Or, if you're cheap, throw a teaspoon of salt into 2 cups of water that has been boiled for 10 minutes, pour some in a shot glass and snort a bit up one nostril at a time. The higher alcohol content can thicken mucus by dehydrating you. One vice you can't afford is smoking. Inhaling smoke makes mucus thicker and aggravates sinusitis, Chester says. The spicy pepper and garlic slightly irritate your nasal passages, which helps them expand so you can breathe more easily.
Chicken contains cysteine, an amino acid that relieves mucus buildup and a scratchy throat.
He found that 28 percent of his patients had worse sinusitis symptoms after drinking red wine. Before you drift off, rub your sinuses by pressing your thumbs on both sides of your nose for 30 seconds, several times. This will increase blood flow and help relieve the sinus aches you feel when lying down. If you suffer repeated bouts of sinusitis that antibiotics can't cure, you need to have X-rays to determine what's blocking your sinuses, Archer says. You might need endoscopic surgery to breathe freely.