I definitely have a cold. My nose is a bit runny, but it's not too bad. Besides taking generic meds for colds (i.e. Dayquil), what can I do to stop my nose from getting runny/stuffed? I feel like I'm incessantly blowing my nose, and I'm sure I've gone through at least 60 tissues over the course of the whole day...
That sucks.. I just finally got over that. I found that taking decongestants in small amounts worked best for me. I Hope that you feel better soon!
Stand upside down and breathe. Slowly. Okay, that might not be the most practical solution. Well, one thing that you can do is to lower the frequency of the blowing. And you do that by vibrating your nose. So get your cellphone to vibrate, put it on your nose and then you'll start sneezing like crazy. Take that time to blow your nose and enjoy the period of time that comes afterwards that you won't have to blow it again (for at least a couple hours).
Two words: Neti pot. It might not help much for a runny nose, but I swear by it for a congested nose. It'll get out mucus you didn't even know was in there. Edit: Also, when you blow your nose, you can blow it more effectively by blowing from your throat and not your nose. What I mean by that is, when you go to exhale to blow your nose, rather than doing it the way you probably do it instinctual, exhale as you would if you wanted to breath out through your mouth, while keeping your mouth closed. Try it before blowing your nose and you should be able to feel the difference; it feels like the breath is coming in and out of your mouth, even though it's not. It also sounds like the breath is coming from deeper with your body. In my experience, blowing my nose using that kind of breathing gets at mucus deeper in my nose than blowing my nose by exhaling through my nose normally.
A neti pot or other device--I use a bottle from the pharmacy that says SinuFlow on it, it's a bit easier. You can get saline packets, or I mix a 1/2 tsp each of salt and baking soda to about 240 ml of water. Stings a bit, but totally works. Do it twice a day when you're sick, but not too close to bed because any left over water puts pressure on your ears. I have minor pet allergies, and if I do it every morning the congestion disappears--keeps me from having to use a steroid spray.
Usually a saline rinse combined with a decongestant (which is one of the ingredients in DayQuil) helps. There are some prescription nasal sprays that your doctor can provide samples of that help with the worst part of the stuffiness and pressure if the oral decongestants don't help. Simply Saline made by Arm & Hammer is available at most stores- use the regular strength (i.e. the one in the white container not the blue container). It's handy when you're not feeling well in that you don't have to boil water, dissolve salt and it is pressurized, so you don't have to contort your head into uncomfortable positions during irrigation. It's portable if you need to use in at work or school. Aside from that, unfortunately with common cold and flu, it takes a few days for the miserable nasal congestion and sneezing to resolve. Hope you feel better.
peppermint teas and spicy foods try mixing small amount of like srircha into your mustard SMALL AMOUNTS. or use hot sauce if you can handle that or cook with chili powder or cayenne in your soups .
If congestion is your main concern, you can also try Aleve Decongestant. I also give props to the Neti Pot. You can use a saline stray like Ayr or Simply Saline during the day to help thin out the mucus.
if you can eat spicy food eat that. that will get rid of it. and orange juice, and stay away from dairy, that always makes my colds worse!
