Water is life. The human body itself is composed of about 75% water. With this, it is not surprising at all that having enough water in our system is crucial for good health. Water works wonders in helping maintain a healthy weight, flushing out toxins and keeping skin look good and supple. But did you know that water is good even for your sinuses too? Oh yeah! Here are ways how:

Gulp!

During a sinus infection, thick and copious amounts of mucus are produced. This is one of the reasons why you feel all the stuffiness and congestion. Drinking lots of warm water helps thin out the secretion so that it could drain more easily. Water doesn’t always have to mean the colorless one from the tap or a bottle (although of course, it is obviously the best choice if you want your drink to be non-caloric, sugar-free and natural). Water in soups and other drinks count as well. If you prefer to juice up instead, those from fresh citrus fruits are especially beneficial because they are loaded with vitamins that could boost your immune system. On the other hand, you should avoid milk and other dairy products because the casein content actually thickens the secretions. But if you love milk, soy milk is a good alternative.

Go Get Steamy

Warm steam right through your nose offers immediate relief from congestion. There are lots of ways to do steam inhalation. First, you can stand or sit next to the shower while hot water is allowed to run. When you feel the air around you get warm, you can inhale and exhale slowly. Second, you can heat up some water. As it turns into steam, inhale the vapor through your nose. Be careful while doing this though, because the steam could get very hot. Remember, water turns to vapor only when the temperature goes beyond a hundred degrees Celsius. Now that’s a lot of heat! You can also level up steam inhalation naturally by adding a few drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil to enhance the decongestant effect. Or you can put a few cloves of crushed garlic, known for its anti-bacterial properties.

Let It Flow

Finally, you can do nasal washing or sinus irrigation. This simple technique works well during a sinus infection to flush out unwanted particles in the nasal and sinus areas, such as excess mucus and bacteria. However, even without an acute infection, you can do sinus irrigation as an effective means of prevention or as a part of regular nasal and sinus hygiene. Sinus irrigation can be done using a syringe barrel and plunger, or a neti-pot with saline solution. The salt content in the solution helps to shrink inflamed mucus membranes. Nowadays, there are also other irrigators that are easily available in stores. These irrigators basically follow the same principles of the traditional ones, but they do have distinct advantages over syringes or neti-pots. One such product, for example, is ActiveSinus by Sinus Dynamics. ActiveSinus has an especially designed nozzle that allows easier directional control. This way, one can do sinus irrigation more conveniently and with less irritation even during the very first use. The saline solution is also converted into minute particles to allow deeper penetration even through congested sinus and nasal cavities.