Some patients report that their nose blocks when they lie on their side in bed, thus lying on the right is associated with right nasal block and the opposite when they lie on their left. Topical sprays which administer a low dose of steroid to the nose or surgery to the turbinates inside the nose can often help.
The best sleeping position when you have a stuffy nose is on your back with your head propped up on pillows. "This will reduce blood flow to the head and improve gravity-dependent sinus drainage," Kim says.
Don't sleep on your side — Laying on your side can increase congestion on that side. Try sleeping in a recliner — While it may not be as comfortable as your bed, sleeping in a recliner will help you stay more upright, allowing your blood to flow away from your sinuses.
The best position to sleep with a stuffy nose is typically on your back with your head slightly elevated13. A blocked nose at night often feels worse as your body position causes more blood to flow to your nose, increasing the swelling14.
Whether it's from a hot shower or piping hot cup of tea, steam can thin mucus and help it drain from your nose. For faster relief, pour boiling water into a large bowl. Cover your head with a towel, lean over the bowl, and breathe in the steam. You can do this three to four times a day.
One of the main reasons why nasal congestion gets worse at night is because of gravity. When lying down, the blood vessels in your nasal passages dilate which leads to increased blood flow to the area. This causes the tissues to swell and become congested.
This pattern happens when there is more blood flow to the structures inside the nose, such as the turbinates, which are the round masses that you may see if you look into the nostrils. Increased blood flow causes congestion in one nostril for about 3 to 6 hours before switching to the other side.
In adults and children age 2 and older, use it only on the neck and chest.
Both the swelling and extra mucus lead to nasal congestion. This is when the narrowed passages increase the effort of breathing through the nose. Clearing the mucus by blowing the nose should reduce this congestion somewhat. At the beginning of colds and for most of the time with hay fever, there's lots of runny mucus.
This helps wash the viruses from the nose and sinuses. After 2 or 3 days, mucus may change to a white, yellow, or green color. This is normal and does not mean you need an antibiotic. Some symptoms, especially runny or stuffy nose and cough, can last for up to 10 to 14 days.
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.
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.
“If you're sick, no matter how much you blow, your nose will keep making new mucus,” Dr. Lane says. “You can't really 'clear' it.” That's because the stuffiness you feel comes from your nasal passage tissue swelling.
If you feel that you are blocked up but are not really producing mucus, then this is more indicative of a physical abnormality, such as nasal polyps or a deviated septum. It is quite common for people to complain of having a blocked nose on one side.
A healthy person ingests around 1.5 litres of nasal secretions a day, so sniffing and swallowing isn't harmful. Any pathogens within the phlegm will be easily neutralised by gastric secretions.
So, to answer your questions: The phlegm itself isn't toxic or harmful to swallow. Once swallowed, it's digested and absorbed. It isn't recycled intact; your body makes more in the lungs, nose and sinuses. It doesn't prolong your illness or lead to infection or complications in other parts of your body.
Yellow. When you blow your nose and see yellow boogers, that usually means your body is fighting an infection. The yellow coloring comes from white blood cells that have rushed to the area to fight off the infection.