Nasal congestion is a common symptom of allergies and upper respiratory infections. When the nasal passages and the sinuses become inflamed and congested, air flow can be impaired. Not only can this make breathing through the nose difficult, it can also lead to pressure imbalances in the head, because the sinuses are connected to other chambers in the head, such as the Eustachian tubes. Regularly cleansing your nose can help relieve nasal congestion and can also help ward off infections.
Step 1
Make up a saline solution. To do this, you can dissolve 1/8 tsp. of table salt into 8 oz. of lukewarm water. Make sure that you use purified or distilled water, as tap water contains chlorine and other irritating substances which can cause a great deal of irritation of your nasal passages, MayoClinic.com explains. Alternately, you may purchase nasal rinse solutions commercially from a drug store.
Step 2
Fill your neti pot with half of your nasal rinse solution.
Step 3
Position your head so that the nasal rinse can gain access to your sinuses. To do this, go to a sink and lean forward. Tilt your head to one side so that your chin is level with your forehead, explains the Himalayan Institute.
Step 4
Insert the spout of the neti pot into your upper nostril. Place it in far enough that there is a tight seal between your nostril and the spout, but not so deep that it causes you pain or significant discomfort.
Step 5
While breathing through your mouth, tilt the neti pot. If you are doing this correctly, the liquid will flow into the top nostril and will flow out through your bottom nostril, which means that the liquid is able to fully travel through your nasal passages and sinuses. Continue until the pot is empty.
Step 6
While facing the sink, exhale vigorously through your nose to flush the remaining solution out of your nasal passages.
Step 7
Refill the neti pot with the remaining rinse solution and repeat Steps 3 through 6 with your head tilted to the other side. This will allow to cleanse the other side of your nose.
Things You'll Need
- Neti pot
- Purified water
- Salt
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