I've taught my little one a simple but effective technique to unblock his congested nose.

It's pollen season here, and he's been sneezing a lot, breathing at night was often difficult, and during the day, his nose was running uninterruptedly. Recently, I had to pick him up from school earlier than usual, because he was just not functional.

I taught him this simple breathing technique. He listened, applied it, and it worked without fail.

The technique consists of looong slow exhales followed by a breath hold, then breathing in, and repeating the whole sequence for as long as it takes. The exhale should be at least twice as long as the inhale. You may want to challenge yourself a little bit by prolonging the exhales and/or breath holds a little bit longer, but don't strain yourself, just allowing yourself to develop a moderate air hunger is enough. With time, your body will adapt, and your exhales and breath hold times will naturally increase. If you're walking, use your steps as a metronome, or your heartbeat or pulse, if you're immobile. Breathe exclusively through your nose all the time.

This technique relaxes and widens your airways, allowing more air in and out, it is a natural "nasal spray."