Seeing your doctor is the best way to learn if you have an infection, to find the cause, and to get treatment. Pain is a common symptom of sinusitis. You have several different sinuses above and below your eyes as well as behind your nose. Any of these can hurt when you have a sinus infection. Inflammation and swelling cause your sinuses to ache with a dull pressure. You may feel pain in your forehead, on either side of your nose, in your upper jaws and teeth, or between your eyes.
This may lead to a headache. When you have a sinus infection, you may need to blow your nose often because of nasal discharge, which can be cloudy, green, or yellow.
This discharge comes from your infected sinuses and drains into your nasal passages. The discharge may also bypass your nose and drain down the back of your throat. You may feel a tickle, an itch, or even a sore throat. It may also cause your voice to sound hoarse. Your inflamed sinuses may also restrict how well you can breathe through your nose. The infection causes swelling in your sinuses and nasal passages. The relentless pressure and swelling in your sinuses can give you symptoms of a headache.
Sinus pain can also give you earaches, dental pain, and pain in your jaws and cheeks. Sinus headaches are often at their worst in the morning because fluids have been collecting all night long. Your headache can also get worse when the barometric pressure of your environment changes suddenly.
As the discharge from your sinuses drains down the back of your throat, it can cause irritation, especially over a long period of time. This can lead to a persistent and annoying cough, which can be worse when lying down to sleep or first thing in the morning after getting up from bed. It can also make sleeping difficult. Sleeping upright or with your head elevated can help reduce the frequency and intensity of your coughing.
Postnasal drip can leave you with a raw and aching throat. Although it may start as an annoying tickle, it can get worse. If your infection lasts for a few weeks or more, the mucus can irritate and inflame your throat as it drips, resulting in a painful sore throat and hoarse voice. Make an appointment with your doctor if you have a fever , nasal discharge, congestion, or facial pain that lasts longer than ten days or keeps coming back. A fever is not a typical symptom of either chronic or acute sinusitis, but it is possible.
You could have an underlying condition that is causing your chronic infections, in which case you may need special treatment. Using a nasal decongestant spray , such as oxymetazoline , can help relieve sinus infection symptoms short-term.
But you should limit your use to no more than three days. Longer use can cause a rebound effect in nasal congestion. Discover how your sinus problem could cause this issue and what you need to do about it. Sinus infections happen when your sinus passages have inflammation and congestion. These factors contribute to pressure and sinus headaches. This inflammation or blockage may also affect your ears , resulting in dizziness from pressure or an infection.
Sinus problems may also contribute to ear infections that could cause dizziness or lightheadedness. For instance, middle ear infections may result from allergies or blockage of the Eustachian tubes, which can also cause sinusitis. Middle ear infections may cause a discharge from your ears in some cases.
If your sinus issues affect your inner ears, you could experience labyrinthitis. In addition to dizziness, you may also experience nausea and vomiting from this condition. To treat lightheadedness, get as much rest as you can because the light feeling in your head should pass when you lie down. For dizziness, you will need to treat your sinus problems. When treating sinus or ear problems that cause dizziness at home, never use ear candling to remove wax from the ears.
The organization noted that this method poses a risk for burns and does not have any scientific evidence to support its use to remove ear wax or help ear infections. If you have allergies that contribute to your sinus problems, take antihistamines to reduce the allergic reaction and mucus buildup in your sinuses. Next, try decongestants to reduce inflammation and congestion in your sinus passages. While decongestants can ease sinus pressure and subsequent dizziness, do not take them for an extended time without consulting with your doctor.
Nasal decongestant sprays can have a rebound effect and cause worse congestion if used for several days in a row. If you continue to feel dizziness or lightheadedness after treating your problem at home, call a doctor to see if you need a prescription or an alternative treatment to help your sinus or ear problems. Sinusitis can lead to nausea in some people. Learn about how nasal congestion can cause that queasy feeling in your stomach and what to do about it.
When you have a sinus infection, you also have a post-nasal drip. Sinus drainage nausea happens from this post-nasal drip flowing into your stomach.
Nausea can be worse when you have an empty stomach. Unfortunately, post-nasal drip often worsens at times when you have an empty stomach, like in the middle of the night and early morning. As noted, sinus infections can cause dizziness from ear infections or pressure.
This feeling of movement and being off-balance could also make you feel nausea. In fact, another symptom of labyrinthitis , which also causes dizziness, is nausea. Treating the sinus problem will alleviate both dizziness and nausea. Acute sinusitis is most often caused by the common cold, which is an infection with a virus. In some cases, an infection with bacteria develops. Acute sinusitis complications are uncommon, and serious complications are rare.
If they occur, complications might include:. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Acute sinusitis causes the spaces inside your nose sinuses to become inflamed and swollen. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic.
Healthy sinuses Open pop-up dialog box Close. Healthy sinuses Sinuses are cavities around nasal passages. Acute sinusitis Open pop-up dialog box Close. Acute sinusitis Acute sinusitis is most often caused by the common cold. More Information Sinus infection and toothache: Any connection? Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Sinus headaches are headaches that may feel like an infection in the sinuses sinusitis. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic.
Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Patel ZM, et al. Evaluation and management of "sinus headache" in the otolaryngology practice. Otolaryngology Clinics of North America. The Merck Manual Professional Edition. Accessed Jan. Levine H, et al. Why the confusion about sinus headache? Sinus infection sinusitis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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