Prevention

If you're prone to sinus infections, it's important to try to avoid colds and treat them effectively when you do catch them. Frequent hand washing, which can involve the use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and daily sinus washing can help prevent colds, as can keeping your hands away from your nose, eyes, and mouth. Try to keep a distance of three feet from people who have a cold to avoid airborne contamination, and wash your hands after touching anything they have touched. Some people have positive experiences avoiding or treating colds with vitamin C, echinacea, and zinc lozenges (though zinc in larger doses can weaken the immune system). An over-the-counter zinc-based nose spray called Zicam has been shown to reduce the duration of a cold.

If you have a cold, you should control sinus inflammation and congestion to try to prevent a sinus infection. Techniques include those described in more detail elsewhere in this document, such as sinus irrigation, saline nose spray (with or without Alkalol or Alkalol-type ingredients), steam inhalation, using a hot compress on the nose and cheeks, nose/cheek massage, drinking lots of liquids, eating hot chicken broth with garlic, using a vaporizer at night, gentle (as opposed to forceful) nose blowing, using a steroid nasal spray, taking an oral decongestant, taking ibuprofen or naproxen sodium, and taking papaya enzyme tablets.

If you have sinus problems, it's best to avoid air travel when you have a cold, are experiencing an allergy attack, or are suffering from acute sinusitis. Changes in air pressure can potentially cause a vacuum to form in the sinuses, leading to severe pain. Dry cabin air can also dehydrate sinus membranes, leading to or aggravating an infection. Finally, air in airplanes is often high in carbon dioxide and bacterial and fungus contaminants.

If you need to fly, before take-off, you can use a nasal spray decongestant or take an oral decongestant. During the flight you should drink plenty of nonalcoholic beverages (alcohol at any time can cause dehydration and swelling of sinus membranes, and when flying it will just exacerbate the effects of dry cabin air). One trick is to bring a water bottle on board with you or drink hot tea when offered. You can also use saline nose spray during flight to help keep your sinuses from drying out. Hanging a wet towel in a dry hotel room can increase humidity slightly.

Along with alcohol, antidepressants and antihistamines can dry out the sinuses and exacerbate sinusitis symptoms.