How to Unplug Your Nose
A plugged nose is an uncomfortable and frustrating condition. The inability to breathe freely can be caused by allergies, reactions to environmental conditions or illness. Blockages may be related to the accumulation of mucus or to swelling of the sinus passages. When blowing your nose won't help, there are a number of time tested, safe, home remedies which may get things moving again. These involve simple ingredients such as food, water and salt.
Things You'll Need
- Spicy food (pepper, curry, onion, garlic, peppermint)
- Sharp knife
- Neti pot
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup lukewarm water
Instructions
-
Food
-
1
Start by having a spicy meal. Ingredients such as cayenne pepper and curry powder can help relieve congestion by getting mucous moving and can open blocked nasal passages. The more intense the flavor, the more pronounced the effect. The turmeric in curry and capsaicin in cayenne have anti-inflammatory properties, increase blood flow and fight congestion.
-
2
Cut and handle onions or sniff an onion half to get the benefit of the sulfurous compounds inside, which can serve expectorant, decongestant and antimicrobial functions.
-
-
3
Consume a raw garlic clove--but not whole, and not alone. Garlic also contains sulfurous compounds. Peel the clove and smash it before chopping it finely to help release the fragrant aroma. Place the garlic on a sandwich to help save yourself from the burning sensation it may produce when it comes into contact with the lining of your mouth.
-
4
Apply a menthol product under your nose or spread menthol ointments across your chest before bed at night to help open nasal passages as you sleep. Inhaling the vapors is especially effective during a tough bout of cold or flu.
-
5
Chew peppermint to experience a mild version of the effects of stronger menthol products. Menthol is a decongestant; it thins mucus and can help loosen phlegm, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Water
-
6
Prepare a nasal cleansing treatment by mixing approximately one cup of lukewarm water with 1/4 tsp of salt (avoid sea salt) in a clean neti pot.
-
7
Lean over a sink or basin and tilt your head to one side, keeping your mouth angled slightly lower than the top of your head.
-
8
Breathe through your mouth. Press the tip of the pot against your upper nostril. Tilt the pot until the angle allows water to flow freely into that nostril and out of your lower nostril. Repeat on the other side.
-
9
Exhale through your nose to clear the last of the mixture. Blow your nose lightly (if necessary). Wash the pot with gentle soap.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Of course, a runny nose or clogged sinuses could be a sign of illness, ranging from an innocuous cold to a more troublesome flu (including H1N1, the so-called "swine flu"); if yours lingers, consult a physician.
