Power of the Sniff
Not too long ago I came across an argument that was trying to say that if you wanted the best effect of nasal saline solution you had to use a system that pushed the solution into the nose. This means that some type of pressure needs to be generated in the system. People with this point of view believe it works much better than sniffing the solution.
In my personal opinion, this is entirely incorrect. Although pushing the solution into the nasal passages under pressure can have favorable results, it has some problems. When people have either allergy problems or a sinus infection, mucus can plug the sinus opening and therefor block off the sinus.
Any time you put something into the nose with pressure that means it’s going to be “pressing” against “stuff”. That “stuff” in this case is mucous that might be plugging a sinus. Three things might happen: you might wash the plug away, you might jam it more securely in the opening or you might do nothing. One thing is for sure, when you put increased pressure into the nasal passages and things are inflamed, it will be more uncomfortable compared to the gentle cleansing of an inhaled nasal saline solution.
So think about it. Your nose feels uncomfortable. Your sinuses feel “congested”. Then you spray something up your nose under pressure. That’s a good feeling! Our alternative is to use the hand to hold the solution and to gently sniff it into your nose. Which do you think feels better?
When done properly, air is mixed in with the solution, and this causes a turbulence which gently irrigates the inside of the sinus cavities in a better way. The turbulence cleanses the inside of the sinus cavities in addition to the irrigation of the nasal saline solution.
So in summary you have some very different options. But not a lot of options. You can use a gentle approach learning how to sniff a nasal saline solution from the palm of your hand without needing any other equipment, or you can have an irrigation system that requires equipment and is more uncomfortable. Yours to choose. Sure, you have to learn the correct technique with the “sniffing”– but it takes all of 30 seconds to do that.