The Problem with Using Saline for Nasal Irrigation

Do you suffer from persistent sinus problems that just keep coming back? For some people chronic sinus congestion and stuffiness make it hard to function during the day and even more difficult to sleep at night. In a desperate attempt to relieve the symptoms, they keep a bottle of nasal saline handy to irrigate their nasal passages throughout the day to relieve the stuffiness. Unfortunately, according to a new study, this practice may actually increase the risk of sinus problems instead of relieving them.

Saline for Nasal Irrigation: A Study

Researchers recruited a group of sixty people with recurrent sinus problems to use nasal saline irrigation twice a day for a period of twelve months. The same group was then asked to discontinue nasal irrigation completely for another twelve month period. They were monitored throughout the full two years and the number of episodes of sinusitis or sinus infection was recorded. Surprisingly, the number of episodes of sinusitis was fifty percent higher during the period when the participants used saline for nasal irrigation than when they used nothing at all.

Why Does Use of Nasal Saline Increase the Risk of Sinus Infections?

Use of nasal saline for sinusitis has been a common practice for many years and is often recommended by doctors as a treatment for chronic sinus congestion and stuffiness. This study calls into question the use of saline for nasal irrigation because it can increase the risk of infection. Researchers aren’t sure why using saline for nasal irrigation for long periods increases the risk of sinus infection, but they have a hypothesis. They believe that saline nasal solutions cause the protective layer that lines the nasal passages to become depleted. This lining of the nasal passages contains important immune cells that help to protect against bacteria and viruses.   

Should You Still Use Saline for Nasal Irrigation?

The researchers emphasize that use of nasal saline for sinus stuffiness is probably safe if done for short periods of time, but prolonged use could increase the risk of infection. The key is to use nasal saline irrigation only in moderation. It’s not something that most people should use on a daily basis.

Other treatments used to treat chronic sinus problems include mucolytics to thin down thick mucous secretions and decongestants to reduce the size of swollen nasal passages so air can move in and out more easily. Talk to your doctor and see if one of these other options would work better for you and – while you’re at it – lighten up on the nasal saline.