Three weird ways to unblock your nose, FAST.

Being stuck with a bunged up nose really sucks, but you don't have to put up with it! Here's three simple, cost-free, tricks that you can use to clear that blocked nose instantly.

Method #1: The green mile

For this one you'll need some space to walk around, and somewhere to sit down shortly afterwards. Here's the steps:

1. Pinch your nose, and close your mouth.
2. Walk in any direction for 15-30 seconds (until you need to breathe).
3. Sit down with your back straight and your head up.
4. Keep your mouth closed but release your nose.
5. Breathe in slowly through your nose (about half as quickly as normal).
6. If your nose is 100% blocked, you can breathe through your mouth instead.
7. Once you've taken half of a breath, slowly breathe out again.
8. Your nose should clear almost immediately at this point.
9. Gradually return to a normal rate and depth of breath.
10. Stand up, and get on with your day.

The key is to avoid sniffing or breathing hard immediately afterwards, as this will almost certainly cause your nose to block back up again. Also, because you're basically blackmailing your brain into deflating your sinuses, I really don't recommend trying this one if you have a heart condition or any other health problems that could be affected. You've been warned!

Method #2: The bone rocker

You might look a little strange trying this one out, but it doesn't require any equipment or even any room to move around. Here's how you do it:

1. Ensure you're sitting, or even standing, comfortably.
2. Firmly press your tongue up against the roof of your mouth for a second and release.
3. Press one to two fingers between your eyebrows for a second and release.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for up to 30 seconds.

As unusual at this seems, it works! By applying alternating pressure to the roof of your mouth and your central brow, you cause a bone behind the nose (the vomer bone) to rock back and forth, easing the congestion. Neat, huh?

Method #3: The steamer

This remedy has been around since the dawn of time, and there's reason it's still around; it's simple yet effective. You'll need a few household items to pull this off; a kettle, a large bowl, and a towel.

1. Boil the kettle.
2. Three-quarter fill the large bowl with hot water.
3. Stand or sit so that you can comfortably lean over the bowl.
4. Drape the towel over your head, around the bowl, trapping the steam.
5. Breathe slowly and deeply through your nose for 2-3 minutes.
6. Carefully remove the towel.

The steam should loosen the congestion and unblock your nose pretty quickly, but be careful not to catch the bowl with the towel and pour scalding water into your lap -- that's not cool (literally). Since it's just the steam doing the hard work here, you could even reap some relief from taking a hot shower or bath instead, nursing a hot drink, or hitting the sauna, if that's your kind of thing.