The cause of a stuffy nose is thickened mucous membrane. This is a natural reaction to inflammation or dirt in your nose. Your body will fight against it. You can reduce the swelling of the nasal mucosa by using a good nasal spray that reaches high enough to moisten your entire nasal cavity or by rinsing your nose with a nasal douche. The saline solution used acts on your nasal mucosa, which will reduce the symptoms.

A stuffy nose can be caused by a cold virus. This causes your nasal mucous membrane or even the mucous membrane of your sinuses or sinuses or sinuses to become inflamed. Because of this inflammation, your mucous membrane thickens and you have a stuffy nose. An allergic reaction can also cause a stuffy nose. Pollen or pollen from grasses and trees (hay fever), dust mites, pet dander or mold enter your nose and are immediately recognized as dirty and filtered out. In an allergic reaction, the mucous membrane reacts extremely to these invaders, resulting in a stuffy nose. You can also get a stuffy nose while you sleep. During your REM sleep, you breathe deeper and faster than normal. If you exhale too much carbon dioxide, your body will respond with a stuffy nose to better retain the carbon dioxide. Using xylometazoline nasal spray also causes a stuffy nose.

Dr. J. van der Borden, ENT physician at neus.nu and earlier at the BovenIJ Hospital calls a stuffy nose a blockage of the nasal cavity. "That's annoying because then you start breathing through your mouth and all the dirt goes directly into your lungs. The nose warms and filters the air, which is much better for your lungs." According to him, rinsing your nose with a nasal douche and saline solution is a good solution. The salt acts on the nasal mucosa, reduces swelling and flushes all the dirt and mucus out of your nose. By rinsing your nose with a large-volume nasal douche which can contain a lot of water, you can remove blockages in your nose. Such a large nasal shower of at least 240 ml is very important according to Prof. Dr. W.J. Fokkens, ENT physician at the Amsterdam UMC. "The inside of your nose is the size of a hand. Then you understand that lots of water is better than little water." Rinsing with water under light pressure is also important, as opposed to a gentle spray that barely does anything. "Under light pressure you flush pathogenic 'stuff' out of your nose and the nasal mucosa can recover. Rinsing with salt water is an excellent therapy and logically has a beneficial effect."

In the acute phase, it is important to rinse your nose at least 2 to 4 times a day. You flush away excess mucus and dirt and give the mucous membrane a chance to recover. The acute phase is when you experience symptoms. For severe symptoms, you may rinse your nose an additional 2 times.

Preventively, it is good for everyone to rinse your nose once or twice a day. It prevents problems. "Make it a daily hygienic action, just like brushing your teeth," says ENT doctor Fokkens of the Amsterdam UMC.

You are in great danger of addiction! Xylometazoline or oxymetazoline immediately make you breathe better through your nose. They act on the blood vessels in your nose. These blood vessels contract, creating more room to breathe. This type of nasal spray (often sold under the name Otrivin or Nasivin) immediately relieves your symptoms, but does not solve the problem. And after 7 days, the active ingredients cause your nose to close again rather quickly. First you feel relief, then your nose is closed again. People then keep using these sprays, resulting in addiction and damage to the nasal mucosa. You also become more susceptible to infections because the cilia in your nose become damaged. Never use these sprays without consulting your doctor!

What you can do about xylometazoline nasal spray is to stop immediately. You will suffer from stuffiness and a stuffy nose, but eventually this will recover. You can also opt for an intermediate form, using your xylometazoline spray less frequently and alternating it with the NeilMed NasaMist nasal spray saline solution. Still only use the xylometazoline nasal spray in one nostril, while flushing the other with the NeilMed NasaMist. After about four weeks, rinse both nostrils with the NeilMed NasaMist. If you are heavily addicted, we recommend the NeilMed NasaMist nasal spray extra strong to. You can also use the NeilMed NasaMist All-in-one use: you spray and rinse your nose all at once. Once your nose has recovered, we recommend keeping your nose clean with the NeilMed Sinus Rinse nasal douche several times a day for a few weeks. After that, a maintenance frequency of 2 nasal rinses per day is sufficient.