The nose is an organ where the inhaled air is heated, moistened and cleaned just before it reaches the lungs. Nasal congestion makes breathing difficult. Well, do you know what is good for nasal congestion? Everything you need to know about the subject is with you in the rest of our article.
What is Nasal Congestion?
Nasal congestion is a symptom that can develop due to different factors. The nose is an organ lined with mucous membranes. Nasal hairs, nasal concha (also called concha) and nasal wall extending along the mucosa ensure that the air is transmitted to the lungs in a healthy way by passing through the necessary processes. For this reason, it is the healthiest to breathe through the nose rather than through the mouth. When the nose cannot fulfill its function, we experience a lot of difficulty. Smell and shortness of breath mean that you have a stuffy nose.
What are the Causes of Nasal Congestion?
Nasal congestion can have many causes. The general reasons can be listed as follows:
- Viral infections such as flu, cold
- snore
- Sleep apnea
- curvature of the nose
- enlargement of the concha
- Foreign body in nose
- Benign or malignant tumors in the nose
- allergic rhinitis
- Sinusitis
What Are the Symptoms of Nasal Congestion?
The most important symptom of nasal congestion is difficulty in breathing. In addition, sleeping with your mouth open at night, snoring, a state of fatigue that continues throughout the day, mouth breathing, dryness and cracking of the lips are among the symptoms of nasal congestion. Nasal congestion is generally accompanied by symptoms such as itchy nose, runny nose, and sneezing.
Does Nasal Congestion Threaten Health?
The nose is one of the most important organs for breathing. For this reason, nasal congestion is a very uncomfortable situation for people who have this problem during the day. If this blockage continues for a long time, it can cause various problems in the heart and lungs. Chronic upper respiratory tract obstruction also brings problems such as asthma, heart attack, cerebral hemorrhage, sexual dysfunction, and blood pressure. Long-term nasal congestion must be treated.
In diseases such as flu and cold, nasal congestion does not last long and does not pose a health threat. Nasal congestion is quite normal in such cases. In general nasal congestion, a fatigue that continues after sleep can be seen. Because mouth breathing occurs, this can cause infection in the throat and lungs.
What Causes Nasal Congestion in Babies and Children?
Nasal congestion can be seen in babies and children generally due to viral infections such as influenza. Some babies do not know how to breathe through the mouth or have difficulty breathing through the mouth. For this reason, it is always useful to consult a doctor when nasal congestion is experienced in babies.
In addition, there may be adenoid enlargement or a developmental anomaly in the nose. In such cases, it is necessary to remove the growing meat with surgery.
What is Allergic Nasal Congestion?
Allergic conditions occur with the increase of pollen in autumn and spring months. These allergic symptoms may present with nasal congestion or runny nose. Depending on the allergy, nasal congestion solutions vary. For this reason, you can get a nasal spray or tablet by consulting a doctor. However, there are ways you can do to relieve the allergic symptoms. If you are allergic to pollen:
- Keep your windows and doors closed or use mosquito nets during the spring season when pollen increases.
- Change the filters of your air conditioners regularly.
- Take care to stay at home in windy and dry weather.
- Use masks in house and garden cleaning.
- With such methods, you can minimize allergy symptoms.
What are the Best Methods for Nasal Congestion?
- Nasal congestion can be easily treated or reduced at home. To have more detailed information about the things that cause nasal congestion, be sure to take a look at the list below.
- You can consume herbal teas such as mint, ginger, cinnamon.
- Smoking should be avoided and passive smoking should be avoided. It is important that you stay away from smoking environments.
- Salt water is the best method for nasal congestion. If possible, you can swim in the sea. If you are not in such a situation, you can add a teaspoon of salt to a glass of warm water at home and mix it with your nose.
- It is very important that the air is humid. For this reason, it is necessary to use a steam machine instead of air conditioning in the room.
- Drinking plenty of water also keeps the nasal mucosa moist.
- Milk increases mucus formation. Therefore, less milk should be consumed.
- Add two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of warm water and blow through your nose. This will both clear your nose and open your nose.
When is the Surgical Method Used for Nasal Congestion?
Nasal congestion is generally a condition that can be treated at home. However, in some cases, a doctor should be consulted and treatment should be started. So what are these conditions and how to open nasal congestion with surgical method?
Conditions of nasal obstruction requiring surgical treatment:
- enlargement of the nose
- Bone curvature in the nose
- Chronic and acute sinusitis
- Benign or malignant tumors
In such cases, surgical methods are applied. The growing flesh and tumors in the nose are removed, and the curvature of the bone is corrected.