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What Is Good for a Stuffy Nose?

If you have a stuffy nose, it means the mucous isn't budging. According to "The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II," the goal of relieving a stuffy nose is to actually make it run. A runny nose means you can move the mucous by blowing your nose, which will open your congested nasal passages. There are three different ways to relieve your stuffiness: home remedies, over-the-counter remedies and prescriptions.

  1. Home Remedies

    • Steam and hot water are an excellent way to relieve a stuffy nose. Taking hot showers or inhaling steam loosens congestion and gets mucous flowing again.

      Nasal irritants also work to get a stuffy nose moving again. Minty and mentholated aromas and spicy foods are notorious for cleaning sinus cavities. According to Mother Nature.com, smelling an onion also has the same effect.

      If you want to drink herbal teas to ease congestion, herbal specialist Dr. James A. Duke recommends hyssop. He states "the pytochemical marrubin helps break up congestion." Duke says hyssop contains diosmin and ursolic acid which helps lessen nasal passage inflammation.

    Over-the-Counter Remedies

    • Sufferers of nasal congestion have dozens of options available to them over the counter. Non-prescription strength decongestants, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, "help to shrink the blood vessels in the nasal membranes and allow the air passages to open up."

      Antihistamines work by inhibiting histamine in the body. Histamine is the body chemical that kicks in to initiate congestion, sneezing and runny nose when it perceives a toxin or invader in the body. For many people, this chemical releases too often and leads to a stuffy nose. There are medications available which are a combination of both medications.

    Prescription Remedies

    • For those whose symptoms persist or who do not find adequate relief from home remedies or over-the-counter medicines, prescription treatments are available. These medicines are more potent versions of the over-the-counter decongestants and antihistamines and may also be prescribed alongside antibiotics. If infection is present, antibiotics will help relieve the infection that's causing the stuffy nose.

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