5 Causes of nasal congestion and how to overcome them

When your nose is blocked, it can be a challenge to even breathe. Apart from difficulty breathing, a blocked nose can sometimes cause other uncomfortable symptoms, such as headaches and decreased ability to smell. What causes nasal congestion? Then, how do you fix it quickly and easily?

What are the causes of nasal congestion (congestion)?

Generally, many people think that nasal congestion is caused by the buildup of mucus in the nasal passages. In fact, nasal congestion is not always the result of a build-up of mucus.

Basically, nasal congestion is caused by anything that causes irritation or inflammation of the nasal tissues. The nose has an extensive network of vascular vessels that can open and close.

When the nose is irritated, the nervous system is stimulated, causing the valve to open blood vessels. As a result, more blood flows into the nose. This condition causes swelling in the nasal passages and makes it difficult for you to breathe.

The following are some of the health conditions that cause nasal congestion:

1. Flu

Flu or influenza is a disease caused by infection with the influenza virus. When the body catches the flu virus, inflammation can occur in the mucous membranes of the nose. That is why, nasal congestion is one of the common flu symptoms.

The flu is highly contagious and can cause other symptoms, such as fever, muscle aches, chills, headaches, and coughs.

2.Cough cold (common cold)

At first glance, a cold cough may resemble the flu. In fact, these two conditions are very different. Cough cold or what is also known as common cold is a condition usually caused by a rhinovirus, not an influenza virus.

In addition, the difference between flu and cold cough lies in their severity. The symptoms of a cold cough are usually milder than those of the flu. Many people also refer to this condition as the "common cold".

3. Allergies

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) website, allergies occur because the body's immune system reacts to certain substances, aka allergens.

Apart from nasal congestion, other symptoms that can appear when the body is exposed to allergens are sneezing, itchy eyes, sore throat, and coughing.

4. Sinusitis

Sinusitis is an infection that occurs in the sinuses or nasal cavity. The infection causes inflammation and excess mucus production, so that the nose becomes blocked.

Sinusitis is usually a complication of a cold cough (common cold) . Other symptoms that may arise are headaches and muscle pain in the face.

5. Non-allergic rhinitis

Nonallergic or vasomotor rhinitis is also characterized by inflammation in the nasal cavity. However, the cause of this condition is not certain because it is not triggered by allergies.

How to deal with nasal congestion (congestion)?

The discomfort due to nasal congestion certainly makes you look for ways to treat the condition.

Well, you don't need to be confused because there are many ways you can try at home to get rid of a congested nose. Here are some tips you can do:

1. Turn off the air conditioner and fan

Warm, moist air is the quickest way to treat colds and nasal congestion. Turning off the air conditioner and fan can help you.

Breathing in moist air can relieve inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in your nose. Moist air can also help thin mucus in your sinuses.

2. Inhale warm vapor

To get moist air, you can do a facial sauna, aka inhaling warm steam. The trick, fill a container or basin filled with hot water. Lean over the water and cover it with a towel to trap the steam.

Inhale warm steam for about 10 minutes. Repeat 2-3 times a day until you can breathe easily.

You can also mix a few drops of eucalyptus oil in warm water. Eucalyptus oil is scientifically proven to be a home alternative that can kill some types of congestion-causing bacteria, such as sinus infections.

However, you should not take too much so that your eyes do not sting.

3. Drink lots of water

Warm water can help thin the mucus in the nasal passages and relieve pain from nasal congestion. For variety, you can drink ginger tea, mint, or warm lemon and honey tea which contains natural antiseptic and decongestant agents to make breathing easier.

4.Topical saline or decongestant sprays (oxymetazoline)

Saline sprays can provide the extra moisture that a congested nose needs. A saline solution will thin mucus and clear up nasal congestion. For quicker relief of nasal congestion, in less than 10 minutes, use a topical decongestant / oxymetazoline.

Topical saline sprays or decongestants are available over-the-counter at pharmacies. Before using saline sprays or topical decongestants, discuss them with your doctor. Side effects may appear or can worsen nasal congestion if used for more than seven days.

5. Take a warm or hot shower

Another easy way you can do to get rid of a stuffy nose is to take a warm shower. The steam produced from warm water can help thin the mucus that builds up in your nasal passages.

In addition, warm water steam is also believed to help reduce inflammation in the nose. However, make sure you don't use water that is too hot for bathing, huh.

6. Take medicine

In addition to doing the methods above, of course, you can also take over-the-counter medicines at pharmacies. Common cold medicines that can help relieve nasal congestion are decongestants.

It's different if the congestion symptoms you experience are triggered by allergies. The drug that you can use to treat this problem is an antihistamine drug. This medication can help reduce swelling in the nasal passages, so that nasal congestion can be resolved.

7. Using natural ingredients

Not only with medicines from pharmacies, you can also use ingredients found at home as natural cold remedies. Here are some tips you can try:

a. Eat spicy food

Spicy foods can help thin the congestion in your nose. In addition to thinning mucus, spicy foods are also able to dilate blood vessels in the respiratory tract, so that the symptoms of nasal congestion reduce.

Some types of spices that can help include chilies, peppers, wasabi, and ginger. If you are not used to eating spicy foods, you can add a little of these spices to your diet.

b. Chew garlic

Garlic contains antibacterial and antifungal agents that are useful for treating various health problems, including nasal congestion due to colds and flu.

Findings from a study in England showed that participants who were given a garlic supplement for 12 consecutive weeks during flu season were less likely to experience flu than participants who did not take garlic supplements.

Maybe chewing raw garlic sounds scary to you. To work around this, saute 1-2 cloves of garlic and add pasta or vegetables. Or, you can add a few slices or mash of a clove of garlic to a bowl of hot water to steam your face for 10 minutes.