You know the feeling: a drippy nose and some coughs and sneezes that bring about a painful blockage in a sinus cavity, headaches, excessive mucus, and difficulty breathing. It’s nasal and sinus congestion.

Talk to anyone and you’ll find that they have had congestion many times. In fact, millions of people have chronic congestion, making it one of the most common respiratory symptoms. So the question is, What is congestion and what can you do about it?

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (www.aafa.org [2]) wants you to learn about the many causes and symptoms of nasal and sinus congestion, then how to prevent and treat it.

Causes. Congestion can be due to inflammation of the nasal tissue, blockage of the nasal passage by small bones in the nose (the septum), or, most commonly, over-production of mucus. Mucus is a normal part of the body’s defense system. It keeps air passages to the lungs moist and helps to remove inhaled allergens and irritants such as pollen, dust, bacteria, viruses, and tobacco smoke.

But when your body defense creates too much mucus, it becomes thicker and flows more slowly, congesting your respiratory system and putting you at risk for developing infections.

For people with allergic rhinitis (hay fever or seasonal allergies), respiratory symptoms such as congestion are common. In fact, congestion is often reported as the most serious concern among allergy sufferers. Congestion can be caused by many other conditions, too, including a cold, flu, sinus infections, and bronchitis. When any of these are left untreated, they can cause inflammation and bacterial infections in your upper airways (the nose and throat) as well as in the lower airways (windpipe and bronchi leading to the lungs).

Symptoms. Sinus congestion symptoms typically include pressure, tenderness, or pain around the face, including above the eyebrows (frontal sinus), eyes, and cheeks, and severe headache in some cases. Other symptoms include sore throat, nasal stuffiness with thick yellow or green mucus, postnasal drip, a dry cough, and even fever or tooth pain in severe cases.

• Prevention. Preventing congestion means first preventing the conditions that lead to it.
• Quit smoking and/or reduce your exposure to smokers and secondhand smoke.
• Wash your hands several time each day with warm, soapy water. Use a tissue when you sneeze or wipe your nose; don’t use your clothes or your hands.
• Avoid touching your face a lot throughout the day to prevent transfer of viruses and bacteria. Don’t share drinking glasses or eating utensils with others.
• If you have allergies, avoid your indoor triggers and outdoor triggers during peak times of the year.
• In general, work to stay healthy. Exercise, eat healthy, get plenty of sleep, and keep your body hydrated.

Treatment. There are no cures for the conditions described here that cause congestion. But several over-the-counter and prescription treatments can help relieve your congestion symptoms.

• Analgesics (like aspirin) help to relieve some of the pain associated with congestion.
• Expectorants can loosen the congestion in your lower airways, which helps you cough up the mucus. Expectorants are most effective when taken with plenty of water.
• Cough suppressants may provide temporary relief from cough, cough intensity, and the impulse to cough.
• Decongestants allow the nasal passages to clear by shrinking swollen nasal membranes, thereby helping excess mucus to drain out.

If your congestion becomes chronic, difficult to treat on your own, or unusually painful, visit a board-certified allergy specialist to find out the real problem and get the best possible advice on how to deal with it.

This article is provided by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. For more information about asthma and allergic diseases, call 1-800-7-ASTHMA (1-800-727-8462) or visit the foundation’s website at www.aafa.org [2].