If you are like the rest of us, you will get a cold this winter. Maybe it will be your first and maybe it will be your second, third or even fourth! Whichever number cold it is this winter, chances are you will feel pretty miserable. I have been doing my best to avoid being sick this winter. I’ve escaped the misery of the common cold until now. Now it feels like my head is filled with bricks or cotton or a variety of other things that seem to change from minute to minute. The part I hate the most is the stuffy nose.

I have very little patience when it comes to having a stuffy nose. I really dislike it, you could even say I hate it. Doesn’t everyone? There is just something about having a stuffy nose that makes things seem downright miserable. I don’t really do well with the idea of staying in bed and waiting it out. I don’t have time for this cold. I have a few things I always try to do when I am trying to beat a stuffy nose. Do you? I took to the internet to find a few more. (I’m not a medical professional, these are just the things I have seen help.)

Cold medicine
This is often the first option for relief of a stuffy nose. There are dozens of companies out there marketing medicines to clear your head and send your cold symptoms packing. I’ll be the first one to say it; these don’t always work very well. When cold medicines fail, or sometimes even before cold medicines, I try other things.

Spicy food
This is a standby in our house. When I get a stuffy nose, I turn to spicy foods like Andy Capp’s Hot Fries. I’ve been known to keep a few bags on hand during cold season just in case the stuffy nose strikes. Hot mustards and a variety of other spices seem to help with a stuffy nose too. Relief might be sort of temporary but it helps.

Steamy showers
Another of my favorites, the steamy shower. It really seems to help with a stuffy nose. Anyone else take multiple steamy showers a day when a bad cold strikes? I love taking a good steamy shower when I have a stuffy nose.

Use humidifiers
A humidifier increases the humidity in the air in your home, breathing the humid air may help soothe irritated and swollen sinuses. Humidifiers can be found at most drug and discount stores. They range in price from fairly cheap to fairly expensive. Even the cheaper humidifiers can really help a stuffy nose.

Saline spray
Saline sprays are available over-the-counter and cost very little. Saline spray can help moisturize your nasal passages and relieve a stuffy nose. Remember don’t share saline spray with other family members and toss out the bottle of saline spray after you are better. Reusing or sharing saline spray bottles will spread those nasty germs.

Neti pot
I have heard a lot about using a neti pot and I read a lot online. They are supposed to work wonders for a stuffy nose. I haven’t tried this; I just can’t get ok with rinsing my sinuses out. If you’ve tried it and love it, let us know. Maybe you can convince me to try it for my stuffy nose, we’ll see.

Essential oils
I know a lot of people who use essential for everything, including a stuffy nose. I don’t know a lot about them but I do know I have tried a couple kinds that have seemed to help. Sometimes a good whiff of a minty smell opens that stuffy nose right up.

Have more ideas to share? Let us know. We love to hear from you!