You’ve got that feeling again: Your nose is stuffy, your head seems heavy,
and your sinuses feel swollen and on fire. Once again, you have nasal congestion.
Many people think that their nose gets congested from too much thick mucus.
But, usually, your nose gets stuffy when the tissues lining it become swollen.
The swelling is from inflamed blood vessels. Your nose can become stuffy because of a cold, the flu, and allergies.
Sometimes the congestion goes away in a week, sometimes you have it nearly every day or during certain
times during the year, especially if you’re allergic or sensitive to something like
pollen, tobacco smoke, or pet dander.
If your baby is congested, you can make your own saline drops,
adding a quarter teaspoon of salt to a half-cup of lukewarm water.
Lay your child on his or her back, put a rolled up towel underneath their shoulders,
and put two or three drops into each nostril.
After 30 seconds or so, turn the child on her belly to help the fluids drain.
You can also use an infant nasal bulb, called an aspirator, to help remove some of the mucus in their nose.
Other tips for helping kids include raising the head of your child’s bed; having your child drink plenty of fluids;
using a cool-mist vaporizer in your child’s room at night to pull some of that moisture into the mucus and thin it.
Do NOT use over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for any child under the age of 6.
They don’t help much anyway if at all, and they can cause serious health problems in kids.
Older kids and adults can take over-the-counter medicines to help relieve their stuffy nose.
Oral decongestants can shrink blood vessels throughout the body, including in the lining of your nose.
Nasal decongestant sprays are more targeted, but shouldn’t be used for more than 3 days in a row.
Antihistamines may reduce the amount of mucus in your nose.
But these medicines don’t treat the problem, just the symptoms.
You can also try gentler solutions, like a Neti pot, saline irrigation, saline nasal drops, using a vaporizer
humidifier when you sleep, and drinking plenty of fluids such as hot tea or chicken soup.
A stuffy nose will usually go away in about a week. But if it doesn’t, or you get congested at certain times of year
or when you’re around pets or smokers, your doctor can help you find out if you have allergies and sensitivities,
and get you the right treatment to make any allergies less of an annoyance.