Try the steam and the saline rinse first. You will likely be breathing freely within 20 minutes. And if you are still stuffed after a week, or if you have facial pain that feels like a toothache, see a doctor—you may have moved beyond a simple cold into a sinus infection.

When you have a cold, flu, or allergies, blood vessels in your nasal passages swell up. Simultaneously, your body produces thick, sticky mucus to trap the invaders. Trying to forcefully blow this out often backfires, shoving the mucus deeper into your sinus cavities and increasing the pressure.

That familiar, heavy pressure behind your cheekbones. The whistling sound when you try to inhale. The desperate realization that you have become a "mouth breather." Nasal congestion is one of humanity's great equalizers—it strikes the CEO and the kindergartener with equal vengeance.

But here is the good news: You don't need a prescription or a week of suffering to find relief. Loosening congestion is a science, and once you understand the mechanics, you can outsmart your stuffy nose.