I’ve been encountering sinus congestion a lot lately, and it’s been a struggle for me for years. Although I don’t get as many sinus infections as I used to get, I still sometimes wake up in the morning with a stuffy nose.
Sometimes my nose is just stuffy, but at other times each morning the stuffiness will get worse and worse as the days go by. When it gets to completely stuffy + runny it’s time to take action because that is thee most irritating combination for me. And as a singer, singing through sinus congestion is no fun at all.
There are so many things that could be discussed about sinus congestion, sinus infections, drainage, allergies and the like; but right now I want to share one amazing tip:
Nasal Rinse + Nasal Congestion Relief Spray = FREEDOM from Sinus Congestion
Enter The NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit! Cue the heavenly Angelic chorus singing in three part harmony, “Ahhhhhhh!” The heavens open up with a burst of light! Okay, okay, I digress…
So years ago I bought a NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit. I’d heard about the Neti Pot but the idea of that sounded really hard for some reason. I looked up the NeilMed Kit and it just seemed easier and more doable for a first timer like me who had never tried anything like this.
I have to be honest and say it took me awhile to really get the gist of the sinus rinse thing because I just didn’t like the discomfort of pushing ANYTHING through my nose, let alone a liquid! I mean I got a nose piercing in college, but… that’s just not the same experience… aaaaand I digress… again, lol.
So finally, at the advice of someone very well versed and experienced in this matter, I took on the challenge. I’m happy to say it has really helped me tremendously!
There was a slight learning curve and it took me a couple tries to get the hang of it, but once I did OMG! I’m so glad I stuck with it.
The Sinus Rinse Process
The sinus rinse process is super easy:
- Fill the NeilMed bottle up to the fill line with room temperature bottled water
- Pour one packet of NeilMed powdered solution mix into the NeilMed bottle
- Shake the bottle up
- Hold your mouth open, so you can breathe through your mouth
- Squeeze the bottle up one nostril, and the liquid (and mucus and everything plugging up your nasal cavities) comes out of the other nostril.
- Squeeze the bottle up the other nostril. Repeat on each side until the bottle is empty.
That’s it!
So, What Does the Nasal Rinse Do for Sinus Congestion?
What the rinse does is, it irrigates the sinuses and nasal passages, by gently cleansing them with the water and solution.
I think the instructions say not to the blow your nose afterwards. Honestly I do blow my nose, but I do it extremely gently.
After that I follow that with an over the counter nasal spray to shrink the nasal membranes. Swollen nasal membranes are what cause your nose to be stuffy.
It prevents air from getting through the nostrils. Thus why your nose feels “stuffed up.” (Sometimes it’s also caused by nasal polyps, but that’s another type of challenge altogether.)
I usually use Afrin Congestion Relief, but there are lots of them you can try.
Doing the nasal rinse and using an over the counter nasal congestion relief in the morning sets me up for the rest of the day! Usually it clears everything out and I can breathe freely. Cue the angelic chorus again, “Ahhhhh!”
You have to be careful with the nasal spray though, sometimes it’ll send me into a sneezing frenzy if I use too much.
If you suffer with sinus congestion chronically, this is something you should consider trying! At the very least try this for a few weeks and see if you notice a difference, if you don’t notice a change right away.
Disclaimer: I am no doctor. I’m just someone who’s suffered with allergies and sinus infections over the years, and I found something that helps me. I hope this helps you too!
Have you tried a sinus rinse before? What are your sinus tips for sinus congestion?
