How to avoid a sinus infection

Sinus infections can be very uncomfortable, and can often mean you feel under the weather for longer if they’re caused by another infection such as a cold or the flu. Symptoms include headaches, facial pain, pressure behind the eyes and congestion.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to reduce your likelihood of developing sinusitis, helping you to feel better for longer. Keep reading to learn more.

How to prevent sinusitis

A key part of preventing sinusitis is understanding what causes it. It’s commonly an after-effect of upper respiratory infections like flu and the common cold, but it can also come about due to environmental irritants like cigarette smoke or allergens.

Avoiding these stimuli aren’t a surefire guarantee that you won’t end up with sinusitis, but it can help. And, as an added bonus, the following measures are a good way to avoid infections in general – so they’re well worth adding to your everyday routine.

Wash your hands frequently

This advice is well-worn for a reason. Washing your hands with soap and water helps to neutralise germs before they can cause illness – even viruses. The good news is, you don’t need expensive soaps to get the job done well – in fact, any soap will do the job.

That’s because the chemical makeup of soap helps to disrupt pathogens’ ability to stick to your skin. If you’ve ever seen children on a soap slide, the effect is similar. Soap essentially makes your hands slick and hard to stick to, so when you rinse your hands, the pathogens slide right off.

It can be easy to fall off track with washing your hands if you’re busy or getting your hands wet isn’t convenient. If that’s the case, then hand sanitiser containing alcohol can help to kill off pathogens instead.

Stay up to date with your vaccinations

Sinusitis commonly comes after another infection, so one of the best ways to avoid sinusitis is to avoid the other infection. By staying up to date with your recommended vaccinations, including the flu vaccine, you can better prepare your body to fight off minor illnesses and reduce your risk of becoming ill.

Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke

As mentioned, smoke can be a trigger for sinusitis. It’s been theorised that this is a result of the cilia – tiny hairs within the nasal passages which clear mucus away – being adversely affected by the smoke. They can’t work as efficiently, which leads to mucus build-up, which leads to congestion.

Whatever the specific biological reasoning, direct and secondhand smoke is well-known for causing sinus symptoms and headaches. Steering clear of it where possible – by stopping smoking or limiting contact with others who smoke – is a good way to reduce your risk of these symptoms, as well as the other health risks associated with smoking.

Steer clear of dry air

Dry air can irritate the sinuses as well, and unfortunately can be common during the winter months as we turn the central heating on indoors. However, it’s relatively simple to solve the problem. You can:

• Regularly open your windows for short periods to allow old, dry air to circulate out and be replaced
• Use a clean humidifier to introduce controlled moisture to your home air
• Allow damp clothes to dry indoors.

Reduce contact with infectious people

Last but not least, one of the best and most effective ways to avoid minor illnesses is to keep your distance from people who are contagious. It sounds obvious, but it’s easier said than done – especially if you work in a busy environment.

During times of high infectiousness – for example, in the winter months when it seems like every other person has a cold – try to spend as little time as possible in enclosed spaces with others. Don’t share eating or drinking utensils or containers with anyone infected, and try to limit close physical contact like hugs until they’re feeling better. If it’s possible for you, working from home  even for a few days can be a great help.

There’s no way to completely prevent a sinus infection, and many of us will have one at some stage in our lives. If that’s you, Day Lewis Pharmacy can offer sinusitis treatment to help you feel better quicker, so you can get back to your usual routine. Either way, the tips above can reduce your risk of minor illnesses, rain or shine.