Although it is one of the most prominent and bothersome symptoms of colds & allergies, nasal congestion is a commonly misunderstood phenomenon. Many people believe that their congestion is caused by excess mucus trying to flush out the cause of illness, a completely understandable assumption considering the sheer number of tissues they go through in an hour. The pressure throughout the face and difficulty in breathing through the nose that a congestion sufferer experiences, however, may have very little to do with mucus. Nasal congestion is swelling of the blood vessels that line the nasal cavity, often as a result of inflammation.
Nasal inflammation is often caused by the body's response to what it identifies as a foreign presence it thinks might be dangerous, it springs into action. Certain cells begin to message one another to increase blood flow to the site of concern, carrying cells with the ability to attack an invader. These cells secrete substances to fight the attack, causing inflammation. As a result, the blood vessels in the tissues lining your nose and sinuses is part of a healthy body's immune efforts.
Source: {http://www.respiratory.advil.com/understanding-nasal-congestion}
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