Add to your...
A stuffy nose makes it hard to breath and get the rest you need if you have the flu or a bad cold. Try these tips to make you feel better.
Irrigating the nasal passages with a saline solution has shown to thin mucous, wash out virus particles and moisten dry mucous membranes. There are over the counter sprays that help but if you’re trapped at home and too sick to go out you can come up with a solution yourself.
Mix 1/2 teaspoon of salt with one cup (8 ounces) of warm water. Use a bulb syringe to gently squirt the solution up one nostril at a time, holding the other one gently shut. It’s best to do this over the sink to catch the water as it leaves. Do each nostril 2 or 3 times. Repeat as needed.
Sip a hot cup of honey lemon water. Stir a teaspoon of honey with the juice of half a lemon into a cup of very hot water.
Chicken broth as a decongestant is not an old wives tale and does work to relieve congestion. The soup or broth doesn’t have to be homemade to work. Adding garlic, pepper or a bit of cayenne pepper to the soup helps it do an even better job of thinning mucous.
Use a humidifier. If you don’t have one, take a steamy shower. If you’re too weak for a shower, hold your head over a steaming bowl of hot water covered with a towel. The towel traps the moist air so you can breath more easily.
Garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper, curry powder, all thin mucous.
Try these tips and you’ll feel better and be on the road to recovery.