Nasal irrigation for stuffy noses

I've been reading some posts about people with flu, colds, etc. who can't use their machinery because their noses are stuffed up.

I don't know if anyone has posted here on techniques of nasal irrigation. Nasal irrigation involves washing the sinuses with a lightly salted water solution (not regular house salt). In addition to rinsing out mucus, pollutants, allergens, and so on, the salt helps to decrease tissue inflammation by drawing out fluids.

This is a very easy, inexpensive, and non-painful procedure. All you require is a means of spraying or pouring the water into your nose. I use a "neti pot" but there are also other delivery systems. Just google "neti pot" or "nasal irrigation" and you'll find out everything you need to know. There are also videos of people using neti pots on You Tube.

I first heard about this procedure on NPR when an opera singer described how he used a neti pot every morning to make sure that his sinuses would be clear for the day. I decided to try this as I have allergies and asthma and am often stuffy. It was amazingly helpful.

Then I recently go the flu and a sinus infection. I'm a nose breather and can't sleep when I can't breathe through my nose. Also I can't use my CPAP which has a nose mask. It makes me feel very frustrated to think I can't even get a good night's sleep when I need one to be healthy.

I increased my neti pot use to 4-5 times a day and only lost 2 nights of CPAP use out of 14 days of being sick. When I complained to my dr. that the neti pot use hadn't stopped me from developing a sinus infection, he said it had kept the symptoms down and I would have been much worse.

I don't know if this technique will help anyone else, but thought I'd post the information.

Glad to hear that the Neti Pot is working for you Claire.

Nasal irrigation has been posted here many times. I've been using it because of this upper respiratory illness I currently have. It does make a big difference after using it. I also use it for allergy relief just prior to masking up. I'm a wildland firefighter in addition to my professional work and have found this to be a must following a fire.

I noticed an article on the use of the Neti pot in our local newspaper a couple days ago. Maybe it is gaining popularity.

Thanks for the info!

A great remedy, have seen it discussed on the forum before, but always helpful to see this again for those who were not around to see it previously.

"You are getting sleepy . . ."

Neti pot never worked for me..

A link for the newbies would be helpful....

neilmed.com

I prefer the Sinus Rinse squeeze bottle to the neti pot. And I don't use it every day. Just as needed.

Cheers,
Babs

I use a neti pot every night. However, when I am stuffed up, it does not clear my sinuses. Most of the time when I am stuffed up, I can't even get the water to pass through my sinuses. Grrrr.....

Then I result to a nasal spary, which I do not like. But if it means breathing better, I choose breathing.

I'm stuffed up from allergy symptoms right now. I sound nasally, and I don't feel sick. Yet I cannot get my stuffy nose to go away.

Treesap wrote: I'm stuffed up from allergy symptoms right now. I sound nasally, and I don't feel sick. Yet I cannot get my stuffy nose to go away.

It's most likely all that TREESAP in the air that you are alergic to!!

Jerry

treesap - when my nasal passages are especially stuffy I will generally make more than one pass with the neti-pot on the stuffy side. That side will eventually open up.

I forgot to mention a strategy given to me by a long-retired, but much-loved ENT doc. It's the washcloth strategy where you soak the washcloth in the hottest water you can stand, fold it in half, and hold it up over your nose and sinuses. The heat apparently helps and you end up breathing in steam from the water in the cloth. This is a version of the pot of boiling water and the dishcloth over the head, but takes less time. I also take ibuprofen to reduce inflammation.

Sometimes I couldn't get the neti pot fluid to go from one sinus to the other either, but somehow I always managed to have one nostril in operation.

But the allergy problem can be bad, I know. I'll be hitting my worst season when the tree pollen begins. I did shots for four years and they have helped a bit.

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