When a stuffy nose hits, it feels like breathing clearly and easily may never come again. Allergies, colds, and even changes in weather can leave our sinuses blocked, with medicine seeming like the only option. But don’t break out the medication just yet—relieving the pressure of a stuffy nose, a stuffy head, and stuffy ears can be as easy as touching a pressure point.
TRICK #1: USE YOUR TONGUE & PRESS BETWEEN EYEBROWS
When we turn to nose-clearing cold and allergy remedies, we often look for pills that can make all that mucus disappear. Instead of this method, though, we should try to move the fluid out of the head.
Reddit user gymfork points out that this is exactly where acupressure comes in. By placing pressure on certain points of the body, we can stimulate the flow of fluid and get our noses breathing clearly—and one of the best points for sinus problems is in our mouths.
Gymfork suggests pushing the tongue flat against the roof of the mouth, while simultaneously pushing a finger against the skin between the eyebrows. Hold pressure against these points for 20 seconds, and you’ll begin to feel relief from your symptoms. Once you release your tongue and soften your finger, you’ll start to feel movement towards the back of the throat as the buildup softens.
If that doesn’t work for you, alternate between pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth and pressing between your eyebrows. In acupressure, the point in-between your eyebrows is called the Yintang acupoint, right where the nasion is located, according to Dr. Joseph M. Helms, president of Helms Medical Institute and author ofAcupuncture Energetics: A Clinical Approach for Physicians.
TRICK #2: APPLY PRESSURE ACROSS YOUR EYEBROWS
If you feel your stuffed sinuses climbing up into the higher reaches of your head, you might want to try a different pressure point to clear both the nose and the upper sinuses.
Massage therapist Amber Lynn Vitale explains that by moving across the eyebrows, you can encourage the movement of “stuck” fluid.
Place your fingers at the beginning of each eyebrow, close to the center where they don’t meet, and lean forward so your head rests on your elbows. After a few seconds, when you feel the pressure shift, slide your fingers to the middle of each eyebrow.
Hold there until you once again feel a slight lightness, and then move your fingers to the end of each brow. Here, Vitale suggests either holding a steady pressure or moving your fingertips in tiny circles to stimulate the flow of fluid away from the forehead. Once things get flowing, you’ll feel the pressure in the center of your head disperse.
TRICK #3: TAKE A SECOND FOR A MINI-MASSAGE
Massages do wonders for the rest of our bodies, so why not try a mini-massage when you feel a “knot” of sinus pressure building in your head? According to massage therapist Heather Wibbels, you can pull fluid from the head with a few quick rubs.
If this is uncomfortable, Wibbels also suggests a different method. Crossing your hands, you can make a V shape and use the same pumping motion on the sides of your neck to get the lymph fluid to release. Both this action and the fingertip pulses create suction in the lymphatic system, which vacuums the fluid residing in your sinuses downward and away from the head.
KEEP YOUR SINUSES MOVING!
No matter what has your sinuses stuffed and blocked up, the easiest and quickest course of action isn’t turning to your medicine cabinet. With a little pressure on the right points, and even the use of your tongue, you can draw the problematic fluid from its source of blockage and clear all of your head’s senses.