Blocked nose: causes, how long it lasts and how to unblock it

What helps depends on the cause, but the NHS pages on colds, sinusitis, hay fever and nasal polyps share a set of simple measures that are worth trying first. Most people can treat a blocked nose at home.

For mild sinusitis, the NHS suggests getting plenty of rest, drinking plenty of fluids, taking painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen if you have pain (do not give aspirin to children under 16), avoiding things that trigger your allergies, not smoking, and cleaning your nose with a salt water solution. For a cold, the NHS adds breathing in steam to ease a blocked nose by sitting in the bathroom with a hot shower running.

A pharmacist can help. The NHS says you can buy decongestant nasal sprays, drops or tablets to unblock your nose without a prescription, and that a pharmacist can advise on the best medicine. If an allergy is the cause, a pharmacist can suggest antihistamines or steroid nasal sprays.

If your nose stays blocked, the NHS says a GP or pharmacist may prescribe steroid nasal sprays or drops to reduce swelling in the sinuses, which you might need to take for a few months, and antihistamines if an allergy is causing the symptoms. Antibiotics are rarely needed, as sinusitis is usually caused by a virus rather than bacteria.

• Rest and drink plenty of fluids.

• Rinse your nose with a salt water solution.

• Breathe in steam, for example from a hot shower (not a bowl of hot water for children).

• Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain or a temperature, if suitable for you.

• Avoid known triggers such as pollen, and do not smoke.

• Ask a pharmacist about decongestants, antihistamines or steroid nasal sprays.

The answer depends on the cause. A cold is short-lived, whereas an allergy can last for as long as you are exposed to the trigger, and nasal polyps do not clear without treatment.

The NHS lists a blocked nose among the symptoms of several common conditions. The sinuses are small, empty spaces behind your cheekbones and forehead that connect to the inside of the nose, and when their lining swells it stops mucus draining properly, which makes you feel blocked up.

• The common cold: a blocked or runny nose, sneezing, sore throat and a cough, with symptoms coming on gradually over 2 to 3 days.

• Sinusitis: swelling of the sinuses, usually caused by an infection, often after a cold or flu, with pain and tenderness around the cheeks, eyes or forehead and a reduced sense of smell.

• Hay fever and other allergies: a runny or blocked nose with sneezing, itchy eyes and throat, caused by an allergic reaction to pollen.

• Nasal polyps: painless soft growths inside the nose that can block it, often with reduced smell or taste and snoring. The NHS says it is not clear what causes them, and that asthma and aspirin sensitivity increase the risk.

• Overuse of decongestant sprays, which can make stuffiness worse.

The NHS gives these steps for cleaning your nose with a homemade solution. Salt water washes of this type are described as not suitable for children in the NHS nasal polyps guidance.

• Boil around 570ml (1 pint) of water, then leave it to cool.

• Mix 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda into the water.

• Wash your hands, then stand over a sink and cup the palm of one hand with a small amount of the solution.

• Sniff the water into one nostril at a time, breathing through your mouth, and let it pour back into the sink. Try not to let it go down the back of your throat.

• Repeat up to 3 times a day, making a new solution each time, until your nose feels more comfortable.

The NHS describes decongestants as medicines that provide short-term relief for a blocked or stuffy nose by reducing swelling of the blood vessels in the nose. Most can be bought without a prescription.

Decongestant nasal sprays and drops should not be used for more than 5 days at a time, because using them for too long can make your stuffiness worse. The NHS says to speak to a GP if symptoms do not improve or get worse after this time. Most decongestants should only be used between 1 and 4 times a day, and you should not use more than one medicine to treat a blocked nose at the same time.

The NHS says decongestants should not be used without advice from a pharmacist or GP by people taking other medicines or with diabetes, high blood pressure, an overactive thyroid, an enlarged prostate, liver, kidney, heart or circulation problems, or glaucoma. Some antidepressants taken alongside a decongestant can cause a dangerous rise in blood pressure. Decongestants should not be given to children under 6, and children aged 6 to 11 should take them for no longer than 5 days.

The NHS says it is not clear whether it is safe to take any type of decongestant if you are pregnant, so you should only use them if told to by a healthcare professional. It adds that some cough and cold medicines are not suitable for babies, children and pregnant women, and that you should ask a pharmacist or midwife before taking anything.

Non-medicine measures from the NHS cold and sinusitis advice, such as rest, fluids, steam and a salt water rinse, are the usual starting point. If a blocked nose is severe, lasts a long time or comes with a high temperature or other symptoms, tell your midwife or GP.

The NHS says cold symptoms can last longer in young children, who may also be irritable, have difficulty feeding and sleeping, breathe through their mouth and be sick after coughing. NICE CKS says severe nasal congestion may interfere with feeding, breathing and sleep in young children, and that symptoms typically last 10 to 14 days.

Do not give aspirin to children under 16. Do not let children breathe in steam from a bowl of hot water because of the risk of scalding, and do not give decongestants to children under 6. The NHS says to call 111 for advice if a child under 5 has sinusitis symptoms, and to see a GP if you are worried about your child's cold symptoms or a child aged 11 or younger has sinusitis.

It depends on the cause. A cold is caused by viruses that spread easily. The NHS says you are infectious until all your symptoms have gone, usually 1 to 2 weeks, and a person can start spreading a cold from a few days before their symptoms begin. Colds spread through germs from coughs and sneezes, which can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours.

To reduce the risk of spreading a cold, wash your hands often with warm water and soap, use tissues when you cough or sneeze and bin them quickly. Allergies such as hay fever and nasal polyps are not infectious.

The NHS says to see a pharmacist if you think you have sinusitis, and to see a GP in the following situations.

• Sinusitis symptoms do not get better after 7 days of treatment from a pharmacy or GP, or after 3 weeks of treating symptoms yourself.

• You keep getting sinusitis, or you only have symptoms on one side of your face.

• Cold symptoms do not get better after 10 days, get worse, or you have a high temperature for more than 3 days.

• You feel short of breath or have chest pain, or you have a long-term condition or weakened immune system.

• Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if you are very unwell, painkillers do not help or symptoms get worse, or you have a weakened immune system.

• A GP may refer you to an ENT specialist if you still have sinusitis after 3 months of treatment, keep getting it, or only have symptoms on 1 side of your face.

On the NHS, most blocked noses are managed by a pharmacist or GP using the steps above. If symptoms persist, a GP may refer you to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, who may look inside the nose and consider surgery such as functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) for chronic sinusitis, or removal of polyps. The NHS says most people who have polyp surgery see an improvement, but it is common for polyps to grow back, usually within a few years.

Some people choose to see a private ENT specialist for a quicker opinion. The assessment and treatments are the same, and a GP can be kept informed of any plan so your records stay complete.