Home Remedies for Sinuses

Running a hot shower, or filling the sink with hot water, leaning over it and putting a towel over you to trap the steam in, and inhaling the steam helps calm down swelling in the nasal passages. The sink trick adds a a facial steam as well, so bonus! lol Just be sure to cleanse your skin before and after to avoid possible breakouts from it. Adding some eucalyptus or peppermint oil to the water itself can help "clear" it out temporarily, like when you inhale Vicks.
Also, flushing your nasal area with a bulb or neti pot filled with saline/ sterile salt water to help clear out mucus/debris. Those are the only at home remedies that ever really make any kind of a difference with me, someone else may have better tips! lol

I find the cider vinegar does help sometimes and what Katie said also helps at least for a while. Hope you feel better soon.

I would love an answer to this as well, seeing as I have been addicted to OTC nasal sprays for a year and a half to two years now. Neti Pots do not work for me, nor do Antihistamines. 🙁

Thank you Katie, Gemz, Lady!  Feeling loads better.  Got some different nasal spray, did some good showers with hot steam, making sure I 'flushed', and I think it worked its way out well enough.

Lady, interesting you say that because I've used OTC nose spray for years.  I might be able to say it's hereditary because my father has used it as well nearly all his life.  I think it's a case of rebound congestion, but I haven't given it up long enough to try to let it pass.  But I don't really believe it will pass on its own - so I'm addicted too!

I always thought I had issues with my sinuses but it turned out I actually had blocked ears and they were causing pressure around my sinuses (or something like that) may be worth speaking to a doctor about?

Really!?  Thanks for that Deloria... that's interesting.  I am avoiding discussing it with a doctor (again) because they've only ever told me in the past to stop using nasal drops and replace with saline, and in a few days I'll be fine.

I've refrained for as long as I can stand it, and if I want to sleep at night, I need it, ha ha.  It may be worth another chat with the doc though, now that you mention ears.

Be careful flushing. We have mucus for a reason. Not only that, putting tap water isn't really a great idea. Our stomachs are made to take bacteria, and obviously has it's own bacteria. Our sinuses aren't. And it's flipping close to the brain! I assume using a sterile saline solution would be ok but using shower water, noooo. Especially as it often, in this country, comes from a tank of warm water that's been sitting there nice and toasty warm to create lots of lovely bacteria!

Have you actually tried not using the nasal drops? I'm not trying to be annoying (I manage that well enough without trying 😉 ) but sometimes they do suggest not using stuff as they're proven to be bad, despite them giving you relief temporarily. I can't really comment as I've never used them. I do get blocked sinuses occasionally, but not often enough to worry about it.

Edit, just reread and seen that you have. I think you should probably try and refrain for longer. 🙂

I usually steam it out.  Lovely hot shower or bath, or, failing that, you can boil up the kettle, pour it in to a bowl, add a few drops of essential oils (lavender is nice and soothing) and sit over the bowl with a towel draped over your head.

When my siblings and I would get colds when we were little, my mom used to put a humidifier next to the heads of our beds on a small desk/chair so the steam would help us sleep easier.

Thanks so much!  Good tips.  I wouldn't mind giving the steam a go - I think it was mentioned above earlier too that it's good for the pores as well, added benefit!

It's a problem I really should revisit, trying to stop using nasal sprays because I've of course heard they're not supposed to be used long-term and are bad!  I am due to see a doctor soonish anyway, so I will definitely discuss it again, and perhaps there are more options now than the first few times I admitted I'm a nose spray addict to the doctor and was persuaded to stop.

By "flushing", and not trying to make this sound icky or anything :), I really meant "blowing well"... I probably used the wrong term.

Really!?  Thanks for that Deloria... that's interesting.  I am avoiding discussing it with a doctor (again) because they've only ever told me in the past to stop using nasal drops and replace with saline, and in a few days I'll be fine.

I've refrained for as long as I can stand it, and if I want to sleep at night, I need it, ha ha.  It may be worth another chat with the doc though, now that you mention ears.

Say you've started getting an ear ache, they'll check it then and maybe point it out. It was never spotted when I'd gone in for sinusitis or anything (which was a good 2-3 times a year), only when my ears had gotten so blocked I couldn't hear...note to self and everyone else - do NOT use cotton buds in your ears! But since they've all been cleared out colds are just colds and don't get any worse like they used to