that you draw into your nostrils, and it releases a medication that absorbs and fires up inside your nose to clear the drainage passages.
You may also use a neti pot, a type of pot that you use to insert liquid into the nasal passages for cleansing and clearing.
Fill the pot with warm water and put a few drops of lukewarm salt water.
Then insert one nostril into the liquid and breathe it in and out slowly until the water reaches the proper temperature (nasal irrigation).
Then breathe out through the other nostril as instructed by the manufacturer. This process will help you clear your sinuses easily.
You may also take over-the-counter decongestants such as pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine (commonly known as Sudafed or Phentemine-N). These medications help constrict blood vessels and open up tiny passageways within your nose to help drain mucus from there.
You can also use humidifiers to relieve the sinus congestion and release pressure in your sinuses. However, ensure that they are running on low heat settings while using them, as they can cause burns on tissue if in a high-heat setting, which may worsen your condition.
You can massage your sinuses using a soft cloth or fingers to smooth the pressure and inflammation on your frontal sinus.
The pressure point on your foot is between your big and second toes. It is known as the central line pressure point. The point lies on the side of the foot, just in front of the big toe, and after which it runs to meet with other central pressure points on the foot.
You can feel the central line pressure point by tracing a line from your little finger to where the big toe meets with your other toes. Applying pressure directly at or on the points is a good idea when you have sinusitis. This can give your sinus pain relief when done right.
