Relieve Nasal Congestion: 10 Effective Home Remedies
Summer times are fun times! Beach trips, pool parties, rain dance and lots of water splash in the pool. But something that can ruin your perfect summer fun, or even your cosy winter, is a stuffy nose along with headaches and body pains.
Weather triggers are most often associated with nasal congestion. But there are other factors too that could lead to the same. Triggers like allergy, sinusitis, common cold etc. are known to cause nasal congestion.
The cause notwithstanding, the symptoms can leave you breathless and even dehydrated at times. Various over-the-counter medicines are easily available to help you with a congested nose. Alternatively, if you want to keep it a bit more natural, there are certain things that you could pick from your home to ease the discomfort too.
Right from traditional steam inhalation to sipping herbal teas and irrigating your clogged nasal passage, there are some very effective home remedies you can try.
Here is a list of the top 10 nasal congestion home remedies that are effective and have no side effects whatsoever.
Home Remedies For Nasal Congestion
1. Steam Inhalation:
Steam continues to be the best home remedy for nasal congestion.
To get the best results, all you have to do is hold your head directly against the steam sprayed from the source.
Gently and slowly inhale the steam.
You can also add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to this water
Alternatively, you can apply a small quantity of your favorite anti-cold rub on your forehead and chest.
The vapour emanating from eucalyptus oil helps clear up the blocked nasal passage.
Watch This Video – Steam Inhalation Helps Nasal Congestion:-3 Natural Remedies To Get Rid Of Nasal Congestion(Blocked Nose)
2. Taking a Hot Shower/Bath:
Your nose is clogged, you feel feverish and you have a body ache from hell. A hot shower is the answer.
Stand under a steaming shower, and let the warm water do its magic.
Not only will this help with de-congesting your nose, it will also soothe your aching body.
Make sure you do not overdo it! Just a few minutes will suffice.
As soon as you finish your shower, dry your hair thoroughly so that your efforts are not wasted.
3. Consuming Hot Soup:
This is one of the most favourite cold remedies of all! When you are down with a congested nose, nothing tastes good, but a bowl of hot soup!
Hot or warm soup will definitely help you de-congest your nose.
If you are a non-vegetarian, go for a chicken soup.
If you are a vegetarian, try the delicious and healthy tomato soup.
Along with being a good source of nutrient, the steam from the hot soup helps clear nasal passage.
Drinking soup thrice a day also helps you cope with the dehydration and general weakness experienced during this situation.
4. Irrigating With Saline Sprays:
You can irrigate the dried up nasal passages with your own saline solution or an over-the-counter spray.
Just prepare a concoction by dissolving ¼ tsp each of baking soda and salt in about 8 oz of warm water.
Take a bulb syringe and fill it with the solution.
Rest your head on a pillow and tilt a little.
Slowly, squirt the solution into one of your nostrils, while closing the other.
Allow it to drain.
Repeat it twice before moving on to the next nostril.
However, since there are chances of the nostrils getting extra dry, make sure that you repeat the process for a maximum of four times a day.
[Read:Home Remedies To Treat Dry Nose]
5. Drink Herbal Teas:
If you like tea, you will surely love this next item on the list! Ginger, blackberry, peppermint and chamomile tea are guaranteed to give relief from a congested nose.
Prepare a concoction by mixing 2-3 teaspoons of grated ginger and ½ a teaspoon of rosemary leaves for clearing your nose.
Along with clearing your plugged nasal passages, these herbal teas also help in hydrating and soothing the membrane inflammations.
You can add about one tablespoon of honey while preparing the tea for better results.
Those who like alcohol can add about one ounce of bourbon or whiskey.
However, do not exceed the above mentioned amount of alcohol as otherwise you will be left with an inflamed nasal membrane.
6. Stay Hydrated:
Drink fluids, preferably hot.
You can even opt for fresh juices, including lemon and oranges.
Hot soups and teas help in thinning the stored-up mucus, which is then easily drained.
They also soothe your sore and inflamed throat and nasal lining.
Lemon juice, orange juice and other citrus juices are a good source of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant.
The free radicals that trigger flu like symptoms can be scavenged off by consuming these juices.
But make sure that you drink freshly squeezed juices and not the stored ones.
7. Use A Warm Compress:
A warm compress will work really well for a nasal congestion. Warm compresses soothe flu like symptoms just like a hot water shower. The only difference is that these compresses function from outside to open the congested nostrils.
Soak a slightly heavy cotton cloth or towel in more-than-warm, but not-too-hot water.
Squeeze out the excess water.
Fold the towel and place it atop your forehead and nose.
Along with decongesting, using a warm water compress at regular intervals can also aid in relieving inflammation and pain.
You can repeat the compress every 3-4 hours, depending on the severity of your symptoms.
8. Munch on Garlic Cloves:
Garlic is a tried and tested remedy for so many of our health issues! Garlic, in the form of cloves, as well as its juice, has been used to ease nasal congestion since time immemorial. Along with reliving stuffy nose, garlic also aids in easing the discomfort associated with nasal congestion.
Munch on garlic cloves for the best result
Alternatively, dry roast about 3 cloves of garlic and cook with half a cup of water along with ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder.
Season it with salt and black pepper.
Drink this concoction regularly to clear the congestion.
9. Inhale Black Pepper Steam:
Black pepper can be consumed along with soups, teas, and garlic solutions to obtain relief from congested nose. External application of black pepper, in the form of powder, is also known to help with the same.
Take coarsely ground black pepper and roast it for about 2 minutes.
Inhale the fumes that arise while roasting but from a safe distance.
Another awesome way to treat nasal congestion is to prepare a paste using ½ teaspoon of black pepper powder, ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder and a pinch of lime with little water.
Heat this in a small iron-cast utensil.
Apply it to your forehead and nose, externally.
Allow the mixture to dry well and then wash off with warm water.
However, make sure you apply only little of this mixture to avoid skin burn.
10. Aromatherapy:
Various essential oils can help provide relief from nasal congestion.
You can heat a little eucalyptus oil and inhale its fumes.
Inhale the fumes at regular intervals for assured results.
You can also take the help of camphor.
Add 3-4 pieces of camphor to about one tablespoon of coconut oil.
Heat the mixture well so that the fumes come up.
Inhaling these fumes is sure to clear a congested nose.
You can even add two crushed garlic cloves to this mixture for better results.
[Read:Pamper Your Skin with Aromatherapy]
All said and done, each home remedy is effective in its own way and the result varies from person to person. The only way to find the best remedy for you is trial and error. But you cannot go wrong with these tried and tested natural treatments. So, next time you are down with nasal congestion, give these options a try and breathe easy!
