Sinuses are hollow spaces in the bones around your eyes and nose. These spaces are covered with a lining that makes mucus. This mucus drains into the nose through tiny openings.

People who have sinus problems usually mean they have a stuffy nose, nasal congestion, and pressure in their head.

Irritation from colds, allergies and fumes can make the inside of the nose swell, which blocks the openings that drain the sinuses. Hormones during pregnancy and monthly menstrual cycles can also cause the inside of the nose to swell. When the sinuses are blocked, they fill with fluid and you can feel pressure in your cheeks and forehead.

• DO NOT SMOKE.
• Use saline (salt water) nose spray or nose drops, three or four sprays or drops in each nostril, four to six times a day. This will help thin the mucus in your nose and sinuses and rinse away bacteria and viruses. Thin mucus will drain more easily from your nose and sinuses. You can use saline spray or drops for weeks without causing any harm.
• Lean over a bowl of steaming hot water, with a towel draped over your head and the bowl, and breathe deeply through your nose. This also helps thin and drain the mucus.
• Drink extra fluids.
• Sleep propped up on two or three pillows to help drain your sinuses.
• Always blow your nose gently through both sides at once, with your mouth open.
• Use decongestant pills to decrease the swelling in your nose and sinuses. Do not use decongestant pills if you have high blood pressure or are taking the antidepressants Nardil or Parnate (MAOIs).
• Take an expectorant to help thin the mucus.
• Do not use antihistamines. They make the mucus thick and dry.
• Do not use decongestant nose sprays or nose drops for more than two or three days. These medicines can cause rebound swelling and make your symptoms worse. Do not use decongestants if you have high blood pressure or are taking Nardil or Parnate.
• If you think you have allergies, talk to your health-care provider.
• If you are taking allergy medicines, use them as directed.

Sometimes when the sinuses stay blocked, you can get a bacterial infection called sinusitis. Bacterial sinusitis is sometimes treated with antibiotics. It is often difficult, even for health-care providers, to tell if you need antibiotics. Sinus problems caused by colds, allergies and irritants, are much more common than bacterial sinusitis.

If you have a bacterial sinusitis you might need to take antibiotics. Colds and allergies do not get better with antibiotics. Even bacterial sinusitis can get better without antibiotics. See your health-care provider if you have the following four signs:

• Pain in your cheeks or upper back teeth
• A lot of bright yellow or green drainage from your nose for more than 10 days
• No relief from decongestants
• Symptoms that get worse instead of better after your cold is gone

If you are always getting sinus problems or sinusitis, you need to see your health-care provider. You might have allergies, smoke sensitivity, "sick building" syndrome, nasal polyps (small growths in your nose), or a deviated septum.