No one enjoys having a cold or the flu, but the stuffy nose that comes with it can be one of the more annoying symptoms to cope with.

Not only is it difficult to breathe, it can affect your sleep quality. You find yourself tossing and turning as your nose turns into an hourglass with one nostril clearing up just for the other one to plug up when you switch which side youre lying on. And when sleep suffers, recovery time lags with it, meaning it could take longer for you to feel better.

Thats what makes nasal sprays so appealing. With just a couple of spritzes you can get immediate relief. However, rely on nasal spray for too long and you may be doing more damage than help. Read on to find out why nasal sprays are so effective at easing congestion and what may happen if you use them too often.

Not all nasal sprays are the same

First, its important to understand that there are several types of nasal sprays on the market. They all treat the same problem (congestion) but are used for different root causes.

There are a few categories of nasal sprays, but the ones most commonly used are steroid-based sprays for allergies or long-lasting use and fast-acting nasal decongestants like oxymetazoline, or Afrin, said Dr. Omid Mehdizadeh , an otolaryngologist and laryngologist at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

Steroid-based nasal sprays (such as Flonase and Nasacort) work by using steroids to help reduce the inflammation and mucus in the nose that is causing stuffiness.

Decongestant nasal sprays work by constricting blood vessels in the nose, said Dr. Darria Long Gillespie , a board-certified emergency medicine physician and founder of Trueve . This leads to less blood flow to the nasal tissue and with it less swelling and congestion.