The first step is to press the tongue against the roof of your mouth and hold it there. Next, tap two of your fingers on your forehead in the area in between your eyebrows, just above the nose. Then, release your tongue and fingers and repeat the process.
A warm compress can help unclog a stuffy nose by reducing inflammation and opening the nasal cavity. You can apply hot pressure from the outside of your nose that will help you tremendously. It may help relieve the inflammation in your nostrils and sinuses and make it easier to breathe.
First, press your tongue against the roof of your mouth. After you've done that, tap two fingers on your forehead between your eyebrows and your nose. Repeat the whole sequences (press, tap, release) again and again for about 20 seconds.
Patients frequently complain that they have one side of their nose that is always blocked. This is typically due to structural issues in the nose. The nasal septum is the divider between the right and left side of your nose. It is made of cartilage and bone and it may be deviated into one side of the nose.
The underlying mechanism has to do with an asymmetry in blood flow between the nasal cavities. Blood vessels can swell and change the airflow in one nostril in comparison with the other. This cycle is controlled by your autonomic nervous system (ANS) and lasts around 2 hours per cycle.
A stuffy nose will usually go away in about a week. But if it doesn't, or you get congested at certain times of year or when you're around pets or smokers, your doctor can help you find out if you have allergies and get you the right treatment to make any allergies less of an annoyance.
How Long Does Nasal Congestion Last? If your nasal congestion is from a cold or flu, it will likely last as long your cold or flu (anywhere from five to 10 days) or even longer. If your nasal congestion is the result of allergies, it may last longer, depending on your exposure to that particular allergen.
Nasal congestion typically clears after a few days, but congestion that lasts for a week or more may be a sign of an infection. Left untreated, nasal congestion may cause sinusitis, nasal polyps or middle ear infections.
Breathing Exercise to Clear a Blocked Nose
Breathe in through your nose for two seconds and then out through your nose for three seconds. If your nose is too badly blocked to breathe through then you can take small breaths from the corner of your mouth instead. Gently pinch your nose and keep your mouth closed.
“Blowing your nose is useful, but if nothing is coming out, it generally means there's not a lot of mucus.” The three common culprits behind inflammation in your nose are infections, allergies, and nonallergic rhinitis, says Dr. Alexander.
Postural Blood Flow Changes
When you lie flat, blood flow to the upper half of your body increases, including to the head and nasal passageways. The increased flow can cause pressure that leads to nasal inflammation, swelling, and the increased production of mucus. But gravity alone is not the only cause of this.
Blowing the nose can worsen the feeling of congestion due to pressure build-up within the nostrils, which may shoot up the mucus into the sinuses instead of ejection through the nose.
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.
Cold and flu symptoms such as a blocked nose or cough usually subside after 7-10 days and the absence of these things is quite an obvious indication that you are on the mend.