Clearing nasal passage - Tips please.

Does any one have tips... or products...on how to get clear nasal passage ways?

Generally mine are pretty clear but maybe seasonally they are a little less so and the nasal passage feels a little dry.

I am a nose breather on a full face mask so clear air is a goal and a delight.

I had nasal polys removed some years ago (and a long time before this sleep therapy stuff) and that did wonders.

I do nasal irrigation occasionaly.

Craig H wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:01 pm

Does any one have tips... or products...on how to get clear nasal passage ways?
(snip)
I do nasal irrigation occasionaly.

People hate me for this... but I can recommend Afrin. There is nothing like it that works as good... in fact, it's too good... I'm addicted, been using it for decades.

I buy the pump mist (generic), then refill it from the (again generic) squeeze bottle. The pump gets it way up there where it belongs. Blow the medicine out rather than swallowing it, you don't want your internal mucosa being treated! The mechanism is that it mimics adrenaline... it's contra-indicated for heart patients, aFib sufferers, etc... but this also means it uses the body's own dilation/shrinkage system instead of an antihistamine or cortisone. I use oral Fluticasone for asthma seasonally i.e. right now... I've tried the nasal cortisone sprays and they gum me up. I pick the most clogged nostril before bedtime, two squirts way up in there... play a game of Free Cell or Spider (4 suits of course!) then blow it out and hit the sack.

I also recommend dangerous stuff like taping your mouth and using tap water... so take my recommendations with a sack of rock salt.

Craig H wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:01 pm

Does any one have tips... or products...on how to get clear nasal passage ways?

i use a generic from costco called aller-flo. i've been using this so long, i can't remember just WHAT it's the generic equivalent of.

eta: granny got it. "flonase"

Craig H wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:01 pm

Generally mine are pretty clear but maybe seasonally they are a little less so and the nasal passage feels a little dry.

If it is seasonal allergies, Nasocort or Flonase. Their generic versions are just as good.

Maybe do your saline nasal rinse a bit more often. Doing a rinse before using one of the sprays removes mucus coating the nasal passages and allows the spray to be absorbed by the mucus membrane.

vandownbytheriver wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:15 pm

I can recommend Afrin

For the mild symptoms described by the OP, Afrin is overkill.

Every try a Neti Pot? Works great for me when I need it.

It is fairly normal for one nostril to be stuffier than the other,
and that switching sides is part of the usual function.
We can safely deal with this natural cycle with mild products, if anything at all.
Afrin (oxymetazoline) should be reserved only for extreme congestion--
(both nostrils, completely stopped up.)
This only happens to me one or two nights a year. (YMMV)
My ears tend to stop up at the same time, so, easy to identify.

Afrin works by shrinking blood vessels in the sinuses. And it works great.... now the warning, it says not to use it more than 4 days.... the reason it says that is the active period is is followed by your sinuses closing up again and only after a few days you need it more and more frequently.

When you finally decide to get off it the only way is to go cold turkey and tough out a week or two of pure hell while your nose goes back to normal.

I have a bottle, but I only use it an extreme situation. So I dont recommend it.

Better to get the real sudafed behind the counter at the pharmacy. They finally admitted the fake sudafed does nothing.

People hate me for this... but I can recommend Afrin.

I hate that you said that. I too found that Afrin was very effective. I would use more when it wore off. But it took less and less time for it to wear off. My congestion and runny nose got worse. It was the Afrin that was causing the problem. I stopped using it and my symptoms cleared up.

If you use Afrin, use it for only a short period and follow the limits on the label.

If dryness is part of the problem, you can use a saline spray formulated for nasal use, and you can play around with the humidity level for your machine. Your nose may need different levels of humidity at different times.

robbob2112 wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 27, 2024 10:31 pm

When you finally decide to get off it the only way is to go cold turkey and tough out a week or two of pure hell while your nose goes back to normal.

There is a much better way. Discontinue in one nostril. Breathe through the other nostril until the first nostril clears. Then ... you know the rest.