A sinus headache is now seen as a common disease to affect people all over the world. It is a headache that is coupled with sinusitis. The membranes that are lining your sinuses become inflamed and this condition is known as a sinus headache. You might experience slight pressure on your cheeks, forehead and eyes. You will also experience pain between your eyes and the portion just above your nose. The sinus headache can range from normal pain to severe pain and sometimes it can also be a problem that is hard to treat. As there is plenty of confusion regarding this disease, as it looks similar to tension headaches or migraines, it is always better to know about the type of headache that a person is suffering from and treat it according to the associated symptoms of the disease.
Causes Of Sinus Headache
The main cause of sinus headaches is the infection of the sinus cavities by bacteria or viruses.
When the infections like cold or allergic reactions like hay fever occurs, it affects the nasal cavity and sinuses causing swelling in the nose and inflammation of the sinuses.
This reduces the draining ability of the sinuses and the sinus fluids remain in the cavities, causing sinus headache and pain in the frontal area and under the eyes.
The stagnation of the fluid promotes the growth of the bacteria and viruses in them.
Sometimes, fungal infections also cause sinus infection and sinus headache.
The maxillary sinus is below the eye and located within the cheek bone, dental infections can travel to this sinus and cause sinus.
The Symptoms Of Sinus Headache
Some of the major symptoms of sinus pressure headache include
Pain and pressure in the sinus affected areas like forehead, cheekbones, bridge of the nose, etc.
The pain intensifies with straining, bending of the head or other head movements
Pain accompanied by other symptoms of sinus infection such as nasal discharge, facial swelling, fever, etc.
In severe infection greenish–yellow nasal drainage occurs.
Swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
If there is only inflammation of the sinuses without any infection the symptoms may be different.
Symptoms Of Inflammation Without Infection
The nasal discharges will be clear
The inflammation of maxillary sinus causes pain in the upper teeth.
The sinus affected areas will be tender to touch.
What To Take For A Sinus Headache?
There are many natural supplements which can be taken for reducing the inflammation and pain associated with a sinus infection. Here are some supplements to take for sinus pressure headache.
Bromelain supplement derived from pineapple, is highly effective in reducing the inflammation and other symptoms of sinus headache.
Quercetin, a flavanoid in fruits and vegetables has anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory properties and reduces the release of histamines which causes the swelling. Thus reducing the inflammation and pressure in the sinuses.
To enhance the anti -inflammatory effect of these supplements, it is better to use bromelain in combination with quercetin.
Home Remedies For Sinus Headache
There are many home remedies that you can try to relieve you from sinus pressure headache.
1) Vitamin C
Vitamin C is found to be very rich in antioxidants and it will also help in boosting the immune system. The antioxidants in the Vitamin C will help in fighting against the sinus headache infection. Some of the foods that are a rich source of Vitamin C are:
Cauliflower
Pomegranate
Strawberries
Lemons
Oranges
Broccoli
Gooseberry
Drinking a cup or two of lemon tea or lemon green tea everyday will also help in reducing the symptoms associated with sinus headache.
2) Cinnamon
Cinnamon is another important herb and a very popular Indian spice that will help in greatly relieving you from the sinusitis problems.
Powder about 1 to 2 inches of cinnamon bark. Take a tablespoon of the powdered cinnamon and add sufficient water to it to make a smooth paste.
Add a teaspoon of sandalwood powder to this paste and mix well.
Apply this paste on your forehead evenly and leave it there for about 5 minutes.
Wash it off with water. Repeat this twice a day for a few days to get great relief from sinus headache.
3) Ginger
Ginger is a well known ingredient that has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. It is also known to be a pain killer and works very well on sinus headaches.
Cut the fresh ginger root into thin slices and put it into a cup of boiling water. Allow it to rest there for about 10 minutes.
Strain the ginger root and drink the ginger tea when it is warm. Repeat this two to three times a day to get relief from sinus headache.
You can also chew a small piece of fresh ginger root two times a day to get relief from sinus headache.
4) Taking A Balanced Diet
Taking a balanced diet is one of the ways you can enjoy sinus headache relief. A balanced diet will help in taking care of a lot of health problems and it will also help in boosting your immune system. The infections in your body will be cleared in less amount of time if you take a balanced diet.
5) Drinking Warm Water
If you are experiencing inflammation and congestion in your nose, then you can take warm water to get instant relief from inflammation. Drinking plenty of warm water will also help in reducing the symptoms associated with sinus headache soon.
6) Steam
Steam is your answer on how to treat a sinus headache at home. It will work hard in calming your mucous membrane and clear your nose of congestion. It will also help in relieving headache associated with sinus.
Add water in a saucepan and boil it for about 10 minutes.
Cover your head with a towel and inhale the steam as many times as possible.
To get better relief, you can add one or two drops of eucalyptus oil and peppermint oil to the boiling water and then inhale the steam.
7) Spicy Foods
Eating spicy food is an excellent way to treat sinus pressure headache. The spice in the food will help in clearing the blockages of the nose and will help in draining the sinuses from the nose. Once you clear the blockage of the nose, you will immediately feel relief from headaches.
Taking jalapeno peppers will help in easily relieving nose congestion.
Have a few bites of the jalapeno pepper and eat it till you see the tears in your eyes. You will instantly feel a great relief from sinus headache in a matter of few minutes.
8) Saline Spray
Spraying saline solution into your nostrils is a great way to open up the blockages that are caused by the sinuses. This will help you to breathe easily. To prepare the saline solution, all you need to do is to add a little bit of salt to warm water. Spraying this solution into your nostrils will help in keeping the nasal cavity moist and hence you get relief from nasal congestion.
9) Warm Soups
If you are constantly in search for the answer to this question what to take for a sinus headache, then the answer is hot soups. As soon as you feel that sinus is attacking you, prepare a hot and spicy soup. By taking in warm soups, you will be able to easily unblock the sinusitis as well as reduce the nasal inflammation. Adding a generous amount of pepper will help in making the soup spicy as well as easily clear blocked noses.
10) Massaging
One of the effective home remedies for sinus headache is to massage the sinus area with your fingertips.
Massage your forehead, temples, side of your noses, etc gently with your fingertips where you feel pain.
You need to massage the area for a few minutes. This will help in opening the nasal passage and you will get immediate relief from sinus.
11) Neti Pot
The use of Neti pot is an effective way to get instant sinus headache relief. It will improve the drainage of your nose by clearing the blocks. It will also help in reducing the inflammation and the pressure of the nasal passages so that you can breathe easily and also to get relief from sinus headache.
Add saline solution (warm salt water) in a Neti pot.
Place your head over a sink and tilt it to one side.
Place the end corner of the neti pot into the nostril that shows up and make sure that there is no space between the nostril an the end of the neti pot.
Lift the neti pot in order to allow the water to flow from the higher nostril to the lower one. While doing this, you need to breath through your mouth.
Once you have used up all the Neti pot solution, you can blow your nose with a tissue paper.
Now repeat the same process by turning your head the other side so that the lower nostril now becomes your higher nostril and vice versa.
Repeat this process two to three times a week to break free from sinus headaches.
12) Hot And Cold Compress
Hot and cold compress is one of the best solutions for how to cure a sinus headache. You need to give an alternative hot and cold compress to the sinus affected area that will help to instantly get relief from blocked nasal passages. It will also help in reducing the inflammation in your nasal area.
Apply a warm compress to the area where you feel sinus pain for about 3 minutes. Now remove the warm compress and immediately apply the cold compress on the same area for 30 to 45 seconds.
Repeat this process alternatively for 4 to 5 times a day to get relief from sinus headache effectively.
13) Other Herbal Remedies
Drinking herbal teas like chamomile tea, peppermint tea, green tea, etc will help in stop in dehydration of the nasal area and will help in keeping the sinus cavities moist.
Feverfew dried herbs have anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties that will help in reducing migraine headaches as well as sinusitis. All you need is to steep the dried herbs in hot water for a few minutes, strain and drink the tea.
Eating two to three cloves of fresh garlic everyday will also help in relieving congestion in the nose as it has anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties.
Sinus Headache Relief Using The Pressure Points
Treatment of ailments using the pressure points is known as acupressure. This method is very effective in sinus pressure headache.
Apply pressure using your fingertips at the pressure points on either side of the nose just above the nasal bridge. This is the position of facial sinuses and this gives sinus headache relief.
Gently massaging the temples with fingers reduces the tension and relieves the pain.
Massaging and pinching the meaty part between the thumb and index finger using the other thumb and index finger is effective in reducing sinus headache. Do the massage on both the hands.
Applying pressure on specific parts of the body activates the nerves and help in stimulating the blocked sinuses and help them to drain properly, relieving you of the pain.
Not all the remedies and supplements may work for you. You need to find out how to cure a sinus headache by trying the different methods and stick to the one that is best suited for you.
Tips To Prevent And Treat Sinus Headache
It is better to prevent sinus headache than looking for how to cure a sinus headache. Here are some useful tips to prevent the pain and inflammation caused by sinus.
Practice hand hygiene to prevent infections of the upper respiratory tract. Wash your hands regularly or use hand sanitizers to keep your hands germ free.
Avoid exposure to cigarette smoke, air pollutants and other possible allergens which may cause inflammation of the nasal cavity and sinus membranes which will lead to sinus headache.
Uses humidifiers in your whenever needed and make sure that they are clean and free of dust and mold.
Have proper ventilation in your house and prevent the growth the growth of microbes which may worsen the sinus condition.
Taking long, hot showers will help to clear the blocked sinuses
Getting steam inhalation using aromatic oils provides relief from sinus headache.
Massaging the affected areas with hot oil also give relaxation from pain.
If you are prone to sinus infection, avoid consuming alcohol which may cause the sinus and nasal membranes to swell.
Get plenty of sleep to reduce sinus headache. Position your head slightly elevated while sleeping to reduce the congestion and inflammation.
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