Consrictors cause your airway to actually open up but they usually have fast rebound effects. Dilators will cause mucus to run which may clear out your sinuses, but its likely psychological as your sinuses would technically be more clogged.

Are you sure menthol doesn't cause the sinuses to reflexively contract? Actually wondering.

I mean that's the physical reason that's happening (or menthol etc is tricking them), but we call them cold recepting because relative to base temperature, they (the neurons) fire more when it's colder compared to heat sensing which fire more with heat (or spicy like capsaicin and some other compounds). I'm actually unsure (fairly confident there is) if there is multiple subtypes of each.

edit: just noticed the other reply was to yourself, sorry!

Thanks for the study. Extremely interesting and partially worrying as I've considered seeing someone about my turbinates, although I have heard about empty nose syndrome before.