This Viral TikTok Doctor Reveals You've Been Using Nasal Spray Wrong All Along

Having a cold or a sinus infection can feel like the end of the world. There's nothing worse than having a clogged nasal passage, and not being able to breathe right can make us absolutely miserable. It's like we sit there and think back on all the times our nose was clear and we took it for granted. Plus, no one likes sleeping with their mouth open all night long. 

Many people opt to go to the doctor when they have a terrible nasal infection. From antibiotics and cold remedies, doctors often times try to ease the pain and discomfort by giving some prescriptions or even over-the-counter remedies. Many times, when people have a clogged nasal cavity or passage, doctors will suggest trying nasal sprays, some even medicated (via WebMD). 

While nasal sprays seem pretty straight forward with how to use them, there is actually a "right" and a "wrong" way to use them and it's something we should definitely all know. 

Using a nasal spray seems pretty easy to do, but a lot of times they can be uncomfortable and a bit nasty. Sometimes, when using nasal sprays, if you hold them at a certain angle they can drip down right into the back of your throat, causing you to gag and spit out medicated spray into the sink. Everyone knows it's super gross to spray the nasal spray into your nostril and end up swallowing it by accident. 

Luckily, Tonia L. Farmer, who is a MD and popular TikTok user, is here to show us the right way to use nasal sprays. Farmer told TikTok viewers that when people use nasal sprays at first, they tend to tilt the bottle towards the floor with the spray part directly up our nose. This is what causes the spray to end up in the back of the throat. Instead, Farmer said you should angle the top of the spray bottle towards your ear, rather than straight up your nose. 

Tilting the spray cap towards your ear allows for the spray to enter the nasal cavity and move throughout the sinus passage, which is the goal of the nasal spray in the first place. Like Farmer said in her video, "if you taste it, you waste it." 

Who knew?