Nasal lavage is a fairly effective tool for caring for the state of the respiratory system. This procedure not only helps to eliminate problems that have already arisen. It also helps to prevent the development of various diseases. How to rinse your nose with saline? The answer to this question is contained in the article.
Beneficial effects
How to rinse your nose with saline? First you need to figure out what benefits this will bring to the body.
- Rinsing allows you to get rid of microparticles of pollen, dust and other allergens. The use of saline allows not only to clean the nose, but also to prevent the development of allergic reactions.
- The nasal cavity is disinfected, therefore, the development of inflammatory reactions is reduced, the threat of infectious diseases is reduced.
- The work of the mucous cells improves, the capillaries strengthen. Local immunity is increasing.
- Nasal breathing normalizes, edema is eliminated.
Who needs it
When does a person need a nose wash? This procedure is indicated for a number of diseases:
- rhinitis (acute, chronic);
- sinusitis;
- sinusitis;
- adenoiditis;
- frontal sinusitis;
- sphenoiditis;
- acute inflammatory diseases of the throat;
- allergic diseases of the nasal cavity;
- pneumonia.
Washing the nose will help to significantly reduce the treatment time. It can also be performed with overwork of a nervous nature, headache. The procedure will be a real salvation for people who are forced to constantly be in dusty rooms.
How often
What else is good to know? How often can I wash my nose with saline? If a person is healthy, he can be limited to two or three sessions per week. Morning hours are the best time for her. Washing can be easily combined with daily hygiene procedures. People who spend a lot of time on duty in very dusty rooms are advised to do this all the time.
How often to wash nose with saline for prophylactic purposes? The procedure is enough to conduct once a day. If a person is struggling with the disease, the number of washings can reach up to 3-4 times a day.
How many days to rinse your nose with saline? The answer to this question depends on the purpose for which this is done. In the treatment of inflammatory diseases, this procedure can be carried out daily for one to two weeks. The duration of treatment depends on the condition of the patient. For preventive purposes, you can do this regularly.
What tool to choose
How to rinse your nose with saline? To begin with, it is worth choosing a tool that will be used for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes. Ready solution can be purchased at the pharmacy. All drugs designed to cleanse the upper respiratory tract contain an isotonic solution at a concentration of 0.9%. Commercially available products based on seawater are also available.
Saline is not at all necessary to buy. This product can be cooked at home. To do this, you need to dissolve half a teaspoon of ordinary salt in a glass of water, mix thoroughly. If the prepared solution is unpleasant (nipples), you should certainly dilute it with liquid. The amount of salt is individual. If you plan to use sea salt, it must be checked for the presence of small stones that pose a threat to the mucosa. The resulting solution should be filtered through ordinary gauze.
A decoction for washing the nose can be prepared from herbs. For example, coltsfoot, chamomile, sage are famous for their healing properties. Finally, you can use any mineral water without gas, simple boiled water.
Temperature
How to rinse your nose with saline? Be sure to ensure that the product has acquired the required temperature. It should be as close as possible to body temperature, comfortable. Do not use too hot liquid, as this will damage the nasal mucosa.
How to rinse your nose with saline: step by step instructions
So how is this done? How to rinse your nose with saline? The step-by-step instruction, which is offered below, will help to cope with this task.
- To begin with, stock up on a container with an elongated nose. It can be a compact watering can, a teapot and so on. The prepared or acquired solution is poured into it.
- You need to bend over the sink, as is done with morning wash.
- The head must be tilted to the right, raise it up.
- Then you should take a breath and hold your breath. The mouth must be kept open.
- A teapot spout is applied to the right nasal passage. Further, the container tilts so that the liquid flows out in a slow trickle.
- The solution will pour out through the opposite nasal passage.
- The whole procedure takes no more than ten seconds. You need to do two approaches to each nostril.
- After the session, you should definitely blow your nose.
Methods
How to rinse your nose with saline? It is not necessary to use the technology described above. There are other methods:
- washing with a syringe;
- use of a syringe;
- the use of Esmarch's mug;
- flow washing.
Each method deserves more detailed consideration.
Syringe rinsing
How to rinse your nose with saline for an adult? You can give preference to a method that involves the use of a syringe. This method is relevant for nasal sinus congestion.
The prepared solution must be poured into the syringe. Then this device is alternately inserted into both nasal passages. During the procedure, the mouth should remain open. It is through the oral cavity that the accumulated mixture will exit.
Syringe use
When is syringe rinse recommended? This method is relevant for the initial signs of a cold, as well as during the fight against it. The principle of operation is the same as when using a syringe.
Application of Esmarch's mug
Nasal cleansing can be carried out using Esmarch's mug. This reusable sanitary fixture must be installed in the bathroom in front of the sink. It is important that the distance between the sink and the container is at least 0.5 m.
The tube must be attached to the nostril. Breathe during the procedure should be through the nose. The solution will slowly fill one nostril, flow out through the other. It will take about five minutes to clean each nasal passage.
Flowing
How else can you wash your nose with saline? Which method should be preferred when two nasal passages are blocked? In this case, it is worth stopping by flow washing.
You need to bend over the sink, lower your head so that one nostril is located under the other. Salt fluid is poured into the upper sinus, exits through the lower. It is important to prevent the solution from entering the throat. For this, it is necessary to make a sound “and” during the procedure.
For children
How to wash your baby’s nose with saline at home? Step-by-step instructions are provided below.
- First of all, you should make sure that the child is not afraid of this procedure. If fear is present, parents can rid the baby of it by showing the process by example. If a boy or girl is convinced that mom or dad calmly exposes themselves to this procedure, then the fright will disappear.
- How to rinse the nose with saline to a child? It is most convenient to do this with an ordinary syringe without a needle, as well as a syringe.
- The kid should bend over the sink, turn his head to the side. At the same time, he should breathe through his mouth.
- The tip of the syringe or syringe is carefully inserted into the nostril. It is important not to release the solution too abruptly.
- If the airway is okay, fluid will leak through the second nostril. Part of the solution may spill out through the mouth, this should not be scared.
- The procedure is repeated already for the second nostril, then the child must certainly blow his nose.
If everything is done correctly, then rinsing remains absolutely safe for children.
Newborn
How to rinse the nose with saline to the child, if it is a newborn baby? The baby should be placed on its back, and then instilled in the nostril two or three drops. Then it should be cleaned with a bundle of cotton wool, which is pre-soaked in oil. The procedure is exactly repeated for the second nostril.
Why do this during a cold
Nasal lavage is often used during a runny nose. As a rule, the main source of inflammation is a virus that has penetrated the nasal cavity. The nasal mucosa swells, becomes inflamed, swells. Usually a runny nose is a combination of inflammation of the pharynx and nasopharynx. This means that nasal congestion is exacerbated by sore throat. If the inflammation spreads below the pharynx, it can lead to laryngitis. Edema is also able to affect the mouth of the auditory tube. As a result, the middle ear will lose the ability to cleanse, which can cause the development of otitis media.
Rinsing the nose allows you to quickly and easily get rid of plaque, pus and unnecessary mucus. During illness, this procedure increases the effectiveness of drugs.
Pregnant
Is it possible to rinse the nose with saline to expectant mothers? Pregnant women should not use vasoconstrictors, as well as some antiseptics. Fortunately, saline is not on the list of what women should not use in the position. It is a safe and effective treatment tool.
Contraindications
It was mentioned above how to rinse your nose with saline. It is also worth knowing in which situations this procedure cannot be carried out.
- Flushing is not recommended for nasal congestion. With acute respiratory viral infections or acute respiratory infections, the mucous membrane swells, normal breathing is blocked. There is a risk that the solution will be delivered with too much pressure, as a result of which the pathogen itself will reach the middle ear along with the liquid. It is important that the nose breathes during the procedure. This can be achieved with vasoconstrictor drops.
- Do not rinse your nose immediately before leaving the house. You need to do this at least half an hour before getting on the street. Otherwise, water, which, after washing, is retained in the respiratory tract, can become a source of hypothermia and the development of a cold.
- The effectiveness of the procedure will not be high with a curved partition.
- At home, rinsing the nose is useless in the presence of polyps. In such a situation, a person needs the help of a specialist.
- Tumor formations in the nasal cavity are a serious contraindication to this procedure. Inflammation of the middle ear or the threat of its occurrence, a predisposition to nosebleeds, an allergic reaction - in such cases, washing can not be performed.
What else do you need to know
Washing the nose is a procedure that can hardly be called pleasant. Many therefore refuse it, even despite the healing effect. Others prefer not to complete the flushing. In many cases, even a simple instillation of saline into the nose is beneficial. Each nostril should have about 5-7 drops of the drug. In this case, you must blow your nose half an hour later. Of course, this will not give the effect that provides a full wash. However, the nasal passages will nevertheless clear.
What else do you need to know about how to rinse your nose with saline? It should be remembered that during the first washings the following symptoms may occur:
- redness of the eyeball;
- a feeling of stuffiness in the ear;
- headache;
- burning;
- sensation of sneezing.