Preventing sinusitis, no need to use drugs, enough with these 7 habits

Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinus walls, the small, air-filled cavities that lie behind the cheekbones, eyes, and forehead. Sinusitis is a common disease that can affect any age. The good news is, you can take preventive steps so you don't get sinusitis, and avoid symptoms of recurrence for those of you who already suffer from sinusitis.

How to prevent sinusitis

Common causes of sinusitis are bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. Several health conditions can be a factor that increases your risk of developing nasal disorders such as sinusitis, from catching a cold, having allergies, problematic nasal structures, to a poor immune system.

You don't need to worry because sinusitis is a condition that you can avoid by living a healthy lifestyle. Here are sinusitis prevention tips that you can do everyday:

1. Wash your hands diligently

Maybe without realizing it, you often touch your eyes, nose and mouth. As a result, germs can enter the body through these three main "doors" and make you susceptible to infection.

Therefore, washing hands is the most important preventive step to avoid sinusitis and other ailments. Washing your hands also helps prevent the spread of germs or viruses to other people. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diligently washing your hands can reduce respiratory problems, such as colds, by 16-21%.

2. Avoid or manage stress well

Medically, when you are stressed, it affects your immune system. Reporting from the Cleveland Clinic, stress can trigger an increase in the level of the hormone cortisol in the body, which has an effect on increasing inflammation in the body.

Plus, stress has the potential to reduce the levels of white blood cells in the body. In fact, white blood cells have an important role to play in fighting infections in your body.

As a result, your body has a poor immune system and is more susceptible to infection. Remember, a decreased immune system is a risk factor for sinusitis.

Therefore, controlling and avoiding stress triggers is a form of sinusitis prevention that you should not take lightly. You can try meditation for 10-15 minutes 3-4 times a week to reduce stress. Doing yoga is also believed to have a good effect on your immune system.

3. Consume nutritious foods

Consumption of nutritious foods such as vegetables and fruits can keep your body in tip-top shape. Excellent body condition can maintain the immune system.

Therefore, you need to pay attention to the food you eat as a form of sinusitis prevention. According to the Pacific College of Health and Science website, here is a list of foods that are believed to be good for preventing sinus inflammation:

• omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, sardines, tuna, avocado, and nuts)
• vitamin C (green vegetables, bean sprouts, peppers, oranges, strawberries)

4. Get the annual flu vaccine

Still from the CDC site, preventing the flu means you also take sinusitis prevention. The influenza vaccine is always redesigned to match the viral chain which changes every year. The flu vaccine is recommended for:

• All children aged 6-18 years
• Adults> 65 years
• Adults who are at high risk of complications from influenza
• Health workers

How do you prevent sinusitis from recurring?

It is possible that you can still get sinusitis even though you have done everything you can to prevent it. Typically, sinusitis symptoms include pain in the throat, pain in the forehead, nose or around the eyes, and nasal congestion.

The result of these symptoms can certainly interfere with daily activities, so an effort is needed to prevent sinusitis from recurring.

Here are some simple tips for preventing recurrence of sinusitis symptoms that you can do:

1. Avoid allergens in the environment

Usually, people suffering from chronic sinusitis should avoid areas and activities that can worsen their condition. Avoid cigarette smoke, cigars, and smoke pipes which can irritate further inflammation of the membranes in the nose and sinuses.

You don't need to keep too much distance from people who have colds and who have upper respiratory infections. After coming into contact with someone who is sick, wash your hands immediately using soap and running water.

2. Keep the nose and sinuses moist

Poorly maintained nasal and sinus moisture can also increase the chances of sinusitis recurring. Therefore, make sure you keep your nose and sinuses moist, as a form of preventing sinusitis symptoms from reappearing.

The main way you can do this is to regularly clean your nose with a special nasal spray. Usually, this spray consists of water saline and sold freely in pharmacies.

Apart from using a nasal spray, you should also avoid dry air in your environment. For example, you can install humidifier at home so that the humidity of the room is maintained.

Another easy and simple tip is to inhale steam from hot water poured into a container or basin. The trick, prepare a basin of hot water, then bring your face close to the steam that comes out of the hot water. Cover your head with a towel, and breathe in the steam.

3. Drink lots of water

One of the factors that cause sinusitis is dry nasal passages. Therefore, drinking lots of water is an effective form of prevention so that sinusitis symptoms don't recur.

The reason is, drinking water helps keep mucous membranes moist and thin because it can prevent dry nasal passages. The mucous membranes must be kept hydrated to work efficiently so as to reduce the risk of contracting a viral infection.

4. Sleep with your head higher

If you often experience symptoms of nasal congestion due to sinusitis, you can try sleeping with your head higher than your body. The reason is, sleeping with your head too low causes mucus or mucus to build up in your sinuses.

The right sleeping position can be a step to prevent your sinusitis symptoms from recurring, especially at night.

5. Avoid blowing your nose too hard

Pushing or blowing your nose too hard turns out to be a bad habit to avoid, especially if you have chronic sinusitis.

The reason is, this habit can cause irritation of the nasal passages, and push the mucus that contains bacteria back into your sinuses. As a result, your sinusitis doesn't go away and the symptoms recur.

If you do have to blow your nose or mucus, do so gently and slowly. Blot your nose starting from one nostril, then moving to the other nostril.

These are the steps to prevent sinusitis that you must know, both for those of you who are trying to avoid this disease and for those of you who experience chronic sinus inflammation.