The annoyance that stuffy nose causes almost everyone has to go through at least once in their life. Very rarely, this symptom is a serious and dangerous illness. However, if prolonged, it can become a chronic disease and greatly affect daily life.
What is a stuffy nose?
Nasal congestion is a condition in which one or both sides of the nose is blocked due to mucus or inflammation of the nasal mucosa causing congestion. The mucosa lining the inside of the nasal cavity is an effective dust filter with a blood vessel system and a constantly moving hair. The air entering the nose carrying dirt, dry and cold will be quickly cleaned, warm and moist before being moved to the next organs. That is why this is also the place most susceptible to infection if any injury is encountered.
Dry air entering the nose is the cause of many diseases because it causes the nose to dry out, the nasal secretions become sticky, causing the fibrous cells to stick and cause many uncomfortable symptoms.
How does stuffy nose affect patients?
- Inflammation of the respiratory organs
One or both nostrils are blocked, making breathing difficult. At this time, many cases will breathe through the mouth. However, the air entering the mouth to the organs that are not cleaned of dust, dry and thin can still cause respiratory tract damage, pharyngitis, laryngitis, bronchi, and lungs.
- Affects the sleep of the patient and those around him
A stuffy nose is often accompanied by symptoms such as a runny nose that causes the patient to frequently inhale. Mucus that touches the outside air will get dirty, leading to inflammation that can be worse. Irritated nose leads to redness, swelling, constant sneezing, wheezing or breathing through the mouth, snoring while sleeping. The patient is tired, has a low or high fever, dizziness, lightheadedness, etc.
A blocked nose can be worse at night, affecting sleep, making it difficult to fall asleep or staying asleep. Wheezing accompanied by snoring also affects the sleep of those around.
- Tinnitus
Nasal congestion with tinnitus is a common manifestation of inflammation, swelling, swelling, and pus. Mucus containing pus becomes thick along with inflamed areas, causing blockage of the nasal passages and ears.
- Eye effect
Although not much, but if the nose is blocked, long-term inflammation can affect the eyes, causing lacrimal gland inflammation, conjunctivitis, eyelid inflammation …
In addition, the obstruction of the airway makes it difficult to get oxygen, the patient’s body becomes slow, inflexible, headache, and inattentive. That leads to reduced work efficiency and productivity, affecting the patient’s daily life.
What causes a stuffy nose?
There are many causes of nasal congestion, but the most common and common are still:
- Upper respiratory tract infections: rhinosinusitis, acute pharyngitis.
- Allergies to agents such as dust, some odors, pet dander, mold, germs, bacteria, pollen, cigarette smoke, etc. It can be accompanied by sneezing, hives, and red rashes.
- Changing weather is perhaps the most common of the causes. Abnormalities of the weather cause the body to react to adapt. When the weather returns to normal, most reactions go away on their own. However, for people with sinusitis, the nose will be extremely uncomfortable and the symptoms will be more persistent.
- One of the typical symptoms of a cold or flu is a blocked nose. Usually viral diseases cause damage to the respiratory tract. The disease lasts from 7-10 days, it will be cured, the accompanying symptoms will be stopped.
- Inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, such as allergic rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, etc., all affect the secretion of nasal secretions, causing nasal congestion.
- Cases such as women’s hormonal changes during pregnancy are often accompanied by nasal congestion.
- Cold and dry living or working environment can also be considered as a reason. Dry and cold factors cause irritation of the nasal mucosa leading to a situation of running a lot of fluid that clogs the nose.
- A benign tumor called nasal polyp appears inside the nasal cavity or on one side of the nasal cavity, disrupting the nasal circulation.
- It can also be caused by deviated nasal septum, foreign bodies, trauma, side effects of certain medications, nasal sprays, or smoking, prolonged stress can also be the cause.
What to do to not bother with stuffy nose?
Some effective measures to help you limit nasal congestion without having to go to a medical facility are as follows:
- Cleaning your nose clean and often is something you have to do every day, not necessarily when you have a new nose problem. In case of inflammation, swelling, and stagnant nasal discharge, you should wash with physiological saline or can also be diluted saline. After cleaning, use a damp cloth to wipe off the stagnation. You can use the dropper, face up to the sky and put a few drops of saline in your nose and then inhale. You can also add a few drops of menthol or eucalyptus oil to deep clean the nasal passages.
- Adequate water supply is also a daily necessity. In particular, water will also dilute respiratory secretions and reduce inflammation, inhibit the infection process as well as relieve sore throat pain.
- Nasal steaming with herbs is an effective method of decongesting and keeping the incoming air warm, while also clearing the nose. You can steam with lemon, lemongrass, wormwood, ginger, grapefruit essential oil or mint leaves, etc.
- Using a warm towel across your eyes and down your cheeks for a few minutes will keep your sinuses warm and help blood flow easily.
- In order for nasal secretions to circulate easily, when sleeping, you should lie on a higher pillow than usual or lie on your side for easy breathing.
- Limiting foods containing a lot of starch, sugar, eating a lot of green vegetables, fruits, taking vitamin supplements, especially B5, eating hot, drinking hot, drinking a lot of juice, etc. are methods to strengthen resistance. for the body, preventing bile and reducing nasal congestion quickly.
All treatments are relative and supportive. If your stuffy nose persists and doesn’t go away despite doing many things, you should see a doctor for early examination and treatment