How To Get Rid Of A Sinus Pressure Headache
If you suffer from allergies, you may have congested sinuses as well, and this can lead to a sinus pressure headache. If youre wondering how to get rid of a sinus pressure headache, the first thing you need to understand is that these types of headaches can have several causes. Consequently, sinus headaches have a few different remedies.
Aromatherapy Humidity Nasal Sprays & Steam
The tried and true remedy of using a humidifier or a steamy shower can also help provide temporary relief from sinusitis symptoms such as sore throat. Essential oils such as peppermint or eucalyptus may also help to open up your sinuses and relieve some of the blockage thats indirectly causing your sore throat. Finally, flushing out your mucus with a neti pot or a saline nasal spray can also provide temporary relief.
How To Drain Your Sinuses
Its possible to relieve nasal congestion, drain your sinuses, and get rid of your runny nose with reactive measures like:
- Using a humidifier or vaporizer
- Taking a hot shower or steam bath
- Hydrating with warm fluids, such as chicken noodle soup or tea
- Use a nasal nebulizer as part of your daily nasal hygiene routine. Rinse your sinuses with a saline spray and moisturizer to reduce excessive mucus build-up
- Applying hot facial compresses
- Taking over-the-counter antihistamines
- Taking over-the-counter decongestants
- Propping your head up with a pillow when lying down
Nasal congestion is often a symptom of other conditions or ailments, such as allergies or a virus, affecting the body. Therefore, to clear it up, its important to remedy the underlying cause.
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Bonus Tip For Alleviating Sinus Pressure In The Ears:
Avoid exposure to tobacco smoke, air travel,
Trying one or a combination of these remedies for sinus pressure in the ear should help bring you some relief. These simple sinus remedies can help alleviate the pain and pressure you experience in your ears. Just be aware that this could develop into a sinus infection.
If there is a persistent problem with sinus pressure in your ears, call to make an appointment today with the ear nose, and throat doctor.
What Is The Long
Sinus infections are primarily caused by allergies. The most common allergens are pollen, dust mites and pet dander. Those with repeated sinus infections may have chronic sinusitis, which means long-term solutions may be a better option.
Immunotherapy can help. These allergy shots enable your body to decrease sensitivity to common allergens. The Raleigh sinus doctors at Raleigh Medical Group specialize in helping patients with chronic allergy and sinus problems. While immunotherapy is effective, the treatment can take as long as one year to achieve noticeable results and maintenance treatment will likely be needed.
To find out if youre a candidate for immunotherapy, schedule an appointment with one of our internal medicine doctors. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.
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Sinusitis And Sinus Infections
The human body has four main sinus cavities that are located in the areas surrounding the nose and eyes. These cavities play a critical role in breathing by controlling humidity and keeping foreign substances out of the body. The lining of these cavities can become inflamed as a result of a virus or bacteria that enters the body, this inflammation is known as sinusitis .
Inflammation prevents the body from naturally draining mucus from the sinus cavities which may lead to further infection and additional symptoms. Sinusitis sufferers often seek relief from these symptoms using over-the-counter medications or prescription antibiotics. Patients may find temporary symptom relief through pharmaceuticals however, these medications often carry a number of undesirable side effects including:
- Drowsiness or insomnia
- Individual complications
Sinus Massage Techniques That Reduce Congestion
The paranasal sinuses are small, air-filled spaces in your skull. They help filter and moisten the air you breathe and lighten the weight of the skull. The paranasal sinuses also help produce the sound of your voice and provide support for your face and eyes.
Whenever youre sick, the sinuses become obstructed with mucus. This blockage causes congestion and can lead to intense pressure and headaches. While there are nasal sprays and medications to treat symptoms, some simple massage techniques at home can provide you with relief.
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Ways To Remedy Sinus Pressure
The nasal passage connects to the sinuses, where mucus traps bacteria and moisturizes the air that travels to the lungs. The sinuses are designed to help prevent sickness but, sometimes, they can become irritated with pressure. Sinus pressure can be quite uncomfortable, so it helps to know how to remedy this symptom quickly. Here, we discuss what causes sinus pressure, why it is so painful, and what you can do to alleviate it.
Home Remedies: Steps To Help Relieve Sinusitis
These self-help steps can help relieve sinusitis symptoms:
- Drink fluids.Water or juice will help dilute mucous secretions and promote drainage. Avoid beverages that contain caffeine or alcohol, as they can be dehydrating. Drinking alcohol can also worsen the swelling of the lining of the sinuses and nose.
- Moisten your sinus cavities.Drape a towel over your head as you breathe in the vapor from a bowl of hot water. Keep the vapor directed toward your face. Or take a hot shower, breathing in the warm, moist air. This will help ease pain and help mucus drain.
- Apply warm compresses to your face.Place warm, damp towels around your nose, cheeks and eyes to ease facial pain.
- Rinse your nasal passages.Use a specially designed squeeze bottle or neti pot. This home remedy, called nasal lavage, can help clear your sinuses. If you make your own rinse, use water that’s contaminant-free distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled, or filtered using a filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller to make up the irrigation solution. Also be sure to rinse the irrigation device after each use with contaminant-free water and leave open to air-dry.
- Rest.This will help your body fight infection and speed recovery.
- Sleep with your head elevated.This will help your sinuses drain, reducing congestion.
Take these steps to help reduce your risk of getting acute sinusitis:
This article is written by Mayo Clinic staff. Find more health and medical information on mayoclinic.org.
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Why You Might Have A Sinus Headache
Healthy sinuses are basically empty cavities with just a thin layer of mucus. Sinuses that become inflamed produce mucus. This leads to congestion, which in turn causes facial pressure and pain. You might experience sinus pain in one or all four of the sinus locations. Many people suffering from congested sinuses sinusitis often have pain all over their face, regardless of which sinus is affected.
If your sinuses are causing you to have a headache, you are not alone. More than 35 million people in the United States suffer from pain resulting from sinus problems. Few people find significant relief from the medications prescribed by family care physicians- sometimes surgery is required. But normally the pressure you feel around your eyes, cheeks or forehead can be addressed in other ways. Of course, if matters get really bad, you need to see a doctor. In the meantime though, you might be able to obtain relief on your own. Here are some ways to do it.
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Where Are The Sinuses
The sinuses are hollow spaces or cavities in the bones around the nose. Your sinuses make mucus or fluid. The mucus drains into your nasal cavity and down the back of your throat. This keeps your nose moist and gets rid of dust, allergens, and germs.
There are four pairs of sinuses connected to your nose:
- in the cheekbones on each side of your nose
- above your eyes near the forehead
- between the eyes and the bridge of your nose
- behind your eyes
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What Does Sinus Pressure Feel Like
Pain or pressure is felt not just in your head, but anywhere in the sinus area. Where you feel pain depends on which sinuses are affected.
While pressure is most common behind and around the eyes, nose, and cheeks, it can extend forward to the teeth and backward to the back of the head. These areas will often be sensitive to touch.
Sometimes sinus headache can also give you a feeling of fatigue or aching in your top jaw. Redness and swelling of the cheeks, nose, or forehead can occur.
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Can You Have A Cough After A Sinus Infection
You may notice that even after the core symptoms are gone, you still have a cough after a sinus infection clears up. Thats most likely because there is still lingering inflammation in your sinuses causing post-nasal drip the backed-up drainage that runs down the back of your throat, often prompting a natural coughing reflex to clear your airway.
When sinuses are just doing their everyday job, they produce mucus to help protect your system from dust, allergens, and pollutants but that mucus has to drain to keep irritants out. Sinus infections occur when that drainage gets blocked, causing mucus to back up and become more susceptible to bacteria or viruses.
Discover why you may have a cough after a sinus infection and learn what remedies are available.
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To Help Prevent Nasal Congestion From Bacterial Or Viral Infections Such As The Cold Or Flu:
- Eat a well balanced diet
- Exercise and maintain your health and wellness
- Avoid stress and exhaustion
- Limit or avoid consuming alcohol and tobacco
- Get the flu shot
- Limit unnecessary physical contact, such as handshakes, to help prevent the spread of viruses
- Wear a mask to limit the spread of airborne diseases
Use Pillows To Encourage The Drainage From The Ears
Sometimes there will be some blockage in the ears. You can get the fluid that builds up, due to it having nowhere to go or a previous infection. You will want to get it out of the ears as soon as possible.
Rather than using a saline cleanser , you will want to encourage the draining of the liquid as soon as possible. The best way to do that is by focusing on the way you sleep and sit throughout the day.
Arrange the pillows in your bed to help prop your body slightly. This will help to keep your head up and avoid the pressure going further into your ears and head theres nothing worse than trying to sleep when dealing with pressure around your sinuses! The pillows will also help to encourage the right positioning for the draining of the fluid. Keep your blocked ear closest to the bed for the best results.
Even if the fluid does not drain out, sleeping like this will help you get a good nights sleep. This will encourage your immune system to work better, so you get rid of the sinus issues and pressure quicker.
You may also find that the pressure is due to thetrapped fluid within your ear canal . Tilt your head to one side and jump up and down. Gravity can help to dislodge the water. You will feel it trickle out of your ear!
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Causes And Symptoms Of Sinusitis
Sinus infection is usually caused by a virus, but it can also occur due to fungi or bacteria. The risk of developing sinusitis increases if you have:
- Sinus problems, such as nasal polyps, tumors, and deviated nasal septum
- An allergic condition that affects the nasal passages
- An immune system disorder or medical condition
In most cases, a sinus infection can be treated with home remedies. However, sinusitis that does not go away after 12 weeks, even with medical and home treatments, is known as chronic sinusitis.
The symptoms of acute sinusitis may include:
- Thick yellow or green discharge from your nose or back of your throat
- Nasal congestion
- Swelling, tenderness, pain, and pressure around your nose, cheeks, eyes, or forehead
- A Headache, ear pressure, fatigue
- Reduced sense of taste and smell
- A Cough, bad breath
If your symptoms do not improve after a few days, see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Can A Sinus Infection Make You Cough
Can a sinus infection make you cough? Yes a sinus infection can definitely lead to coughing. This particular situation has everything to do with excess mucus and how your sinuses attempt to drain that mucus.
When youre dealing with cold symptoms, youre suffering from allergies, or you have a sinus infection, your body is likely to create more mucus than normal, which can end up draining into the throat. While this sounds rather disgusting, mucus in the throat is pretty common, and it can happen whether youre sick or not.
However, when this drainage happens persistently for an extended period of time, you can find yourself with a nagging cough. A cough from a sinus infection isnt necessarily cause for alarm, and it doesnt mean you automatically need to book an appointment with your doctor.
Lets break down coughing during a sinus infection and what a doctor might recommend as treatment.
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Sinus Pain Has A Variety Of Causes
If your head is throbbing and you feel pressure around your eyes, cheeks, or forehead, you could have a sinus headache. “Many factors can cause a sinus headache,” says Subinoy Das, MD, chief executive officer and interim medical director for the U.S. Institute for Advanced Sinus Care and Research in Columbus, Ohio. The most important factor is swelling of the lining of the nose and sinuses, causing pressure and pain on in the face and head.
Symptoms of sinus pain and headache include pain associated with congestion from a common cold or allergies pain around your eyes, forehead, or over your teeth pain that is worse in the morning and pain that gets worse when you bend over. Some of the more natural methods of relieving sinus pain that reduce swelling, thin mucus secretions, and improve sinus drainage are often very helpful.
Acupressure And Acupuncture For Sinuses
Acupuncture is used to treat chronic sinus pressure and other symptoms.
Research from 2006 found that about 99 percent of acupuncturists in the United States treat sinus problems. Similarly, the Cleveland Clinic recommends using acupressure to relieve sinus pressure due to allergies.
While more research is needed on using acupressure to treat sinus symptoms, this practice may help improve blood flow, relax muscles, and help mucus drain from the sinuses.
You can do acupressure for sinus symptoms on yourself. It only takes a few minutes.
You can press on the acupressure points or gently rub or rotate your fingers in a circular motion over the area.
You can also get professional acupressure treatment from a certified acupuncturist. Some massage therapists may also use acupressure points.
Here are the main acupressure points for sinus relief and how to find them:
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Treat Sinus Pain With Humidity
“Dry, thick mucus in your nose and sinus passages can form crusts that block sinus drainage and trap viruses and other particles. Increasing humidity and getting more fluid into your body can help your mucus thin out and get moving again,” says Dr. Das. Some natural ways to get your sinuses draining and relieve sinus pressure include drinking plenty of fluids using a humidifier avoiding cold, dry air taking plenty of steamy showers and drinking a cup of hot tea or soup.
Pressure Points To Drain Sinuses
In addition to manual massages, you can also access sinus pressure points using a technique called acupressure. This ancient healing technique originated in China and uses the same principles as acupuncture except you use your fingers to trigger the pressure points instead of needles.
Here are some pressure points to trigger to help relieve sinus pain and congestion. Simply press and gently massage these areas for several minutes or until you feel relief.
- Acupresssure Point BL2: Located where your eyebrow meets your nose, this pressure point can help relieve frontal headaches.
- Acupresssure Point GB20: Located at the back of your head where the skull meets neck muscles, this pressure point can relieve midline headaches.
- Acupresssure Point L3: Located on your foot between the tendons of your big toe and second toe, this pressure point can help with headaches.
- Acupresssure Point LI4: Located on your hand between the thumb and index finger, this pressure point can help relieve sinus congestion.
- Acupresssure Point LI 20: Located at the base of your nose, this pressure point can help relieve sinus pressure.
- Acupresssure Point SI18: Located where your cheekbones meet your nose, this pressure point can relieve sinus congestion.
While at-home remedies can provide relief from mild sinus infections and sinus-related congestion, you should see an otolaryngologist for more chronic symptoms. To learn more about what these specialists do, visit our blog on ENTs.
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