What we need to know about nasal hygiene

When you hear the term “bodily hygiene,” what images or phrases come to your mind? “Take a bath daily” is probably one of them. Or maybe “brush your teeth regularly.” “Wash your hands before eating” is another one. But what about “clean your nose”? You probably would not have thought of it, right?

In fact, the concept of keeping your nose healthy or nasal hygiene is probably a foreign one to many of us – it sure was to me!

However, after recently attending an event organized by Humer – a trusted French brand with a range of innovative, efficient and natural treatments – I now know that nasal hygiene is an important thing, especially if you or your loved ones are prone to colds and allergic rhinitis.

Why nasal hygiene is important

Here are a few reasons for keeping our noses – and the noses of our loved ones – clean:

1. It helps reduce the amount of excess mucus in our noses.

Nasal mucus is the body’s natural way of clearing our noses of airborne particles and irritants that are constantly being inhaled into our nasal passages. However, when we have allergies, a cold or a sinus infection, our bodies produce mucus in larger than normal quantities.

Thus, cleaning our noses with nasal sprays can help clear the nasal passages of excess mucus, and improve air flow through the nose.

2. It helps reduce the effects of allergies.

When there is an increase in exposure to airborne particles like allergens or irritants, our noses need additional “help." Cleaning our noses with natural seawater solution helps clear nasal passages of the aforementioned particles, which in turn decreases their contact time with our nasal tissue. This means you don’t have to deal with the effects of allergies for a prolonged period of time.

3. It helps in cleansing the nasal and sinus membranes of our noses.

These membranes prevent particles from the air from reaching the lungs, where they might cause infection or irritation. The process can be likened to keeping the air filter in your car clean – your nose needs to be clean too, for optimal function.

What we can do to keep our noses clean

Having a regular nasal hygiene routine helps strengthen our noses’ natural defenses. We can use natural seawater nasal sprays such as those featured at the Humer event mentioned earlier. 

We moms who were present at the Humer event learned a lot about nasal hygiene.

Such sprays are naturally rich in trace elements like copper, manganese and sulfur, and come in easy-to-use bottles with anti-return valves. They can be safely used everyday, even while lying down, and are effective and safe for infants, children and adults, including pregnant women.

Besides using a nasal spray, we can do other things to help the nose’s mucus membrane perform its function, i.e. to protect the body. One way is to reduce what could be considered external “threats” in our environment – by cleaning our homes regularly, not letting dust accumulate on objects, and avoiding smoke from cigarettes and other air pollutants.

Taking care of our noses may not come naturally to all of us, but it may reap more benefits than we think. For more tips on how to do so, click here.