Keep a shaker of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes in the kitchen. Mix a pinch into a glass of warm water (just a sip!) or sprinkle it directly onto your tongue. As you swallow, the heat triggers a nerve reflex (trigeminal nerve) that tells your blood vessels to constrict in the nose, shrinking swollen turbinates instantly. Stop blowing your nose. Repeated blowing increases pressure and shoves mucus deeper into the sinuses.

If you don't have an onion, a jar of horseradish or wasabi works the same way. Spicy food works because of capsaicin. But you don't need a bowl of pho at 11 PM.

Take a deep breath. You’ve got this.

Whether it is a common cold, seasonal allergies, or that dry winter air, nasal congestion makes you feel claustrophobic inside your own head. You don't want a remedy that works "in a few hours." You want relief now .

There is nothing quite as frustrating as lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, realizing you have forgotten how to breathe through your nose.

While a neti pot or a humidifier is great for long-term maintenance, here are five science-backed tricks to open your airways in 60 seconds or less. You might have heard the advice to "sneeze into your elbow," but have you heard of the autonomic reflex that unblocks your nose?

Try this: When you feel the urge to gasp, tilt your head back slightly and sway side to side. When you finally take a breath, take it gently through your nose.

Disclaimer: If you have chronic sinusitis, a deviated septum, or nasal polyps, these tricks are bandaids. See an ENT if you are congested for more than 10 days.