During the winter illness season, it may seem like everyone around you is sick. If you are experiencing illness symptoms, proper at-home care can help relieve your symptoms. Congestion is a particularly common and very uncomfortable symptom. Learn about how to manage nasal congestion at home so that you get back to feeling your best. AFC Urgent Care Edgewater offers same-day illness care to patients in Edgewater, MD, and the surrounding communities 7 days a week.
What Causes Congestion?
Congestion occurs when something irritates the inside of your nose. Your sinuses produce mucus to flush out the irritant. The irritation to your nose causes the tissues in your nose and sinuses to swell, trapping the mucus inside your sinuses and causing you to become congested with mucus.
A variety of different irritants can cause congestion. Although congestion is a common symptom of many illnesses, environmental conditions such as exposure to cold air, dust, smoke, and allergens can all cause congestion. Depending on what is causing your congestion, it can last anywhere from a few hours to weeks.
Common illnesses that cause congestion include:
- Cold
- Flu
- RSV
- Sinus Infections
How To Relieve Nasal Congestion At Home
Suffering from nasal congestion can be very uncomfortable. Sinus congestion can last weeks, depending on the cause. It is important to seek medical treatment if your congestion lasts longer than a week to help determine what is causing the congestion and get the proper treatment. Relieving congestion at home is a temporary fix that can offer relief as you wait for the infection or environmental irritant to pass.
Tips for relieving congestion:
- Take a hot shower: steam can help break up the mucus
- Flush out your sinuses: using a tool like a neti-pot to flush out your sinuses can provide temporary relief
- Keep your head elevated: propping your head up in bed can help the mucus drain naturally
- Use a warm compress: if you feel facial pressure caused by congestion, targeting specific areas with a warm compress can help break up the mucus in specific areas
- Use over-the-counter medications: there are a variety of medications available over the counter to help relieve congestion. Always follow the dosage instructions.
Nasal Congestion Treatment Available In Edgewater, MD
When you’re struggling with persistent illness symptoms, seeking a medical diagnosis early can help identify what exactly is causing your congestion. Understanding the underlying cause of your symptoms can help your medical provider provide treatment options to specifically target the irritant or infection irritating the nasal passage.
When you seek medical care for congestion, your medical provider will conduct a thorough physical evaluation and discuss the symptoms that you are experiencing. They may perform diagnostic testing to verify whether there is an infection present. Although there is no medical cure for congestion, there may be a specific treatment available for the underlying cause of your symptoms. Your medical provider will provide the best treatment options to provide symptom relief quickly based on their diagnosis and your symptoms.
Visit AFC Urgent Care Edgewater For Same-Day Illness Diagnosis & Treatment
If you’re suffering from illness symptoms, such as nasal congestion, seeking medical care for diagnostic testing can help you get relief faster than treating congestion at home. AFC Urgent Care Edgewater offers illness diagnosis & treatment on a walk-in basis seven days a week. Simply walk into our clinic, or schedule an appointment online.
Our walk-in clinic is open 7 days a week and available for patients in Edgewater, MD, and the surrounding communities. We offer short wait times so that you can get the care that you need quickly. Our clinic accepts most medical insurance plans and offers low-cost care options for patients without medical insurance. To learn more about our clinic, contact us directly by calling (410) 956-3394.
