About Stuffy Noses
A stuffy nose is the colloquial term for nasal congestion, a common condition that usually acts as a symptom for the cold or flu. It is usually a mild to moderate irritant more than a serious medical condition, but in certain situations can prove very dangerous. There is no known "cure" for a stuffy nose, but there are various treatments that can be employed to temporarily reduce or relieve the symptom.
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Features
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A stuffy nose usually comes along with many other symptoms of a cold, flu, viral infection, or allergy attack. Those symptoms may include a headache, cough, sore throat, fever, and fatigue. A stuffy nose is characterized by a nasal blockage, making air difficult to flow in and out through the nose. When the symptom of a cold or flu, a stuffy nose can last anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks; when caused by allergies, a stuffy nose can last for months or be constantly ongoing.
Considerations
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It's commonly believed that a stuffy nose is the result of too much mucus blocking the nasal passage. In fact, the excess is merely a symptom, not the cause. Instead, the culprit is inflamed blood vessels that fill with excess fluid and cause swelling in the tissue surrounding the nose. The swelling makes the nasal passage smaller and more difficult to breathe through, and also results in the production of excess mucus by the nasal membranes.
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Effects
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The most common effects of a stuffy nose are difficulty breathing through the nose, and frequent blowing of the nose to clear the passage ways. Difficulty sleeping and/or snoring can result from the annoyance. The blockage can also cause difficulty hearing and a temporary, mild speech impediment. Though usually not serious for adults, these effects have the potential for long-term damage on children. If the congestion is caused by enlarged adenoids (tissue at the back of the nose), a condition usually found in children, surgery can be necessary to correct the problem.
Warning
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Though a stuffy nose is not usually a serious condition, in infants it has potential to be extremely dangerous. Infants must breath through the nose, and so a blockage an result in extreme difficulty breathing and breast-feeding and even has potential to be life-threatening. Since a baby is too young to blow its own nose, it's vitally important to remove the mucus from the nose with an infant nasal aspirator, more commonly known as a bulb. The tip is inserted gently into the nostril, and squeezing the bulb suctions out the mucus. Medical attention should also be sought for an infant having much trouble breathing.
Prevention/Solution
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Though there is no cure for a stuffy nose, there are a wide variety of over-the-counter medications in capsule and liquid form that provide temporary relieve from the symptom. Cold and flu medications usually treat a wide variety of symptoms, such as cough and fever, with a stuffy nose being one of many among them. Other over-the-counter medications are sold to treat the a stuffy nose when it is a symptom of sinus and allergy problems, rather than cold. A humidifier or steam from a hot shower can also be beneficial in loosing up airways and providing temporary relief from the stuffy nose.
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