Simple and Effective Ways to Combat Nasal Dryness

December 10, 2016

During the fall and winter seasons, our bodies tend to get a little (or a lot) dry. This is a good time to make sure we keep ourselves hydrated inside and out. One of the things I notice quite frequently in people is nasal dryness through these colder seasons which is heightened by keeping our heater on overnight. Typically what happens is you wake up with a dry nose and possibly dry throat. Then, over the course of days, your body starts to generate more mucous in an attempt to generate some internal lubrication for these areas. You end up having to deal with a stuffy nose which can be uncomfortable. Below, I'll share with you a few very simple and effective ways to combat nasal dryness through the drier seasons.

 

1. Sesame oil: Before bed, put some sesame oil on your fingertip and gently inhale through each nostril or rub inside each nostril to lubricate the inside of your nose. This creates a buffer for your inner nose to protect against dryness from the heater or general dry conditions in the wintertime. You can also do this during the day if you are experiencing dryness throughout the day. This is so simple and so awesomely effective, its totally worth a try.

2. Keep yourself hydrated from the inside. This means not only drinking water, but actually making sure your body has enough minerals. (Minerals are things such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, etc.) Minerals are what help water get inside the cells and create proper hydration in the body. Just drinking more bottled water or filtered water won't necessarily make you more hydrated. But it will make you pee more. Now, that's not very functional. Lets get the most out of your water by making sure you get some minerals in your body. 

My favorite sources of minerals are:

•  Vegetables: Green leafy veggies like brussel sprouts, spinach, kale, and any other green leafy veggie. Eating a general variety of veggies will also do the trick here. (Note: the better the soil has been cared for where those vegetables are grown, the higher the mineral content of those vegetables. Farmer's market and back yard veggies tend to be higher in minerals than conventional veggies found at super markets.)
• Coconut Water: Coconut water has some naturally occurring minerals that help the body hydrate. My current favorite brand is Harmless Harvest coconut water, but there are other brands out there.
• Mountain Valley Spring Water: If you're going to be reaching for a bottle of water, there is nothing that comes close to Mountain Valley Spring Water. This water actually hydrates much better than other bottled waters because it has not been stripped of minerals. It has the proper balance of minerals making this water one of the most effective water for hydration purposes.
• Bone Broth: This takes a bit longer but if you have the chance to either make some bone broth or snag a bit of someone else's, take the opportunity. Bone broth is jam-packed with minerals because you're literally cooking down bones in a soup so all the minerals from the bones stay in the broth. This is not only super nutritious but also very hydrating. Note: I'm talking about the real bone broth that takes hours to cook, not the stuff in a carton at the super market. Make sure you snag any opportunity to drink real bone broth.

3. Keep heater low: The last thing I try to do is to keep my heater low. I notice that if I bundle up and don't blast the heater at night, I can also help prevent some of that nasal dryness. Find the lowest point on the heater you can tolerate without getting cold through the night. Bundle up with clothing rather than the heater overnight so you don't have to deal with as much nasal dryness. For some, that's enough to avoid the dryness all together. 

Be well.

Mariela, L.Ac.,MAOM,ACN

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