A runny nose is a typical symptom of the common cold or allergies. While a runny nose isn’t usually serious, it is uncomfortable, and carrying a box of tissues around is hardly a solution.
Here, we’ll show you how to stop a runny nose fast with home remedies and a few medications that may help!
How To Stop a Runny Nose
A runny nose is often combined with congestion or a stuffy nose, as well as other symptoms of a common cold, such as a cough or sore throat. In addition, if your runny nose is due to allergies, it may be accompanied by watery and itchy eyes.
Part of getting over the problem quickly is loosening any mucus in the nasal passages. While this can mean your nose runs more right away, it can help prevent the buildup that is causing the runny nose in the first place.
Let’s take a look at 5 solutions for how to stop a runny nose.
1. Apply a Warm Compress
A warm compress can help loosen the mucus that causes congestion and help stop a runny nose.
Start by blowing your nose, and then soak a washcloth in hot water before wringing it out and laying it on your forehead and nose for around 10 minutes. Immediately, this can make your nose run more, but as the mucus clears, your symptoms may improve.
2. Try a Neti Pot
A neti pot or nasal irrigation kit is a device that can help clear the sinuses by pouring a warm saline solution from the pot through one nostril and out the other. This can be effective at clearing mucus that is causing a runny nose and providing relief.
If you choose this remedy, follow the instructions and always use a clean device and filtered water to prevent bacteria from entering your nasal cavity and causing infection.
3. Take the Right Medicine
There are medications that can help relieve a runny nose. However, it’s important to first pinpoint the cause of the runny nose, as treatments for the common cold and allergies differ. Once you know what’s causing your runny nose, you can use the appropriate over-the-counter medication.
If you find yourself with a chronic runny nose due to allergies or otherwise, you may consider topical anticholinergics. However, these will require a prescription from your doctor.
What To Take for Runny Nose
When treating allergies, antihistamines, such as Zyrtec or Claritin, can be effective at reducing symptoms. They block the body’s histamine response to allergens, which is what creates symptoms, such as congestion and a runny nose.
If you have a cold, your doctor may recommend decongestant medication for your runny nose. This could come in the form of a pill, such as Sudafed, or a nasal spray. Nasal sprays can help stop a runny nose and relieve congestion, but using these sprays for longer than a week can have the opposite effect, resulting in a permanently stuffy nose.
If you’re not sure what to take for a runny nose, your doctor or pharmacist can recommend the proper course of action.
4. Take a Hot Shower
By taking a hot, steamy shower and inhaling the vapor, you may help clear congested sinuses and stop a runny nose for a while. While some studies have shown that inhaling steam can reduce congestion in people with seasonal allergies, others studying the common cold have found no benefits but also no harm. Despite little supporting research, many people find relief from nasal congestion with the help of steam.
Another way to take advantage of steam inhalation is to use a humidifier, a device that produces warm steam to humidify the air in a room. This can not only ease symptoms but also prevent dryness that can lead to a runny or stuffy nose.
5. Sip Nettle Tea
Stinging nettle is a medicinal plant that may help reduce symptoms from seasonal allergies, such as a runny nose. It acts as a natural antihistamine and has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. You can reap the benefits of stinging nettle by sipping nettle tea. The hot tea may also help relieve congestion and ease pain from other symptoms, such as a sore throat.
What Helps a Runny Nose
There’s not one quick fix for a runny nose, but there are remedies that can help reduce congestion, relieve pain, help the body recover from allergies or infections, and stop a runny nose.
For immediate relief, try a quick home remedy like a hot shower or warm compress. To treat a runny nose from allergies or the common cold, consider an over-the-counter medication, such as an antihistamine or decongestant.
If you have additional questions about your symptoms, reach out to your care provider for personalized help.
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Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279542/
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003049.htm
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/rinsing-your-sinuses-neti-pots-safe
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5963652/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6483632/
http://apjai-journal.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/AP-090818-0393.pdf