First of all, I have to start this by saying that nothing in medicine works 100% of the time. I mean we all get older, and the laws of physiology all of a sudden don't apply totally to our muscles, lungs, eyes, ears, heart, liver, kidneys or intestine. Maybe it could be your genetics creating the imperfect biology for certain conditions to thrive. You could also be in a bad environment, which creates room for certain conditions. Whatever it is, you just know that when a T/F question in medicine says "can cause this", just have an open mind and really look at it carefully.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can discuss openly what I want to tell you. Block nostrils. What does it feel like to have it? What are the common causes, and how do we treat them? There are always exceptions, and I will discuss that later on in this post. But let's talk about what are really common treatments when it's just a viral bug.
Everyone knows a bit about how it goes. You wake up one morning, or worse, you're about to go to bed at night, and as you lie down to sleep, it feels like your source of oxygen will soon be cut off. So you try to blow hard out of your nostrils (a bad idea: I'll tell you why in a moment), but it doesn't work. Not only is your nose not clear, but it seems even more terrible.
Some phrases used to describe this are nasal congestion, blocked nose, and breathing difficulty. The last one needs more clarity, so the doctor will ask, "When you say breathing difficulty, what do you mean?".
Sometimes this symptom will be accompanied by others like fever, cough, a runny nose, headaches, sore throat, or red eyes as part of an upper respiratory tract infection. However it comes, it's enough to drive you crazy.
You should be mindful of certain symptoms, like mucus containing blood or losing weight or not being able to breathe at all...or maybe there is a mass stuck in there. You might want to come see me.
As I mentioned earlier, the first thing people try to do is blow hard against the blockage, and sometimes that does create some relief, but other times, it could rupture capillaries around the nose and cause you to bleed. You might also push air heavily against your eardrums, and that can be painful and potentially tear your eardrum.
Aside from all that, it can worsen the sinus infection and cause bad headaches.
If you do choose to blow, do so with gentle pressure and do it one nostril at a time.
But you could also avoid all that and just try this easy home remedy. It is well known that you are from a rural settlement.
All you need is a kettle of water, a stove, a bowl and a towel. Just boil the water and put it in a bowl and cover your head with a towel while facing the steam and breathe, and watch your nose clear up.
You still need to be cautious so you don't burn your face with the steam or the water. Especially if you are doing this for your kids. You know how little humans can be careless?
By Aikhan, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10837259
Not good enough for you? You want a safer option? Well, I've got you covered. Have you ever heard of a Neti Pot? Well, it's a really effective way to clear your snort. All you need is this pot and distilled water (I can't stress this enough: DISTILLED WATER!! NOT TAP WATER). Face the mouth of the pot into your nostrils and lean forward, and watch it do its magic with gravity.
The downside of using a Neti Pot is that you could choke on the water and make your cough worse if you don't use it correctly. Therefore, make sure to follow the instructions I have provided, or if you need further clarification, refer to the source.
Hope I have been able to clear all your snort doubt. Hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope to catch you in the next post! PEACE!