Tips for Relieving Your Sinus Infection Discomfort

Sinus Infections can be painful and uncomfortable, and at the best of times they can be resistant to treatment. Your nose may be so congested that it impossible to breathe through it at all, your nose will be red and sore from blowing it so often, and your face and head will be sore from the sinus pain. So, what's a person to do to relieve some of this discomfort while waiting for the treatment to work it's magic? Well, after recently suffering from a Sinus Infection that would just not go away I found out some helpful tips by talking to my doctor and doing some research of my own.

1. Treat a cold as soon as possible! Cold's can be the perfect environment for a Sinus Infection to start in, so if you do have a cold take care of yourself and ensure you are taking positive steps to treating it.

2. Drink plenty of fluids such as water, juice, and tea. These can help flush out your system as well as keeping you hydrated.

3. Give yourself a steam treatment. An easy home method is to pour some steaming hot water into a bowl and put your head over the bowl (not in the water). Drape a towel over your head to trap the steam in there with you and it will work to clear out your congestion.

4. Run a wash cloth under hot water and apply it to your face. This will help open up your sinuses as well as relieve some of the pain you are experiencing.

5. Buy a Hot Mist Vaporizer. You can find these relatively cheap and are especially helpful during the nights as it blows hot steam into the room which will help clear out your nose and sinuses. Some Vaporizers have options to add in peppermint to the steam, which double's the effect as the peppermint is also supposed to help clear out the sinuses.

6. If you are extremely congested I have found at my worst moments that having a hot shower also helps to clear my sinuses and relieve some of the pain.

7. If you are experiencing a bad sinus headache a cold compress applied to the forehead will help to relieve this.

8. Nasal Sprays are also said to be helpful, but do talk to your doctor about which one's are appropriate for you as some can actually made the infection worse.

It is important that you do meet and discuss treatment with your doctor if you believe you have a Sinus Infection. The above tips are home treatments to help relieve some of your discomfort on top of the treatment plan your doctor has prescribed. They will not cure your Sinus Infection, but if you do take care of yourself and follow your Doctor's orders you should be on the road to recovery in no time.

References:

http://www.sinuses.com/faq.htm