How to Sleep Better with a Blocked Nose: 30 Effective Remedies for Instant Relief
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Intus Healthcare’s writers, customer service team, and sleep experts review and ensure this information is accurate.
Struggling to sleep because of a stuffy nose? You’re not alone. Whether it’s due to a cold, allergies, or an underlying condition, a blocked nose can significantly disrupt your sleep.
But don’t worry—this guide offers 30 remedies to help you breathe easier and sleep peacefully.
Table of Contents
How to Unstuff Your Nose Instantly
The feeling of being bunged up is usually due to swelling of the blood vessels within the nasal lining and is typically caused by a common cold, flu, sinusitis, or rhinitis.
Anything that irritates the inside of your nose, such as dust and smoke, can also cause you to feel congested and can lead to sinus infections.
Seasonal changes often influence the development of a stuffy nose. For some, it can last a few days; for others, it can last a few weeks.
Here are 30 remedies you can try during the day and night to reduce the length of your nasal congestion and sleep better:
15 Daytime Remedies to Ease Nasal Congestion
- Understand the root cause: To treat your congestion correctly, you should first understand what has triggered it. Is it a common cold, allergies or an underlying medical condition? You should contact your healthcare provider for more advice if symptoms last longer than a week without improvement to ensure correct treatment.
- Cold and flu medicines: Cold and flu medications such as Sudafed, Lemsip and Nurofen can reduce your symptoms.
- Stay hydrated: Drinking fluids helps to break down the mucus build-up and makes breathing easier.
- Avoid dairy: Dairy can thicken mucus for some people, worsening congestion.
- Stay upright: If you can, try to avoid lying down during the day, as it disrupts the natural drainage of fluid from your sinuses.
- Apply a warm compress: Placing a warm compress over your nose can ease blockages, improve circulation, and help to loosen congestion.
- Try acupressure: Gently press and massage pressure points around your nose for instant relief.
- Avoid caffeine: Caffeine can dry out your sinus lining and constrict your blood vessels, narrowing the airways and making breathing more difficult.
- Take vitamin C: Boost your immune system with foods high in Vitamin C, such as oranges, broccoli and strawberries. You can also take a vitamin C supplement. Learn more: Foods to help you sleep article
- Use a decongestant: Over-the-counter nasal spray decongestants can ease inflammation caused by infections and allergies. For severe symptoms, your doctor may prescribe a steroid nasal spray to reduce inflammation and irritation.
- Avoid alcohol: Alcohol is a muscle relaxant that can significantly increase nasal obstruction, contributing to congestion, snoring and acid reflux. Alcohol also decreases the quality of your sleep, making you feel worse in the morning (1).
- Stay active: Depending on the severity of your symptoms, light exercise can temporarily relieve congestion by helping to open your nasal passages.
- Use garlic or ginger: Research shows that ginger extract can significantly reduce nasal allergy symptoms, making it a natural option for congestion relief (2). Fresh garlic and ginger can be added to your meals or taken as a supplement.
- Take an antihistamine: An oral antihistamine can help treat congestion and other allergy symptoms, including sneezing and nasal itchiness.
- Eat soup: Warm, nutritious soups help boost your immune system to fight off a blocked nose. Soups such as vegetable and chicken are hydrating and nourishing, the steam also helps to open your sinuses.
SinuPulse Elite Nasal Irrigator
SinuPulse Traveller Nasal Irrigator
15 Things You Can Do During the Evening Before Bed
You can try these tips during the evening and before sleeping to help soothe your sinuses and ensure a comfortable night’s sleep.
- Drink hot tea: Teas can help relieve cold symptoms, such as congestion, a sore throat, cough and open the nasal passages. Teas you could try include peppermint, chamomile, lemon, ginger and honey.
- Facial steam: Steam inhalation can loosen mucus and relieve your stuffy nose. Fill a bowl with warm water, lean over the bowl, place a towel over your head and inhale deeply. You can also add drops of Vicks VapoSteam into the warm water for additional relief.
- Use a nasal irrigator: A nasal irrigator flushes out your sinuses, reducing congestion and pressure build-up. Our SinuPulse Elite Nasal Irrigator uses a natural saline solution to soothe your nasal passages and clear your nose quickly. You could also consider our natural SinuAir Nasal Salts, which can be used in any form of nasal irrigation, including nasal wash, sprays and neti pots.
- Use a nasal spray: Nasal sprays can deliver medication into the nose instantly to open and clear your nasal congestion.
- Gargle with salt water: Gargling with warm saltwater draws out excess fluid from inflamed nasal and throat tissue, easing discomfort.
- Be prepared: Ensure you have tissues, water and any medication within easy reach on your bedside table.
- Take a hot shower: Similarly to steaming, a hot shower can help relieve your stuffiness by thinning the mucus.
- Use a diffuser: Choose a calming and relaxing oil scent, such as Lavender or tea tree, to help ease your breathing during the night. You can also add drops of these oils to your pillow for improved inhalation during sleep.
- Elevate your head in bed: Elevating your head with an extra pillow helps to drain mucus and reduce sinus pressure.
- Use a nasal strip or nasal dilator: Nasal strips and nasal dilators help to keep the nasal passages open during sleep.
- Use a humidifier: A humidifier adds moisture to the air to loosen mucus and make breathing easier. The ideal humidity level is between 40% and 60%.
- Use vapour rub or a plug-in vaporiser: Vapour rubs and nasal sticks such as Vicks or Olbascan can be inhaled to relieve congestion and other cold and flu symptoms.
- Maintain good sleep hygiene: Ensure your bedroom is clean, quiet, and at a comfortable temperature to improve your comfort.
- Wash your face and hands: Washing your hands and face removes allergens and irritants from your skin that could worsen your symptoms.
- Keep pets away: Reduce allergens by keeping pets out of your bedroom or clean frequently to remove pet hair.
Do you have problems sleeping?
If you wake up tired, snore or choke during sleep, you could have Sleep Apnoea.
The condition affects millions of people worldwide and is easily diagnosed with our simple home sleep test.
The test takes just one night to complete, and the results are with you within two working days.
Common FAQs
What Should You Avoid Doing When Your Nose Is Blocked?
Although blowing your nose is necessary when experiencing a stuffy nose, you shouldn’t blow it too hard or too often. This can lead to irritation, nasal bleeding, or even infection.
Which Position Should You Sleep in with a Blocked Nose?
The best position to sleep in when you have a stuffy nose is on your back, with your head propped up on a pillow.
Laying flat can worsen your congestion as more blood flows to your nose, making mucus drainage harder. Elevating your head when sleeping on your back helps ease these symptoms and promotes better airflow.
Can I Sleep on My Side with a Blocked Nose?
Yes, you can sleep on your side with a blocked nose. To sleep more comfortably, try elevating your head for additional relief.
Is it safe to use nasal sprays daily?
Over-the-counter nasal sprays are safe for short-term use. Prolonged use may lead to rebound congestion.
When to Speak with Your Doctor
These tips can help relieve a blocked nose, but if your symptoms persist for over a week, worsen, or are accompanied by fever, fatigue, or facial pain, consult a healthcare professional.
Summary
We understand that cold and flu symptoms often worsen when we sleep, making sleep more challenging. We hope our tips help relieve your discomfort and help you get a better night’s sleep.
Contact our experts for personalised sinus care solutions or to learn more about our CPAP products.
We are the UK’s leading Sleep Apnoea specialists and CPAP supplier; you can find the most popular equipment on our website.
Already a CPAP user experiencing congestion? Consider our Sinus and Nasal Care range for effective congestion-relief products, or add a humidifier, heated tube or hose fleece to your therapy. These CPAP items will add moisture and warmth to your airflow, reducing dryness and stuffiness.
Related articles:
All You Need To Know About Nasal Irrigation
Should I Use My CPAP with a Cold?
About Our Editorial Team
Written By,
Danielle Mahri, Staff Writer
Danni is a degree-educated content writer who works closely with our clinical and customer services teams to ensure every article is well-researched and accurate. Each article is written to educate, help, and advise on Sleep Apnoea, spread awareness, and encourage treatment.
Medically Reviewed By,
Jay Gadher, Clinical Manager
Jay is an experienced Respiratory and Sleep Clinical Scientist. He completed his BSc in Healthcare Science, which has allowed him to gain expertise in scoring sleep studies. His knowledge and insights about sleep science and human health ensure every article reflects the latest data.
References
- Colrain IM, Nicholas CL, Baker FC. (2014). Alcohol and the sleeping brain. Handb Clin Neurol. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5821259/. Accessed: 10.12.2024.
- Yamprasert, R., Chanvimalueng, W., Mukkasombut, N. et al. (2020). Ginger extract versus Loratadine in the treatment of allergic rhinitis: a randomised controlled trial. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-020-2875-z. Accessed: 10.12.2024.