Our tolerance for discomfort is pretty extraordinary. Luckily, we live in a day and age in which we don’t have to grin and bear problems that may seem elusive at first glance.
Having constant nasal congestion, or a blocked and runny nose can seem like slow torture. Like the mythical Sisyphus, condemned to rolling our boulder up a hill just to have it come crashing back down every time.
Today we’re going to demystify what most may accept as their luck of the draw and show you how to breathe again.
Gasping for breath
Chronic nasal congestion is common, but not well understood. People attribute a longer than usual stuffy nose to things like lack of rest, dehydration or allergies. While these are all valid points, constant congestion is often caused by Sinusitis.
Chronic sinusitis is just one of many complex factors that influence whether you feel congested or not. You can spot it by its symptoms:
-Yellow/Green Mucus
-Stuffy nose
-Facial pain, swelling or pressure
-Fatigue
Sinusitis is an inflammation of the linings in your sinus cavities. It happens due to viral infections, allergic reactions, a deviated septum or small blockages in your airways called nasal polyps.
Prevention and treatment: Evening the odds
While sometimes it feels like luck is against you, there are things you can do that can increase your chances of staying healthy.
Hydration is key to healthy sinuses and drinking plenty of water helps. Not inhaling irritants like cigarette smoke or fumes will prevent the linings from weakening or getting inflamed.
If you’re an avid swimmer, chlorine or even frequent diving can affect your sinuses, too. Lastly, getting tested for allergies could reveal triggers you weren’t even aware of.
What about after you’re already under the weather? Well, you’ve got some options:
- Light Treatment: Breathing steam helps open up your airways. It’s recommended along with drops of essential oils like eucalyptus. Things like saline sprays and sleeping with your head elevated also help.
- Medicinal Treatment: These focus on relieving symptoms and helping you cope. Over-the-counter-decongestants, painkillers and in serious cases, steroid sprays or pills can help reduce discomfort. You should see a doctor for the last option, just to be safe.
- Specific Procedures: These heavy-hitters are guaranteed to get to the bottom of what’s causing your discomfort. Septoplasty and Endoscopic Sinus surgeries involve altering the tissues as needed. Less invasive, Balloon Sinuplasty involves safely expanding your airways to make breathing easy.
There is hope
Many think giving in to their discomfort is the easy way out but the methods above illustrate that isn’t the case. Rather than resigning yourself to “fate”, you can turn everything around. Take action with a few of these simple tips or by seeing a specialist trained to clearing up issues like yours. Either way, there’s no reason you should be okay with being stuffy all the time.