3 Quick Cures For a Chronic Runny Nose

Does the autumn chill in the air have you sniffling and sneezing? It’s that time of year — but we’ve got the cure! These doctor-approved tips work around the clock to fight sinus infections, and can stop a chronic runny nose. Try them today and breathe easier morning, noon, and night.

Try this spray in the morning.

Swap your regular nasal spray for one with vitamin C, and you’ll enjoy a symptom-free day. Research in Ear, Nose & Throat Journal found that vitamin C sprays have a 74 percent success rate of tamping down the most irritating sinus cold symptoms — that’s 300 percent better than a placebo. Turns out, the nutrient is nature’s antihistamine. It cuts levels of the stuffiness-triggering body chemical histamine in half, and reduces the swelling and inflammation that block sinuses. Plus, C-sprays won’t trigger the vicious cycle of “rebound congestion” that happens within five days of using most drugstore and prescription nasal sprays. One to try: NutriBiotic Nasal Spray (Buy from iHerb, $7.49).

Lift your chin during the day.

Most of us walk a bit hunched over, or tilt our heads down to look at our phones. Surprisingly, this posture is a sneaky cause of a runny nose. “When we’re constantly leaning forward, mucus has to work against gravity,” says Dr. Ameet R. Kamat, M.D., director of sinus and skull base surgery at White Plains Hospital in New York. This tech-triggered stance throws our sinuses out of alignment, causing fluid to pool in the nose rather than draining out behind the throat as it should. The fix: Straighten up, then lift your chin so your jawbone is level with the floor. Voilà — no more stuffiness!

Sip this before bed.

Enjoy four ounces of pineapple juice an hour before bed, and you’ll cut symptoms while you snooze. The tropical fruit is packed with bromelain, an enzyme that acts like a decongestant, according to Indian research in Biomedical Reports. Indeed, a related study found the compound reduced sinusitis symptoms for 83 percent of study participants.

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A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.