Sniff the Saline, or Spray the Saline?
One of the people I saw today asked me about the different ways to deliver saline solution into the nose. She wanted to know why it was better to sniff it from the palm of the hand rather than using a squirt bottle to spray the solution into the nose.
I want to be clear that it’s not a bad thing to spray the salt water solution into your nose using a spray bottle. I just think that you achieve more when you sniff it from your hand. Using the spray bottle is a great way to moisturize the nose, and this is particularly useful during the winter when the house humidity can get as low as the desert, around 3%.
But there usually is not enough solution being used to really “mobilize” secretions that might be plugging up the sinus openings when you use a nasal saline spray in the usual way. It’s enough to make the nose “run” a little bit and, as I said, it does help to moisturize the lining.
The person who uses the strategy of sniffing the saline spray from the hand has a completely different effect on the nose. The amount of solution going into the nose is much more than if the spray is used and this has an inevitable effect of removing secretions and mucus that is plugging up the sinus cavities. This essentially opens up the sinuses. I believe this decreases the odds that the sinuses will get infected with bacteria.
There is an exception to what I just said about using the nasal saline spray as an alternative. If you spray 10- 20 sprays up each nostril while you keep sniffing the saline, you will also mobilize secretions and perhaps help to keep the sinus openings clear of mucus secretions. It’s still not as good as the hand held irrigation from sniffing from your hand, but it’s better than just the moisturizing effect.
So, in summary, the best way to really mobilize secretions that might be blocking a sinus opening is to use large volumes of saline and to sniff it from the palm of your hand. This will work the best if you use the right technique. You can get a picture of that technique from my blog.
Want to find out more about how nasal saline can help your symptoms?, be sure to visit Stanley Lang’s site on how to choose the best saline nasal spray for your needs.