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How to Treat and Avoid Sinus Headaches

You’ve been in this situation before; we all have and will continue to cope with sinus headaches until somebody really smart discovers a vaccine against the common cold. Here you are with a terrible cold. You’re sneezing; your nose is either running like a faucet or completely clogged. Your head feels thick and foggy, and all you want to do is stay in bed and be miserable for the next three days.

Then, adding insult to injury, you feel a whopping headache coming on. Just what you don’t need! The headache is centered on the front of your face rather than in your head like migraines – it’s the dreaded sinus headache! You run for the aspirin or acetaminophen; the medication helps the pain a little, but because the source of the pain is still untreated, it seems as if that pesky sinus headache just won’t go away.

Sinus headaches occur when nasal mucus becomes trapped in the sinus cavities located just under your cheekbones. These headaches usually accompany a rhinovirus or head cold. You’ll feel the onset of symptoms by pain directly in the sinus area that later radiates into your eye sockets. This same type of headache often occurs with allergy sufferers; their sinus cavities also fill with mucus and although they don’t have colds, the headache is just as annoying.

How do I Treat a Sinus Headache?

Aspirin or acetaminophen helps relieve some of the pain of these headaches, but there is another important medication that directly targets the clogged sinuses. Any decongestant medication that you can buy over-the-counter helps reduce nasal discharge and opens your nose so you can breathe again. But beware! There are several problems associated with decongestants.

If you use a decongestant nasal spray more often that the directions on the box indicate, you’ll develop “rebound congestion” where your sinus cavities constrict tightly and obstruct your breathing. If you continue to abuse the decongestant spray, you’ll have chronic sinus headaches even long after your cold is gone.

Another problem associated with the use of decongestants to help relieve sinus headaches is that these medications can have unpleasant side effects such as having the “jitters” and finding it difficult to fall asleep. Decongestants are actually stimulant drugs, and if you’re sensitive to this class of medication, this effect can be as nasty as the headache or the cold.

There are numerous prescription medications available that combine a decongestant with anti-histamine that will help with your runny, itchy eyes. Since anti-histamines have sedative qualities, they tend to counteract the jitters of decongestants. You can save a costly visit to the doctor by going to the drug store and buying a decongestant, an antihistamine, and a painkiller for your headache. If your symptoms continue, be sure to see your doctor to make sure you haven’t developed a sinus infection that calls for an antibiotic medication.

Another prescription medication, Humabid, relieves clogged sinuses and headache by thinning the mucus caught in your sinus cavities. You must drink a lot of water with this medication to make it effective; you’ll notice that your nasal secretions are thin and watery, which is exactly what you need to rid yourself of that clogged mucus.

Can I Avoid Sinus Headaches?

Yes. First by not over-using decongestant sprays as discussed. Then, at the first sign of a cold, start drinking as much water as you can hold; this will hopefully keep your nasal discharge thin and watery, avoiding thickening of the nasal mucus. This is particularly important in avoiding pressure-based sinus headaches. Blow your nose a lot to keep that thin discharge out of your sinus cavities; don’t even give it the chance to lurk and thicken.

Some people’s sinus headaches are relieved by applying ice packs to their sinus area. Cold is a natural constrictor of blood vessels; if your headache is caused by enlarged, mucus-filled nasal passages and sinuses, a cold compress may help constrict the vessels, thus relieving your pain.

Finally, remember that although annoying, sinus headaches are also your body’s way of telling you that something’s wrong. If you’ are prone to frequent and severe sinus headaches, see a physician about this problem. Although rare, you may have to have this problem surgically corrected by an ear, nose and throat specialist. Not a pleasant thought, but it is certainly better than living your life in pain.