Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

cindyY · Post by **cindyY** » Tue May 30, 2017 12:26 am

I have found that standard allergy meds don't help me at all. I have to use the behind the counter ones that end in D, for example, Claritin-D, Allegra-D, etc. The D stands for decongestant, and they really help me. I don't have a deviated septum, but I do get really bad congestion. I recently had the flu and I had to take the meds, use the sinus rinse, and take an expectorant. That combined with the heated hose and humidity allowed me to breathe thru my nose during my month long cold. By the way, if you find that the sinus rinse helps, Costco sells the NeilMed rinse in bulk.

rcobourn · Post by **rcobourn** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 5:34 pm

It's probably a terrible idea, but some nights a hit of Afrin does the trick for me. I dilute it to about 25% original strength using saline nasal spray and it's still more than sufficient without most of the downsides.

Tesseract · Post by **Tesseract** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 7:55 am

My ostium (the tubes that lead out of your sinuses) were extra small for some reason. I just had a balloon sinuplasty done on Friday and between that and the allergy shots hopefully, the problem will get fixed.

nicholasjh1 · Post by **nicholasjh1** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 8:11 am

This may sound crazy... And use it at your own risk.... But I had nasal issues all my life until I did a 50% water 50%hydrogen peroxide rinse with one of those baby nose squirters. It caused all the build up to foam up and shoot out of my nose....and it swelled up for a day.... And I haven't had an issue since 4 years ago.

wannasmile · Post by **wannasmile** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 1:51 am

Thanks for the additional replies, advice, input, etc

I just looked up "sinus ostium" on google images, and saw some photos I wish I could "unsee" LOL!

Something interesting occurred to me recently, and that is that I have a memory from childhood of being told by a doctor that I have abnormal sinus cavities. I was quite young and unfortunately cannot recall exactly was the issue was...I wonder if there is any way to retrieve those medical records. I have no idea where this was or what doctor / facility, nor what tests were done, etc. Seems a long shot.

In addition to my deviated septum, my entire nose is bent to one side. That is in fact probably what caused my deviated septum. I am thinking maybe the bent nose is making the blood flow constricted, which is causing it to swell up when I lay down and the pressure increases.

I will go to an ENT sometime soon if I can. But if they suggest flonase or other nasal sprays I will likely decline the treatment. Aside from flonase doing absolutely nothing for me, I am also not OK with some of the possible side effects of it and other sprays (one possible side effect listed for flonase is cataracts. My vision is way too important to me, so "no thank you" !!)

I recently got up the nerve to finally try the sinus rinse (neil med). It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. After about 4 days of doing it, I think I may have noticed a very minuscule improvement in breathing, but only for a short period after the rinse, then clogging returned. It was not significant, nor consistent. I stopped the rinses for now because I realized the water I was using was not pure. I was using distilled water but it was Type 3 (and at the time I didn't know there were different types of distilled water). Type 3 is not very pure, and I noticed there was some detritus floating in the water. Totally disgusting and I can't believe I put that up my sinuses. Further, there is no guarantee that it doesn't contain bacteria or other contaminants. I think I need distilled type 2 or type 1 even, but it might be difficult to get, and probably very costly. Purified water is another choice but the ones I've found have added minerals. The search continues.

bandyscot · Post by **bandyscot** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 9:26 am

Vitamin C helps my sinus clear. Don't take too much. Stay under 4000 mg vitamn C for short periods.
I found it was NOT my turbanites swelling at night, it was post nasal drip!
When I elevated my head a little, my sinuses stayed clear.

49er · Post by **49er** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:38 am

""you can buy sinus rinse mix to add to tap water
completely safe unless you are living in a sewer""

Not correct.

https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Consum ... 316375.htm
http://www.neilmed.com/usa/np_water_qua ... P52CW.dpbs

Jack Burton · Post by **Jack Burton** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 1:58 pm

I was a mouth breather for as much of my adult life as I can remember.
Shortly after I started cpap I became a nose breather.
Also have a deviated septum but don't think its particularly significant.

My nose is often fine until I lie down then It gets congested nearly instantly or so it seems.
Preheating my cpap rig and turning up the humidity to full bore usually sorts things out in less than half an hour.
Then I role over and it takes ~15 minutes to sort out the other side.

Its worse in winter and better in the summer.
Hot shower before bed helps.
Humidifier in bedroom help too.

I think it goes away when I stand up but my memory is terrible so try and see.

nicholasjh1 · Post by **nicholasjh1** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:37 am

Also I've found out that some people don't convert their L-Arginine to L-Citrulline very well, and in those people taking an L-Citrulline supplement reduces allergies. The reason is that l-arginine is found in the diet, and you convert it to L-Citrulline, but with poor conversion it causes issues.

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:08 am

Deviated septum may be mild or severe, which would explain why surgery may not be as effective in some as in others.
I would seek out an ENT who does not do the surgery himself.
You want an unbiased diagnosis. You also want a CHOICE of surgeons for a referral.
Then ask a NURSE which one she/he would use for a family member.
Recommendations are usually discouraged,
but you just need to ask the right question of someone who has no dog in the fight.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:42 am

wannasmile wrote:Hi, I'm new here, and also new to PAP treatment. I've only been using my APAP for less than a week so far.
I am running into a number of challenges and so forth with the treatment, which I'm sure is totally normal.

The main issue for me is that I have problems with my nose, which have been present for years and are not caused by the APAP treament.

The issues are:

1. Deviated septum, and trouble breathing through nose even during the day, which is sometimes better or worse randomly
2. When I lay down, after a few minutes one or both nostrils tend to clog up significantly, and may be on/off throughout the night.

Multiple doctors in the past have prescribed me some Flonase, and it has never done anything positive for my nose breathing problems, so I think the recent trial of that will be my last. Allergy medicine also has no effect. I researched deviated septum on this forum and saw a number of people who said that the deviated septum surgery did not improve their PAP treatment. Aside from that, I don't want the surgery anyway because it sounds awful. And besides that, I can't afford the surgery anyway! Rant /over

When my nose happens to be "less clogged up" then the APAP works pretty good and I feel comfortable (though on a separate note I feel like I need more pressure, which I will talk to sleep clinic about)
When my nose is more stuffy or clogged, I feel like I'm suffocating and like the PAP air isn't really getting through very well (I am using nasal pillow mask and it fits pretty good with no leaks, even with the stuffy nose, but it feels like more air is coming out the vent on the front of the mask). A couple nights I have taken off the mask due to the stuffy nose

What I've tried:

- using the humidifier (helped nose feel less dry, but does not improve airflow in nose)
- adjusting the Flex setting

Questions

What might be causing my nose to "clog up", especially when laying down, and why is it "random"? (Hoping someone else that has this issue too can offer their findings)
What might I be able to do / try to help improve nose breathing, especially with the APAP treatment (settings, adjustments, things the clinic can do, etc)?
Any other advice, ideas, etc about this issue or anything I've mentioned?

Thank you!

Through research and experimentation I have discovered that a very low carbohydrate diet will reduce clogged sinuses. Reducing carbs effectively reduces glycoprotein production (musous) which reduces sinus inflammation and thus increasing nasal airflow.

Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Re: Nose clogs up when laying down, and other times too

Mask	Humidifier