How to Treat a Stuffy Nose from the Flu

Take a Nice, Long Hot Shower

Steam is a well-known home remedy for stuffy noses.¹ Inhaling steam can help alleviate congestion by expanding the nasal passage and opening up your sinuses.¹ Crank up the water temperature and make your bathroom feel downright tropical. Take a deep breath and inhale the steam.¹ Try blowing your nose (gently) afterward into a tissue to remove loose mucus.¹

Sip on Ginger Tea with Lemon

Ginger is a flavorful root with powerful active compounds that can help combat sinus inflammation.^1,2 Put on your coziest bathrobe, throw on a cartoon, kick back and enjoy a ginger tea with some lemon juice squeezed in. Citrus fruits like lemon are a great source of vitamin C, one of the most important vitamins for immune support.^1,2

Try adding honey to your ginger tea if your diet allows it. Honey contains anti-microbial properties that can help support your immune system and potentially reduce other symptoms associated with the flu, like a sore throat.¹

Use a Diffuser with Menthol

Try a diffuser with a few drops of menthol, also known as peppermint oil.¹ Menthol is said to have nasal decongestant properties and may help clear the sinuses.¹ Just add minimal drops into your diffuser with cold water and set it on a table in the same room.¹

Apply a Warm Compress

A warm compress can help relieve sinus pressure and congestion by reducing swelling in the nasal passages and loosening up mucus.¹ Take a washcloth and run it under warm or hot water. Wring out the rag to remove excess water and place it over the center bridge of your nose for several minutes until you’re ready to remove it.¹

Try a Nasal Spray

Nasal decongesting sprays can be effective at getting rid of the stuffiness you feel in your nose when you’re sick. Nasal sprays help relieve nasal and sinus congestion as well as postnasal drip.³ Like Theraflu-D, they’re commonly available as over-the-counter medications.

However, unlike most nasal sprays, Theraflu-D treats multiple symptoms of the flu, not just nasal decongestion. Theraflu-D can also treat minor aches and pains, headaches, coughing and fever.

Use an Over-the-Counter Decongestant Like Theraflu-D

Steamy showers and piping cups of tea can only do so much. Choose an over-the-counter medication like Theraflu-D that’s formulated to fight your toughest cold and flu symptoms. Theraflu-D is a cherry-flavored syrup containing pseudoephedrine—the most powerful oral nasal decongestant available without a prescription.

The flu is no joke. If over-the-counter medication or home remedies fail to give you relief from flu symptoms, seek medical attention.¹