Do you experience nasal congestion that comes back over and over again? Is your nasal discharge an unusual color? Do you feel pressure or pain in your sinuses?
You may have sinusitis.
Your sinuses are the air-filled cavities found behind your eyebrows, your cheekbones, and behind your eyes. It is lined with mucous membranes that are in charge of filtering and humidifying the air you breathe.
When they get infected, that is what is called sinusitis.
Sinusitis can stop you from fully enjoying your life. It is not as easy to treat as the common cold. You would need to see an ENT (ears, nose, throat) specialist to get the appropriate medication for the condition.
Now that the flu season is fast approaching, there are changes around the house that you can do to avoid getting a sinus infection.
Sleep with a Humidifier
Whenever the weather outside is cold and unpleasant, people tend to spend more time indoors. However, your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system may not be good for your sinuses.
Your HVAC can make the air inside your home dry. As a result, your sinuses over-compensate by producing more mucus, leading to congestion.
You want to put back moisture in the air you breathe whenever you are indoors. A humidifier can do that.
A humidifier, as the same suggests, increases the level of humidity around it. It works by releasing aerosolized water into the air, making the air better for you to breathe.
Having a humidifier at home is good for your sinuses because it prevents your nose from drying out. Dried sinuses is also a problem because it may lead to nose bleeds.
Some homes are equipped with centralized humidifiers but, most of the time, you can buy a portable unit that can add moisture back in the air within a room. You may want to also get a device that can measure humidity because too much moisture in the air can cause a slew of other problems, including the appearance of mold and mildew.
Filter the Toxins Out of the Air
You think that, behind your closed doors, you are safe from pollutants. However, that is not the case. The air inside your home is teeming with harmful materials and pathogens that may cause or aggravate a sinus infection.
Regularly changing the filters of your HVAC will prevent irritants from being circulated throughout your house and being inhaled by you and your loved ones.
A separate air purifier that uses high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters will also help remove pollutants and pathogens from the air.
Increase Ventilation
The easiest way to prevent sinusitis is by opening your windows every once in a while. When there is efficient air circulation, the likelihood of inhaling disease-causing pathogens and irritants that will clog your nose considerably drops.
There are also cleaning products that are typically used at home that can cause a reaction. Letting them out by opening a window will prevent you from experiencing symptoms.
The key is to pay attention to your symptoms. You need to find out what triggers the problem.
Most importantly, see a doctor. A doctor can determine the cause of your sinus infection and give you the appropriate treatment to address it so that you would not have to deal with it regularly.