The following questions and answers can help you identify and determine the causes of your sinus congestion. The mucus that builds up in sinuses causing sinus congestion also results in sinus pain and pressure. You may feel a sinus headache, have a stuffy or runny nose and experience pressure across your cheeks or other areas of your face. Pressure and pain from sinus congestion can be felt behind the forehead, eyes, cheeks or jaw, depending on which types of sinuses are affected.
The main difference between sinus congestion and head congestion is the duration of symptoms. Sinus congestion may cause a sinus infection, which comes with symptoms lasting up to four weeks. Talk to your doctor if you think you may have a sinus infection. Head congestion as part of a cold is usually gone in seven to 10 days. Though there are some differences between head congestion and sinus congestion, the following tips can help provide relief from your symptoms.
On This Page. Close When you have a sinus infection, one or more of your sinuses becomes inflamed and fluid builds up, causing congestion and runny nose.
Other conditions can cause symptoms similar to a sinus infection, including: Seasonal allergies Colds. Top of Page. Pain relievers: Children younger than 6 months: only give acetaminophen. Children 6 months or older: it is OK to give acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Cough and cold medicines: Children younger than 4 years old: do not use unless a doctor specifically tells you to.
Use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines in young children can result in serious and potentially life-threatening side effects. To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address.
What's this? You may feel a tickle, an itch, or even a sore throat. It may also cause your voice to sound hoarse. Your inflamed sinuses may also restrict how well you can breathe through your nose. The infection causes swelling in your sinuses and nasal passages.
The relentless pressure and swelling in your sinuses can give you symptoms of a headache. Sinus pain can also give you earaches, dental pain, and pain in your jaws and cheeks. Sinus headaches are often at their worst in the morning because fluids have been collecting all night long. Your headache can also get worse when the barometric pressure of your environment changes suddenly. As the discharge from your sinuses drains down the back of your throat, it can cause irritation, especially over a long period of time.
This can lead to a persistent and annoying cough, which can be worse when lying down to sleep or first thing in the morning after getting up from bed. It can also make sleeping difficult. Sleeping upright or with your head elevated can help reduce the frequency and intensity of your coughing. Postnasal drip can leave you with a raw and aching throat. Although it may start as an annoying tickle, it can get worse. If your infection lasts for a few weeks or more, the mucus can irritate and inflame your throat as it drips, resulting in a painful sore throat and hoarse voice.
Make an appointment with your doctor if you have a fever , nasal discharge, congestion, or facial pain that lasts longer than ten days or keeps coming back. A fever is not a typical symptom of either chronic or acute sinusitis, but it is possible.
You could have an underlying condition that is causing your chronic infections, in which case you may need special treatment. Using a nasal decongestant spray , such as oxymetazoline , can help relieve sinus infection symptoms short-term. But you should limit your use to no more than three days. Longer use can cause a rebound effect in nasal congestion. When using nasal spray to treat a sinus infection, keep in mind that prolonged use can make your symptoms worse. Sometimes a steroid nasal spray, such as fluticasone, triamcinolone or mometasone, can help with nasal congestion symptoms without the risk of rebound symptoms from prolonged use.
Currently, fluticasone and triamcinolone nasal sprays are available over-the-counter. Other over-the-counter medicines that contain antihistamines and decongestants can help with sinus infections, particularly if you also suffer from allergies.
Popular medicines of this kind include:. Decongestants are typically not recommended for people with high blood pressure , prostate issues , glaucoma , or sleep difficulties. Talk to your doctor before taking any of these medicines to make sure that they are the best choice for your specific medical condition. Recent studies have shown the usefulness of nasal irrigation in both acute and chronic sinusitis, as well as allergic rhinitis and seasonal allergies.
If using tap water, it is recommended that you boil the water and allow it to cool, or use a water filtration system. Other options include buying distilled water or using over-the-counter premixed solutions. It can be challenging to tell sinusitis apart from a cold or allergy, so knowing the symptoms of a sinus infection can help a person find the best treatment. This article looks at the symptoms and treatments of sinusitis and explains how to tell the difference between a sinus infection and a cold.
The characteristic symptoms of a sinus infection include :. Fluid trapped in the sinuses can fill the sinus cavities, causing intense pain and pressure. The sinuses may be sensitive to the touch. A person may have an urge to sneeze but be unable to do so.
The pain can be in the cheeks, around the eyes and nose, or in the forehead because these areas are where the sinuses are. Bending over may make the pain worse. The pressure and pain of sinusitis can cause headaches in the front of the head. Some people find that the pain radiates elsewhere, causing more widespread problems or even neck pain.
Postnasal drip is mucus that drips from the nose down to the back of the throat. It can cause feelings of hoarseness and congestion or a sense of pressure in the throat or mouth. A sinus infection usually happens where there is fluid trapped in the sinuses in which viruses, bacteria, or fungus can grow.
Because of the fluid buildup and inflammation , a person is likely to feel congested. A sinus infection can cause mucus and fluid to back up in the throat, which may make the throat itch or feel full. Some people repeatedly cough to try to clear the throat, but others experience uncontrollable coughing. A fever is a sign that the body is fighting off an infection. Some people develop a fever with a sinus infection. Other symptoms associated with fever include chills, exhaustion, and muscle aches.
Viruses, bacteria, or fungus in mucus can change its color. People with sinus infections often notice that they cough up green or yellow phlegm or that the mucus they blow out of their nose is a bright color. Sinusitis causes a lot of mucus production, and a person may find they are unable to clear the sinuses no matter how often they blow their nose.
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