Health Tips from CS Health
How to use a nasal spray correctly
Whether you’re using a nasal spray for hay fever, allergies, a cold, nasal dryness or any nasal problem, it’s important to get your nasal spray technique right.
Using a nasal spray correctly means that you can be reassured that the contents are more likely to get to where they need to be and should work more effectively.
How to use a nasal spray correctly
How do you get the best results when using a nasal spray ?
The above diagram shows you how and follow the 3 simple steps below.
- Look down and spray a “V”,
- Inhale the spray or mist gently with your head slightly tilted forward
- Keep the spray nozzle angled outwards and mist inside the nose.
If there are other people in your household requiring a nasal spray, always use your own. Never share the same spray bottle as this may spread infection and could potentially worsen your condition. Clearly labelling your bottle is a great way to ensure that there’s no confusion between who’s nasal spray belongs to whom.
Useful hay fever tip
If you’re using a medicated nasal spray for allergies or hay fever, try a preservative-free isotonic nasal saline like Flo Saline Plus 10-15 minutes before your allergy nasal spray. This helps cleanse the nasal tissues and help improve it’s effectiveness*.
If in doubt…
If you’re still not sure , ask your GP or pharmacist to demonstrate how to use a nasal spray.
Please note when using a decongestant nasal spray, do not use longer than 3 days. If nasal symptoms continue to persist longer than 3 days, you should talk to your your GP or Pharmacist.
Note: For any nasal spray, make sure you always read and follow the instructions for use and if symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.
*Reference: Hermelingmeier, K. E., Weber, R. K., Hellmich, M., et al. Nasal irrigation as an adjunctive treatment in allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2012; 26: e119-25.
How to wash your nose with Flo and how it helps
Did you know that washing and clearing your nose with a preservative-free isotonic saline can benefit in many ways?
Ways a good nasal wash may help
- Helps to wash out viruses, allergens and irritants in the nose
- Helps cleanses and hydrate nasal tissues which is important for the maintenance of nasal immunity
- Can improve the effectiveness of medicated nasal sprays when the nasal saline is used first
- Thins excess mucus in the nose and sinuses can help relieve nasal and sinus congestion and discomfort.
Nasal washing in adults
For adults, we suggest you try Flo Sinus Care. Flo Sinus Care is available in most Australian pharmacies and comes with a squeezable bottle and pre-mixed sachets of a special formulation that is added to pre-boiled water. It mimics the body’s natural fluids so it’s gentle and suitable for daily use. The method is simple and takes less time than brushing your teeth. With a bit of practice, the action can take less than 30 seconds!
- Once you have included the solution to the bottle, insert the bottle’s nozzle into one nostril.
- Gently squeeze until the solution flows through your nose and out of the other nostril.
- Once approximately half the solution is used, you can repeat the process via the other nostril.
- It is important to keep the mouth open throughout to avoid gagging!
If you are out and about and need to keep your nose clear during the day, you may like to try Flo Saline Plus Nasal Spray or for added nasal hydration/moisture, try Flo Travel Nasal Spray (with Red Seaweed Extract).
Nasal washing in babies and children
For babies and kids, you can try Flo Baby Saline Nasal Drops or Spray and Flo Kids Saline Nasal Spray. All Flo salines in the range are preservative-free, isotonic and designed to be gentle on nasal tissues.
Both Flo Baby and Kids Salines use advanced technology which allows them to be administered at any angle, making it quick, easy and hassle-free for parents to use. No mucus aspirators are necessary in this process and often a baby hardly even notices when Flo Saline Nasal Drops or Spray are being administered.
The method for babies and children is simple and takes literally seconds.
- Position baby or child in a comfortable position.
2. Position the spray applicator tip just below the nostril and insert the required dose into each nostril.
3. Wipe baby or child’s nose with a soft clean tissue.
Nasal and sinus washing is a natural and effective therapy that has been around for decades with many benefits. We believe that it is worth trying – it could make all the difference to your’s and your family’s health this winter!
Hygiene tips for sinus washes and nasal sprays
If you and a family member suffer from nasal or sinus congestion, whether from colds, allergies, hay fever or sinusitis and you both need to use a nasal spray or sinus wash, always use your own device. Sharing the same product may spread infection and could potentially worsen your condition. Clearly labelling your device is a great way to ensure that there’s no confusion between who’s nasal spray or wash bottle belongs to whom.
Cleaning your sinus wash bottle is also vital to avoid contamination and we recommend that your bottle is thoroughly cleaned after every use.
- Discard any remaining solution in the bottle. Always make a fresh solution for each treatment.
- Clean all components i.e. bottle, tube and nozzle thoroughly using warm soapy water. Rinse all components well with tap water. Thoroughly dry using a clean paper towel.
- You may then wipe down the inside of the bottle and cap and tube with Isopropyl alcohol – this is available as pre-packed swabs or in solution (e.g. Isocol) from your local pharmacy. This helps to disinfect the bottle and components and to dry off any remaining water.
- Reassemble the bottle and store in refrigerator until next needed.
- Before making up your Flo solution for the next use, rinse bottle and components with previously boiled water to ensure any residuals from the Isopropyl alcohol are removed.
For more information, always refer to the carton and leaflet inside the product carton. We recommend you keep these handy so you can refer to when required.
Your pharmacist can also explain and demonstrate proper techniques for sinus irrigation and nasal spray application.