You’ve heard the saying, “No pain, no gain” but for many of us who have experienced the tremendous, annoying pain associated with having a sinus infection, I am sure you feel as I do; there isn’t anything that I can gain or want to gain from having a sinus infection. Most of us have all experienced the pain and pressure in our head and face that only seems to get worse before it gets better. In the following article I will be talking about what causes sinus infections, some general sinus infection symptoms, where sinus infections occur, and some possible remedies to treating your sinus infection symptoms.
What causes sinus infection symptoms?
First of all we need to know what the sinuses are. The sinuses are hollow packets of air located on either side of the nose, behind and in-between the eyes, and in the forehead. The sinuses produce mucus that cleans and moistens the membranes of the nose and throat. Each sinus has an opening into the nose that allows for free exchange of mucus and air. Sinus infection symptoms are the result of inflammation and blockage of the openings. The mucus and pressure then build in the sinuses creating a perfect breading ground for bacteria. Sinus infection symptoms generally follow a cold or some other respiratory illness. For someone who suffers from allergies they can also be caused by an allergic reaction. Other causes include: blowing the nose too hard, not completely treating the first sinus infection, or frequent swimming.
General sinus infection symptoms:
- Headache
- Pain
- Upper jaw and tooth ache
- Tenderness around the nose, forehead and cheeks
- Swelling and pressure around the eyes
- Ear ache and infection
- Fever
- Weakness or fatigue
- A cough, runny nose or nasal congestion
- Bad breath
- Snoring
Other symptoms can include:
- Nasal sounding speech
- Only being able to breathe through your mouth because your asal passages are so plugged.
- A decreased or total loss of smell
- A nasty, possibility green, stinky nasal discharge. (Sounds exciting doesn’t it!?)
- That gross feeling of mucus draining down the back of your throat known as post nasal drip.
Where areas do Sinus infection symptoms affect?
There are essentially four areas where you can feel the pain and pressure from a sinus infection. You may have experienced a headache in the forehead caused by an infection in the frontal sinuses. If the pain is more focused in the cheekbone area then your maxillary sinuses are infected. Your sphenoid sinuses may be infected if the pain you experience is more general and goes all the way to the top of your head. The sphenoid sinuses are located deep behind the eyes right above the throat. Finally, if the infection centers in the ethmoidal sinuses, you’ll get that extremely uncomfortable pain behind the eyes.
What are the remedies for sinus infection symptoms?
Sinus infection symptoms are usually treated with an antibiotic, various nasal sprays, or other medication. Because sinus infection symptoms are common and chronic for many individuals, prevention is much better than the cure. There are some simple activities, such as using a humidifier and regularly cleansing nasal passages, which can greatly decrease your chances of experiencing sinus infection symptoms.
In this article we have looked at what causes sinus infection symptoms, some of the general sinus infection symptoms, where the sinus infections take place and some possible remedies to curing your sinus infection symptoms. I hope that you learned as much from reading this article as I did from writing it. I also hope that you will find the information in this article valuable to the health of you and your loved ones.
