"Each evening at bedtime, one nostril becomes completely blocked"

Many people find salt water clears nostrils and sinuses. Buy a nasal douche or Neti Pot - a small glass pipe with a hole in one side. Dissolve half a teaspoon of natural salt in a cup of hot water and let it cool. Fill the douche with the salt water.

Cover the hole with your finger and as you snort the water up, release your finger and it will shoot up into your sinuses. Done twice daily, it will clear out the mucus and you will be able to breathe easily.

The Guardian, 29 February 2005