Being sick can leave you down in the dumps. Congestion is a common illness symptom that can lead to headaches, sinus pain, and even disrupt your sleep. If you’re congested and struggling to find relief, keep reading to learn more about tips for relieving congestion. At AFC Urgent Care Lyndhurst, our board-certified medical providers are available 7 days a week to provide patients near Lyndhurst, NJ with rapid illness symptom relief. Simply walk into the clinic when it’s convenient for you, or schedule your visit in advance online here.
Common Causes of Congestion
Congestion occurs when your body creates too much mucus, which causes a blockage in the sinuses. Our bodies naturally produce mucus as a way to keep our airways moist and flush out debris and irritants. However, in an attempt to clear the airways of infection, our immune systems can signal for our bodies to overproduce mucus, causing congestion in the sinuses.
Congestion can occur due to many different factors. Mild viral infections like colds are a common cause of congestion. Seasonal allergies, environmental irritants and dry air can also all lead to congestion.
Treatment Options for Congestion
If you’re struggling to control congestion, it can be frustrating. Congestion can impact your overall comfort and even affect your sleep. The most effective way to treat congestion is to diagnose the underlying cause of your symptoms. Your medical provider will be able to evaluate your symptoms and perform diagnostic testing to diagnose and treat your condition.
There are various at-home remedies for treating congestion on your own. This includes taking hot showers to break up the mucus, sleeping with a humidifier in your home, and using over the counter decongestant medications. In most cases, congestion will resolve on its own over time. However, if your symptoms continue to worsen after a few days or are severe, you should seek medical care.
When to Seek Medical Care
Congestion is a common illness symptom that often will resolve on its own with time and proper symptom management. However, there are a few cases where congestion could indicate a more severe illness or condition which requires care from a medical professional. In some cases, untreated congestion can lead to an infection within your sinus passages called a sinus infection. Similarly, congestion can indicate a bacterial infection which requires medications like antibiotics to treat effectively. If your symptoms worsen over time or don’t resolve within a week, you should seek medical care for treatment.
Walk Into AFC Lyndhurst for Same-Day Congestion Treatment in Lyndhurst, NJ
If you’re experiencing illness symptoms like congestion, AFC Urgent Care Lyndhurst can help. Our board-certified medical providers are available 7 days a week to provide patients near Lyndhurst, NJ with same-day illness symptom relief. We treat patients of all ages, and never require that you schedule an appointment in advance. Simply walk into the clinic when it’s convenient for you!
