Ear & Nose Congestion Home Remedies

Ear and nose congestion can make your life somewhat miserable while the condition lasts. Congested ears make it difficult (even impossible) to hear conversations; you might hear popping or crackling noises; there might even be a little pain. Nasal, or nose, congestion makes it difficult to breath and sleep; you might even notice that your food tastes bland. If you suffer from one of these conditions, try a home remedy to alleviate it.

Home Remedy for Ear Congestion

• Oftentimes, ear congestion is caused by an underlying bacterial infection in the ear canal. To help ease your ear congestion, use heat. Apply heat to your ear using a hot water bottle filled with hot water, by using a towel soaked in hot water, or by using a heating pad. Be careful not to heat the water too hot; it should be comfortably warm. Essentially, treat the water like bath water; don't submerge your ear until the temperature is just right. Heat works to help ear congestion by increasing blood flow in the area. This promotes more infection-fighting white blood cells.

  In addition to using heat, try opening your mouth wide and yawning. According to Midwestheadaches.com, ear congestion can result when the Eustachian tube become blocked (fully or partially). Yawning, swallowing or opening your mouth up as wide as you can contracts muscles located in the throat that help regulate the opening of the Eustachian tubes in your ears. If your congestion is minor, yawning, swallowing or opening your mouth up wide may relieve the congestion.

Nasal Congestion Home Remedy

• To ease nasal congestion, use a bulb syringe (those blue, rubber, tear-drop-shaped things), hot water and salt. To make the mixture, stir 1 tsp. of salt into two cups of warm water (ensure that the water is not too hot). Fill the bulb syringe by squeezing it and dipping it into the mixture and then releasing it while submerged. Once the bulb syringe is filled, lean over a sink, insert the tip of the syringe into your nose, and gently squirt the solution up your nose. How hard you need to squeeze the syringe is a matter of preference; Nursesnotebook.com suggests experimenting with varying pressures to find what clears your nasal passage out the best.

  Additionally, just as heat worked to clear ear congestion, heat works to clear nasal congestion. Drink hot beverages, such as teas and chicken broth. Hold your nose over the steam from the beverage to help clear your nasal passages. Also, cutting onions and breathing in the aroma from the onions can cause your nose to begin running, thereby reducing some nasal congestion.