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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.
Common cold and influenza are viral diseases, and their symptoms mimic each other. Some notable cold symptoms are sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion and cough. For viral infections, medication treatment is usually not necessary. In fact, there is no cure for head cold and chest cold. The only solution is to let the disease run its course. However, common cold treatment is adopted for relieving the discomfort symptoms, while the body fights pathogens.
Common Cold Treatment Guidelines
In medical terms, common cold is referred to as viral upper respiratory tract infection. According to medical reports, more than 200 strains of viruses are capable of causing common cold. Thus, it is not so easy to find medication specific to the casual pathogen. Also, using medicine for common cold treatment suppresses the body's immune system in some way or the other. And the outcome is, recurring cold infections, especially in school going children.
Common Cold Treatment at Home
The symptoms of cold usually last for 7 days, if the causal pathogen is a virus. Some effectual home remedies for common cold include the following.
- Take rest at home and try to get sound sleep at night. This will prepare the immune system for fighting infections and also, minimize the infection from spreading to others. Read more on is common cold contagious.
- For ease in breathing, drink ample amounts of water. You can sip hot ginger tea and other herbal teas for fast recovery.
- Keep your environment warm, humid and comfortable. If required, switch on a room humidifier and make yourself feel comfortable.
A new report published in the Journal of Royal Society Interface reveals that a single sneeze can continue to contaminate the room for more than an hour.
Researchers from Virginia Tech in United States analyzed air samples from three airplanes, a waiting room at a healthcare clinic and from three different rooms in a nursery. According to the report, half of the samples contained small droplets which were contaminated with flu virus.
An average cubic meter of the sample had more than 16,000 particles of flu virus which were still active hours after the sneeze.
“Given these concentrations, the amount of viruses a person would inhale over one hour would be adequate to induce infection. The virus-laden aerosols are small enough that the smallest ones can remain suspended for days”, lead researcher Linsey Marr said.
(http://www.medindia.net/news/Single-Sneeze-Contaminates-Whole-Room-Says-Study-80356-1.htm#ixzz1Cv63XJLe)
