What Causes a Stuffy Nose?

Stuffy nose is more annoying rather than serious, in which the nasal passages are blocked or congested due to excess mucus buildup. The root causes are inflamed blood vessels and swelling of the mucosa lining of the nostrils. The reasons for inflammation of blood vessels are many, ranging from hypersensitive immune responses to the structural abnormalities. Determining the causes of stuffy nose, avoiding them and following stuffy nose remedies will help in preventing frequent bouts of this nasal discomfort.

Causes of Stuffy Nose
A stuffy nose is also known by different names - blocked nose, nasal obstruction, nasal blockage and nasal congestion. Besides difficulty in breathing, it brings along a set of medical symptoms, such as pressure in ears, reduced hearing, mild facial pain, headache, snoring, sleep problems, and change in voice. Stuffy nose in infants greatly disturbs normal breathing, feeding and sleeping schedule, while it is rarely a serious problem for adults. Let’s try to find out what causes a stuffy nose condition.

Allergic Responses
When exposed to pollens, dust, chemical sprays and other allergens, the body secretes histamines to counteract them. These immune system responses result in increased blood flow, which in turn causes swelling of mucous membranes and nasal congestion. Also, sudden changes in the environmental condition, especially from hot to cold, is a major reason for stuffy nose.

Nonallergic Rhinitis
This refers to inflammation of mucous membrane in the nasal passages without allergy and other apparent causes. The notable symptoms are blocked nose, runny nose, itchiness and sneezing. Contrary to allergic rhinitis, either the condition becomes recurring, or the symptoms do not get better with time. 


Common Cold and Flu
Whenever we have a cold or flu, we end up with sore throat and nasal obstruction. This is because of the viral infection in the upper respiratory tract system. In the same way as allergies, the immune system responds to infection by secreting histamines, causing dilation of blood vessels and inflammation of nasal membranes.

Sinus Infection
Bacterial infection of the paranasal sinuses is another prime factor for stuffy nose at night. It is usually followed by a common cold. Other symptoms like sinus headache, sinus pressure and mucus discharge accompany sinusitis. Both acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis are equally responsible for causing nasal obstruction.

Deviated Septum
Constant bouts of stuffy nose are most likely due to structural abnormalities. And nasal congestion due to deviated nasal septum may be manifested in one or both nostrils. Other structural problems that may cause recurring nasal blockage are enlarged adenoid and concha bullosa.

Medication Side Effect
Stuffy nose due to adverse effects of treatment medications is not an unusual case. This is because some of the drugs affect blood circulation, and may bring about increased flow in the blood vessels. This causes swelling of the mucous membrane in the nose, ultimately, leading to increased mucus secretion and blocked nose.

Remedies for Stuffy Nose
In most of the incidences, nasal blockage improves on its own after a few days to a week’s period. However, quick recovery can be achieved by adopting effectual stuffy nose remedies. The trick is to promote drainage of accumulated mucus from the nose. Prolonged retention increases the risk for further infection in the respiratory tract. The actual treatment for nasal congestion is based on avoiding the triggering factors. For your reference, some of the tips for how to get rid of a stuffy nose are listed below.

• Nasal congestion developed due to cold and flu will subside as the infection goes way. So, follow home treatment for cold to get relief from nasal blockage.
• In the same way, existing allergy-triggered nasal blockage will be relieved gradually, if further exposure to allergens is avoided. So, stay away from pollens, dust and air pollutants.
• Nasal irrigation with salt water solution gives an instant relief for stuffy nose. You can purchase saline solution, or make it at home. Use this saline solution as many times as possible.
• Dry air and less humidity level worsens nasal congestion, so humidify rooms with a humidifier. This will moisten and dilute nasal mucus, thus allowing quick clearance of mucus.
• In a prompt step to clear nasal obstruction, take steam inhalation therapy. Simply fill a bowl with hot water, drape head with a towel and inhale steam through nose breathing.
• Similar to steam inhalation, taking steam bath works wonder in getting rid of nasal congestion. This stuffy nose remedy gives a decongesting effect not only to the nose, but warms up the overall body.

This was an overview on what causes a stuffy nose, and remedies to treat this nasal condition. Any chronic health problem, whether it is stuffy nose or a headache, should be checked by a trusted physician. So, if nasal blockage becomes persistent even after adopting stuffy nose remedies, or if it is accompanied with fever and facial pain, seek medical advice as soon as possible. That way, serious underlying conditions (if any) which might be causing chronic stuffy nose can be identified and treated promptly without delaying further.