High blood sugar levels from diabetes increase the chances for you to develop a sinus infection. That’s why there is a strong connection between a Sinus Infection And Diabetes. It’s a fact that folks who do not properly take care of their diabetes condition have a much higher chance of getting sinus infections.
Why Does Diabetes Increase Your Risk for Sinusitis?
Sugar is the enemy here, not only with sinusitis, but also with yeast infections. The issue with this is that these infections are commonly treated with antibiotics and this will cause the overgrowth of yeast to become more of a problem and this will affect your sinusitis to rise to a chronic level.
High glucose levels cause a tremendous amount of issues for your body including your sinuses. Just think of how much less of a risk you’ll have of developing the extremely annoying sinus infection that will bring you down and have you suffer, just by controlling your blood sugars.
It’s not to say that each sinus infection you have is related to your diabetes. But if your type 2 diabetes is controlled? Then if you do wind up with a sinus infection, the odds are that the diabetes is not the culprit.
Managing and controlling blood sugars and diabetes makes all the difference in the world and it shouldn’t take a sinus infection to make you realize this.
Symptoms:
- Bad Breath
- Can’t Smell
- Coughing
- Earache
- Feeling Tired
- Fever
- Headache
- Loss of Hearing
- Puffiness in Face
- Sore Throat
- Stuffed up nose
- Tinnitus
Causes and How to Prevent Sinus Infections
1) Pools
Pools are great because swimming is on of the best exercises you can do. The unfortunate problem is that pools are heavily chlorinated and that makes your chances for picking up a sinus infection that more probable. You are much more likely to be prone to an infection because of inflammation that occurs when the chlorine aggravates your nasal passages. Pools can be harmful to you.
2) Nasal Sprays
These are fantastic when you have an infection or a sinus headache. I use a nasal spray whenever I have a sinus infection. But here’s where the problem can arise: When you overuse it you are actually going to increase the chances of having a sinus infection and/or increase the pressures of your sinuses.
Excessive use of nasal sprays will have your body resulting in a lesser sensitivity to your particular spray that you’re using. Don’t always take the nasal spray if you’re going to overdo it. You’ll just be creating a boomerang effect and you’ll gt the sinus infection all over again.
3) Flu or Common Cold
This nasty virus can really mess you up. If you’ve ever had a cold or worse yet the flu, they are most commonly caused by a virus which becomes a sinus infection. It’s very common.
So during the cold process, the sinus linings swell up because the cold virus attacks these linings. The end result here is that your drainage passageways narrow and make you miserable.
Your body’s natural reaction is to produce additional mucus and this obstructs your already swollen sinuses. And what makes things worse and causes the infection to drag on longer is that wherever mucus is bacteria thrives.
Even when you finally get relief from your cold or flu, the sinus infection still hangs around.
4) Misery from Fungi
These nasty creatures are just like bacteria and will wreak havoc on your body and are responsible for causing sinus infections as well. This problem with fungi is that they are constantly causing issues such as sinus infections and are not affected by antibiotics.
To make matters worse, it affects folks with diabetes, leukemia, and other diseases where your immune system is compromised. the best thing you can do is to avoid germs anyway and anywhere you can.
5) Antibiotics Warning
I’ve been through this more times than I can count in my life. The antibiotics you take may be successful with treating bacterial infections but when it comes to viral infections, you’re just wasting your time and money. The added problem is that taking too many antibiotics is going to do harm because your body will at some point have built up a resistance to the antibiotic.
6) Wash Your Hands!
This is an absolute must. Wash your hands all the time. I am a fanatic and I use hand sanitizer everywhere I go. Viruses can live everywhere and by touching doorknobs, counter tops, shopping carts, and a zillion other things, you can pick up the virus especially if you touch your hands to your face! And the winter time is even worse. Be careful!
7) Stop Smoking
It doesn’t have to be said that smoking has absolutely no benefits for your health. It will add to your misery of that sinus infection. Smoking will really make it worse and make your breathing that much more difficult.
8) Close the Windows
It’s important to have the inside of your home clean. Because of the dust that can accumulate anywhere it can affect your sinuses for sure. Going outdoors when you have allergies is not a good idea.
The fact is that a high pollen count can affect you especially early in the morning if you are outside. So it’s probably best for you to keep those windows shut. Lower your chances of getting a sinus infection by following these tips. You’ll be glad that you did.
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9) Pollutants
These are high on the list of possible causes of sinus infections. Unfortunately there are so many pollutants that can be responsible. Take your pick from cigar or cigarette smoke, outdoor air pollution, products to clean your home, bug sprays, and many more that can aggravate your sinus cavities.
10) Dry Air
When you’re living in an area such as Florida, with humidity dry air isn’t a concern. Arizona? Different story! But anyway, when living indoors anywhere for that matter, you can be accustomed to dry air from any indoor place that’s air conditioned and that’s going to be an huge issue.
When the air is dry, it can wreak havoc on your sinuses by causing the mucus to become thicker in your nasal canals and dry them out. What happens now? Well, those two nasty things, viruses and bacteria cannot escape and bring on the infections.
What You Can do to Treat Your Sinus Infection
1) Neti Pot
This is something that can really help you with regards to your sinusitis. Derived from India, it’s a solution that’s been used for many centuries. It’s basically a “pot” that you use to pour saline solution into the passages of your nasals.
This aids in loosening up your mucus by moistening them. You can pick them up at any drug store.
2) Hydration
You need to be properly hydrated. This is vital to fighting off your sinusitis. Drinking water and hot tea is going to do you a world of good.
3) Steam
Inhaling steam works wonders when you have a sinus infection and you’re all stuffed up. You’ve seen people leaning over a big bowl of water that is hot getting relief from the condition. I always like to get in a nice hot steamy shower. It feels so good. And steam works wonders when you have sinusitis.
4) Over-the-Counter-Meds
There are many that can assist you in relieving the pain and symptoms of sinusitis. One that I love to use and that breaks up the mucus and really makes a difference is Vicks Vaporub. My only issue with Vicks is the smell so I only put it on my chest and throat at bedtime. It works wonders!
Other over the counter meds include Aleve, Advil, and Motrin. They can really help when it comes to reducing inflammation and pain. The ever popular Tylenol can really help bring down any fever and treat pain as well, but it won’t do anything for inflammation unfortunately. You can always ask the pharmacist too.
5) Yoga
There are certain yoga poses that can help you with your sinus issues. Once you elevate your head, it can provide you some relief while at the same time not affecting your sinuses in a negative way. You can check them out by clicking HERE.
6) Quercetin
Herbs are excellent when it comes to treating issues the natural ways. This antioxidant is a plant compound found in a slew of natural plants, some of which are: red wine, apples, berries, onions, green tea, buckwheat tea, grapes, peppers, and broccoli.
There is a chemical that encourages secreting mucus in your sinuses known as histamine. Quercetin in these products is known to balance the cells in your body to aid in releasing the histamine.
7) Immune System
One of the absolute best ways you can fight a sinus infection is to consume foods that will boost your immune system. Unfortunately for me, three of the top foods for boosting your immune system are not on my favorite list. They are onions, ginger, and garlic. It doesn’t mean that I can’t find a way to mixing them in with salads or soups, right? Honey is another great choice too!
In Conclusion
So by now the link between a Sinus Infection And Diabetes is clear. Control your blood sugars and type 2 diabetes and you lessen the risks of contracting sinusitis. It’s a condition that will make you even more miserable because of having the diabetes as well. Do yourself a huge favor and scratch sinusitis off your list of woes because of diabetes. Keep those blood sugars down!
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Hello Rob and thank you for this detailed guide on how to prevent the Sinus Infections!
I actually never knew that there’s a relation between this kind of infection and diabetes, that’s new to me.
Thankfully, I don’t suffer from diabetes, but I usually find it difficult to take deep breaths with my nose alone at some weeks of winter. I believe it’s the pollution in the air with the dust carried by the wind everywhere.
I’m glad that you referred to Yoga as a mean to overcome this issue. I’m a Yoga instructor and I have been practising for around four years now. And since we are required to breath during the classes only through the nose (inhale and exhale), it gradually help in opening the nostrils and get deeper breaths at ease. The Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) technique mentioned in the reference you linked to is also a great way to fight the Sinus Infections and it can be practised outside the class. I hope you write a dedicated article about this method alone as it is really effective and will be beneficial for people to learn.
Thank you for the amazing tips again!
Amjad
Hi Amjad,
It’s amazing to learn how many things diabetes affects in our bodies. I used to get sinus infections and they were horrible.
If you’ve had them you know what I’m talking about. But having type 2 diabetes, you have to be even more aware about controlling it because it makes your sinus infection that much worse.
That’s cool that you are a yoga instructor, so you would know about the poses and breathing exercises then.
It’s beneficial then that we are passing the yoga information on to others about the breathing and sinus issues.
Thank you so much for your expertise!
I can relate to sinus infections because I always get stuffed nose and slight sneezing after a cold night sleep with my well air conditioned room. I do think that my nose couldn’t handle the cold and every time when I caught sinus infections, there might be a chance that I will get fever too. Jackpot of suffer!
Well as for me, I do try to drink hot coffee – real hot boiling coffee or tea. Trust me, it soothes your stuffy nose. As for nasal spray, I think that there is a prescription from doctor says you only use for certain time. Because I have my own nasal spray which I bought from clinic and they say I use once or twice a day. Anyways I do agree with you that overdose will cause boomerang effect. That is just common sense.
Man, I should try out the yoga practices. Not a fan but for my health, that is a necessary.
I do enjoy your article because I am also the victim for sinus infections, one of many around the world. Great article and keep up the good work.
We all have suffered through sinus infections at one time or another. It’s just so hard to breathe and function normally.
I’m not a tea drinker although I do drink diet green tea, I will only have hot tea when I’m not feeling well. And that really helps.
I don’t usually get a prescription for a nasal spray. I use the over-the-counter ones.
The real issue is sinus infections is that they are worse with diabetes. Trust me, I know.
So the best thing to do is to control diabetes and lower the blood sugar numbers!
Thank you for your comments!
I never had the slightest idea that diabetes and sinus infection are in any way related, so this information is completely new to me.
I frequently suffer from sinus infection which is usually caused by dust and extremes of temperatures: too hot or too cold. So every now and then I take oral medications and nasal spray to help ease this problem. I was told by my doctor not to use nasal spray longer than necessary because it may cause more harm than good. After reading your post, I now understand better why.
You’re absolutely right about hand washing being an absolute must. We are told that frequent hand washing does not only keep us from sinus infections, it also reduces our risk of contacting common diseases and infections.
Hi Alice,
The best thing we can do is to learn about things and that’s why I want to spread the word about every possible thing that diabetes affects.
I want folks to know what diabetes is capable of and what they can do about it.
It’s hard enough to have issues with allergies and diabetes and sinus infections. It can make you miserable.
For me, the nasal spray usually works well so I don’t use it for that long. But the one thing I really try and do is to keep my blood sugars under control because type 2 diabetes can actually cause sinus infections and it makes it worse when you do get one.
I wash my hands 10 zillion times a day and when I’m out? I sanitize them 20 zillion times!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
I had no idea that being in the pool can irritate your sinuses and potentially lead to a sinus infection. Here in California the air is always dry and like this week can become quite windy which definitely plays a huge role in aggravating my sinuses. I love all the tips that you have listed here, but I am curious is there something you could recommend to help with the dry air a pollutants to prevent sinus infections if you have to go outside and simple closing your windows and staying indoors isn’t an option?
Hi Huy,
Yes being in a swimming pool can irritate your sinuses with all the chemicals that are in there. When I was a kid my eyes used to itch going underwater because of the chlorine.
It’s important to note that those of us with diabetes are more likely to experience a sinus infection. So it’s common sense for a diabetic to keep those blood glucose numbers down.
I can honestly say that I can’t recommend anything when you’re outside. That’s air pollution and the government is working on that. Short of wearing a mask, I can’t suggest anything else, sorry.
Thank you for your insight!
This was an interesting read, as I hadn’t realized the connection between blood sugar levels and sinusitis. I used to get sinus infections a lot. I mean, a lot. However, in the last ten years or so, I haven’t had the flu or a cold at all. I don’t know what has happened to cause this relief, but I’m grateful for it. On the other hand, in that same time span, I’ve developed chronic migraines and have become susceptible to migraine headaches. It seems odd that with the decrease in one, would be the increase in the other, but the next time I see my neurologist, I’ll have to ask the question. Anyway, you’ve given me a lot to think about here, with your informative article. Thanks for posting the article.
Hey Kevin,
Thanks! Yes high blood sugars can really have an effect on your sinuses. Sorry to hear that you get them a lot.
I hope you don’t have diabetes because it could be the cause of your ailments too. I don’t get migraines thankfully.
Preventing sinus infections is tops on my list. I’ve had them and they are miserable. So I try and keep my blood sugar numbers in the normal range.
Good luck and I hope your migraines disappear. Thanks for sharing 🙂
What a good and interesting article! I never knew there was a connection between diabetes and sinus infections.
It’s amazing how many ailments can be effected by other conditions.
Nasal spray can be helpful but as with many things too much of a good thing is becomes bad for you. I think also pollutants are a big factor that you’ve included and thus one gives me many problems!
Thank you! There most certainly can be a link between diabetes and sinusitis.
Well, diabetes can affect so many other diseases and ailments. It’s best to get it under control.
I believe in nasal sprays but I never overdo it. Too much of anything is never good for you.
Meanwhile for those of us with diabetes, let’s try better to control it in the future!
Thanks for your comments!
I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and didn’t realise there was a connection with sinus trouble. I may have been able to do something about it if I’d read this before.
I didn’t suffer from the usual symptoms of type 2 diabetes, like, tiredness, thirst etc. But I did have trouble with my sinuses, and it was only by chance that I had a blood test and they found my sugar levels a bit high. I suffer from Tinnitus also, are you saying it may be because of my blood sugars?
The doctor has advised me to change my diet and see if that has any effect before he prescribes any medication. Once you go on to the meds, you must stay on them I’ve been told.
I use Vicks Vapo- Rub, at bedtime although the wife isn’t impressed. A very informative post, I’m skipping over to the Tinnitus page now Lol.
Hi David,
There’s a lot of things to look out for when you have type 2 diabetes, other than the usual symptoms that you just mentioned.
Sinusitis, tinnitus, and other ailments could derive from the diabetes. And the diabetes can make matters worse.
Changing your diet is the best thing you can do for sure and exercise sure won’t hurt either. But the meds you have to stay on until the time comes when your labs stay normal and the doctor makes the decision to take you off them.
And Vicks? I love it! Only because it works, My wife doesn’t like the smell either!
Thanks for sharing!
Well written content overall. The authors has described and explained about symptoms of sinus infections and varieties of of ways how to treat them. The connection of diabetic and sinus is really intriguing. I am sure this article will help many people.
I was wondering if there is a hereditary connection in sinus infection!
Thank you so much! Sinus infections can be so miserable. And having diabetes makes it worse.
Unfortunately diabetes is connected with so many aliments and diseases. It’s best to control your blood sugars anyway that you can.
The answer to your question is no. Sinus infections are not hereditary.
Thank you for sharing 🙂