how do I deal with sinus headaches?

Question

Lately, I would wake up with sinus headaches and pressure around the eyes and cheeks in the morning. Then sometimes I'll sneeze a lot lately and get a funny feeling in my throat and I'll have nasal congestion. But usually, after getting rid of the sinus headaches, I'm fine. How do I deal with sinus headaches and keep them from coming in the morning when I wake up, other than medication?

Answer 1

All the above. benadril at night or claratin daytime.
I get them too feels like someone stuck an ice pick up my nose clear to the top of my head. the allergy meds help some. In the morning when you shower let the water as hot as you are comfortable run on your forded. Sometimes a hot wet washrag helps, the humidity helps. When you sleep that stuff can't drip and collects.

Answer 2

Ok... I'm a LIFE LONG allergy/sinus headache sufferer - and save but for a very few... nearly everybody is right.

Moisture helps a great deal.
--The humidifier helps and so do the saline sprays.
An air filter with a HEPA filter is a wonderful aid.
Sudafed and Tylenol are my last resort - but wondrous help.
New pillows are important.
...I would add to regularly wash them with a little bleach. Dust mites love our pillows and trigger many sinus attacks.
Some folks like the Sudafed substitute - I don't get much help from it.
Carbon Monoxide makes you feel this way too... please get a detector as another poster suggested.

I would also add - I sleep with a bandanna tied over my forehead at night. Keeping my sinuses warm over night - especially with the air conditioner during these warmer days in Texas - helps keep me from waking with a headache.

Bed Bath and Beyond sells those "sleeping masks" that cover your sinuses above and below your eyes - and help a great deal with morning headaches.

Also - get checked out by an allergist. If you learn what you are allergic to - such as food allergies... and you learn to avoid those things a few hours before bed - you will have fewer headaches.

I'm allergic to milk products, but LOVE yogurt. If I stupidly eat so much as a spoonful even 3 hours before I lay down, BOOM! Ugly morning headache.

Good luck hon. You have my deepest sympathy!

Answer 3

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RE:
how do I deal with sinus headaches?
Lately, I would wake up with sinus headaches and pressure around the eyes and cheeks in the morning. Then sometimes I'll sneeze a lot lately and get a funny feeling in my throat and I'll have nasal congestion. But usually, after getting rid of the sinus headaches, I'm fine. How do I...

Answer 4

You might try having more water in the air, I think it's a humidifier or vaporizer. I always get those two confused. Especially if your waking up dry in the mornings. Window Air conditioning can cause headaches in the sinuses if the air is too dry. I usually have to use a swamp cooler in the summer for my sinuses to be okay. Usually though regular house conditioners are fine. Winter heaters can also mess with the sinuses. Another thing to try is a jar of Vicks vapor rub in the humidifier or just open the jar and leave it above your head at night open. Other than that the only thing that works is Tylenol Sinus for me or something similar to it.

Answer 5

There are several at-home steps that help prevent sinus headache or alleviate its pain. They include:

1. Breathe moist air: Relief for a sinus headache can be achieved by humidifying the dry air environment. This can be done by using a steam vaporizer or cool-mist humidifier, steam from a basin of hot water, or steam from a hot shower.

2. Alternate hot and cold compresses: Place a hot compress across your sinuses for three minutes, and then a cold compress for 30 seconds. Repeat this procedure three times per treatment, two to six times a day.

3. Nasal irrigation: Some believe that when nasal irrigation or rinse is performed, mucus, allergy creating particles and irritants such as pollens, dust particles, pollutants and bacteria are washed away, reducing the inflammation of the mucous membrane. Normal mucosa will fight infections and allergies better and will reduce the symptoms. Nasal irrigation helps shrink the sinus membranes and thus increases drainage. There are several over-the-counter nasal rinse products available. Consult your ear, nose, and throat specialist for directions on making a home nasal rinse or irrigation solution.

4. Over-the-counter medications: Some over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are highly effective in reducing sinus headache pain. The primary ingredient in most OTC pain relievers is aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, or a combination of them. The best way to choose a pain reliever is by determining which of these ingredients works best for you.

5. Decongestants: Sinus pressure headaches caused by allergies are usually treated with decongestants and antihistamines. In difficult cases, nasal steroid sprays may be recommended.

6. Alternative medicine: Chinese herbalists use Magnolia Flower as a remedy for clogged sinus and nasal passages. In conjunction with other herbs, such as angelica, mint, and chrysanthemum, it is often recommended for upper respiratory tract infections and sinus headaches, although its effectiveness for these problems has not been scientifically confirmed

Answer 6

There is an operation that they can do on your sinuses to relieve them. I recently had a sinus infection and the headache for 18 days. Went through 2 courses of antibiotics and that was 2 weeks ago and I still don't feel 100%. There are some weird viruses going around that our antibiotics aren't really killing, its pretty scary. I know how you feel, I felt like I wanted to die. or cut my head off. Take care.

Answer 7

Humidifers work sometimes depending on the person, I have the same problem and what i do is buy afrin sinus nasal spray over the counter. It leaves a smell almost like vics in your nose in the beginning but it seems to drain it great.. I did it the first week right before bed, two sprays in eatch nose. as it says on the bottle and now i just use it when i feel like my sinuses are starting to bother me, maybe 1-2 times a week..
I think the stuff is great and it lasts a long time, and is not too expensive..
Good Luck
Debbie

Answer 8

oh you poor thing! I hate sinus headaches - they hurt alot.
I think your also having hayfever symptons.

Get another pillow - one thats a bit softer than the one your using now, and put the softer pillow on top of the firmer one. You have to sleep more upright to remove the tension.

For the clogginess feeling - you can use a facial steam bath to clear your passages -(put face over hot water with eycalyptus or lemon in it and place a towel over your head and breathe the fumes through your nose) if you have time. Vicks vabour rub in the water really works! Or drink really strong lemon tea.

You need something tangy to sip and smell to make your nose run, or to make your sneeze. Also, drink a small amount of water just before you go to bed.

Sucking on lozenges also clears a tension headache.

hope this helps you! Good luck!

Answer 9

I feel your pain. I'm lucky right now, my allergies haven't hit me yet, but my husband is in allergy hell right now with lots of sneezing and congestion.

We are both in love with the shower soother tabs. Just throw one on the floor while you shower, the water will release it's vapors (it's like Vick's vapor rub, except in tablet form!) into your shower, in turn helping clear your sinuses.
A hot compress over your eyes and nose where your sinuses are helps too. A simple washcloth will do just fine. Or, if you have it, alternate between hot and cold compresses. I've got a gel eye mask that I keep in the fridge. I've used that on my sinuses several times and it's helped a lot.

I know you said you don't want to take medicine, but sometimes that's your only fix. We love Alavert. It's a bit more pricier than the normal Sudafed and Benadryl stuff, but you can take one pill and it lasts 24 hours. A HUGE benefit over the normal 4-12 hour pills.

Answer 10

When I wake up in the morning with a headache from sinus tension, I take tablets of ginsing and drink it with lemon water; the lemon juice releaves your muscles around you neck head and even eyes, the ginsing is very, very good for your brain destimulates your sinuses. If you need any further explaination just write