Sinus pain, technically called sinusitis, affects around 37 million people yearly. There are several different causes and a host of remedies for sinusitis, and understanding the condition is the first step in finding relief for painful sinuses.
What is Sinusitis?
The word sinus actually refers to any kind of cavity located in any of the bones or organs of the body. The air cavities found in the cranial bones near the nose are commonly called sinus cavities, but people in the medical profession refer to those air cavities as paranasal sinuses. When the paranasal sinuses become inflamed, that inflammatory condition is called sinusitis.
What is Rhinosinusitis?
When both the nose and the paranasal sinuses are inflamed, the result is a condition referred to as rhinosinusitis. It is comparable to sinusitis, and the symptoms are very similar.
Causes of Sinusitis
Broad Sinus Openings
Some people have wider openings in their nasal sinuses than others have, and that gives their nasal cavities greater exposure to allergens and microbes. The broad sinus openings also make those people more susceptible to the effects of extreme temperatures. As a result, those people are often prone to developing sinusitis. When allergens invade the sinuses, they usually inflame the inside of the sinus cavities and often cause a short-lived case of cold and cough, and microbes like bacteria and viruses can cause a case of the flu when they enter the sinuses. When these things occur, the sinuses get clogged with excess mucus, air and nasal secretions. The clogging exerts intense pressure on the facial muscles, respiratory system and all of the 5 senses and results in painful sinuses.
Seasonal Changes in Temperature
When the seasons change and bring extreme temperature fluctuations, some people’s bodies react to those changes in temperature with sinus pain. If that happens to you regularly, you probably have chronic sinusitis.
Symptoms of Sinusitis
Some of the symptoms associated with sinusitis are swollen nasal tissues, nasal discharge, fever, aches, coughing, cold symptoms, eyes sensitive to bright light and feelings of irritation and uneasiness.
How to get Sinus Pain Relief
There are various methods to treat sinusitis and relieve your symptoms as well as restore your sinuses to a normal condition.
Prevention
The most effective way to relieve painful sinuses is to prevent the condition by avoiding things that cause sinusitis and using caution when the temperature varies greatly. For instance, when you go outside in the cold air, try loosely covering the bottom of your face to help keep the cold air out of your nasal sinus cavities. Breathing into the loose cover over your face will warm the air that enters your nose.
Antibiotics
If microbes have invaded your sinuses, antibiotics provide the most effective remedy. They will kill the bacteria and viruses that have infected your nasal cavity as well as ease the pain in your sinuses. A physician or doctor can prescribe the proper medication to relieve your symptoms and destroy the microbes that caused the problem. However, if you are one of those who suffer from chronic sinusitis, your immune system should be well developed, so it should be able to kill the bacteria and viruses without using antibiotics. With this in mind, physicians usually do not prescribe antibiotics for sinusitis relief to chronic sufferers.
Non-prescription Remedies
Saline Nasal Wash
Using a saline nasal wash is a simple and inexpensive method of obtaining sinus pain relief. If you have allergens causing sinus inflammation, you can flush them out, along with excess mucus from your nose and nasal cavities, with a saline nasal wash. The simplest way to do this is to snort water up into one nostril, and let it run out through the other nostril, or let it go through your nasal cavity to your throat, and then spit it out. If you prefer, you can use a plastic squeeze bottle or purchase a syringe or an electrical pump made for that purpose. One saline nasal wash recipe that you can make at home is 2 cups of warm water mixed with 1 teaspoon of non-iodized salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
Eucalyptus Oil
When a cough and cold accompany your sinusitis, the antibacterial, antiviral and antiseptic properties of eucalyptus oil can ease those symptoms. Apply a few drops of the oil to a cloth, and breathe the vapors to help soothe your inflammation.
Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers
The seasonal changes in weather usually bring on more symptoms for sinus sufferers. By using humidifiers and dehumidifiers in your home, you can effectively regulate your room temperature, and that should help your sinuses during those times of the year.
Yoga and Pranayam
People have used the ancient Indian meditation practices of yoga and pranayam for centuries, and many people find that these methods are some of the best ways to get sinus pain relief. They claim that they can improve their immune systems and respiratory functions as well as ease their pain by practicing yoga and pranayam.