Breathing in water vapour
BMJ Group Medical Reference
If you've got a cold your nose can get blocked. People often try breathing in water vapour to clear their nose. You can try bending your head over a bowl of hot water, with a towel covering your head. Use water that's hot, but not boiling, and take care not to scald yourself.
We don't know for certain if breathing in water vapour can make your nose less blocked and help reduce the soreness from a cold. There hasn't been enough research to say.
We found a summary of the research (a systematic review) that looked at people who tried inhaling water vapour. It looked at six studies.
Some of the research showed that breathing in water vapour helped symptoms immediately or a few days later.
But one study found no improvement with this treatment.
The studies were all of poor quality. So we can't be sure whether this treatment helps.
A systematic review is a thorough look through published research on a particular topic. Only studies that have been carried out to a high standard are included. A systematic review may or may not include a meta-analysis, which is when the results from individual studies are put together.
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