Allergies can produce many of the same cold-like symptoms as a sinus infection, including sinus pressure, a runny nose and congestion. But the condition itself, called allergic rhinitis, is different. It is caused by an allergic response to allergens, such as pollen, dust mites or pet dander.
What helps sinus pressure from allergies?
Home Treatments
- Use a humidifier or vaporizer.
- Take long showers or breathe in steam from a pot of warm (but not too hot) water.
- Drink lots of fluids. …
- Use a nasal saline spray. …
- Try a Neti pot, nasal irrigator, or bulb syringe. …
- Place a warm, wet towel on your face. …
- Prop yourself up. …
- Avoid chlorinated pools.
Can allergies cause facial pressure?
Nasal Allergy Symptom 2: Sinus Pressure
Your sinuses are small cavities behind your forehead, cheeks, and eyes. If mucus builds up in these areas because of allergies, you may feel pressure or pain. You can help reduce sinus congestion by applying a moist, warm cloth to your face or inhaling steam a few times each day.
Can the weather affect sinus pressure?
Weather Patterns and Barometric Pressure
Shifts in barometric pressure can also trigger pain and discomfort for those with sinusitis. This can result in sudden, painful feeling of pressure, sinus headaches, and facial pain, along with congestion.
What is the best allergy medicine for sinus pressure?
Antihistamines
- Cetirizine (Zyrtec)
- Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton)
- Clemastine (Tavist)
- Desloratadine (Clarinex)
- Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
- Fexofenadine (Allegra)
- Loratadine (Claritin)
Is Zyrtec good for sinus pressure?
Do not take antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (one brand: Benadryl), loratadine (one brand: Claritin), or cetirizine (one brand: Zyrtec) for sinus symptoms because they make mucus thicker and harder to drain. Do not use a nasal spray with a decongestant in it for more than three days.
How do you know if its sinus or allergies?
Allergies and sinus infections can have similar symptoms. One of the key differences is the itchiness of your eyes and skin that can occur with allergies, as well as the thick, yellow or green nasal discharge that’s notable with sinusitis. Another difference is the timeline.
Can allergies cause sinus and ear pressure?
Some allergies may lead to the development of ear pain. Many cause congestion or irritation in the nose and sinuses, which connect to the ears. This can cause increased pressure or fluid buildup in the ears. In these cases, people can usually treat ear pain and infections by addressing their allergies.
What do sinus allergies feel like?
Thick, colored mucus. Painful, swollen feeling around your forehead, eyes, and cheeks. Headache or pain in your teeth. Post-nasal drip (mucus that moves from the back of your nose into your throat)
Why do my sinuses act up when the weather changes?
You may notice that you get significant nasal congestion or stuff nose when there is a front moving in, with a rain storm or on days with changes in the humidity. This is essentially due to sensitive nerve endings in the nasal passages leading to over reaction that results in swelling of blood vessels.
Does rainy weather affect sinuses?
Rainy weather can have a profound effect on sinus pain and pressure and make common symptoms even worse than usual. There are a wide range of sinus headache causes that affect adults, but they are often the result of a sinus infection known as sinusitis.
Does humidity affect sinus pressure?
That feeling of congestion may be due to the humidity of the air you breathe. Nasal sinus disease, or sinusitis, affects approximately 33 million people and accounts for more than $5.8 billion in healthcare costs annually, according to a release from Monell.
Can Benadryl help with sinus pressure?
Along the same lines as OTC options, antihistamine medications, such as Sudafed, Claritin, Zyrtec or Benadryl, can also offer sinus infection symptom relief. While these medications specifically target allergy symptoms, sinus infection symptoms can be similar, making antihistamines worth a try.
What reduces sinus inflammation?
Treatment
- Nasal corticosteroids. These nasal sprays help prevent and treat inflammation. …
- Saline nasal irrigation, with nasal sprays or solutions, reduces drainage and rinses away irritants and allergies.
- Oral or injected corticosteroids. …
- Aspirin desensitization treatment, if you have reactions to aspirin that cause sinusitis.
Does Flonase help sinus pressure?
Do Nasal Sprays Treat Sinus Infection? Treating a sinus infection means unblocking and draining the sinuses. Corticosteroid nasal sprays such as Flonase and Nasacort are the best source for treatment because they help reduce swelling in the nasal passages.