Nasal irrigation/sinus rinsing. There are accessories that make it more comfortable too. I think salt water in particular is just because non-isotonic water inside your nose hurts and irritates the membranes.
You can get sterile saline solutions for this purpose, in case you don't want "natural" seawater. Yes, too little (or too much) salt in the water will be painful.
You can just dissolve a teaspoon of salt to half a litre of any warm fresh drinkable water (tapwater is fine if it’s even reasonably good quality). Should be hundreds of times cheaper than sterile solution :)
> CDC officials, citing a 2021 survey, say about one-third of U.S. adults incorrectly think tap water was free of bacteria and other microorganisms. Nearly two-thirds say tap water could be safely used for rinsing their sinuses.
> The CDC recommends using boiled, sterile or distilled water.
I may be biased by the quality of tap water where I live. Pharmacies around here definitely advise just using warm tap water, although they do of course also sell more sterile stuff too.
Sinus rinsing is one of those things that gets recommended a lot without thought. For many conditions, it's great relief, but on the flip side, if you have e.g. inflamed sinuses or the like, it can make your condition considerably worse. As always, it's best to consult your doctor, because there's more nuance to human health than handy tips online would let on.
