Newbie started strong . . . now it's all going to hell

Pugsy wrote:

englandsf wrote: I would still lower the humidity a bit more with the P10. Expect any congestion to ease very quickly with the dry air.

I know it works for you and works quite well but it doesn't work that way for everyone. Don't assume that what works great for you works so great for the rest of the world.
Let me tell you a little story.
Back when I first started therapy one of the forum veterans was (and still does but at least tempers it a bit now) advising turning humidifier way down and/or even off because it works well for that forum member. Didn't tell me that some people might need more moisture....so I blindly reduced my setting to 1 from 3. Major disaster. Horrible nasal symptoms which mimicked a really severe allergy attack the following morning. You name the symptom and I had it. Sneezing, congestion, drainage, pressure in sinuses, teeth hurt, itchy nose, etc. Took me 3 days to get over it. It was a MISERABLE 3 days.
And before anyone says that maybe it wasn't the lack of humidity but a real allergy attack or upper respiratory infection....I have had the "pleasure" of duplicating the same symptoms when I forgot to fill the water chamber and used the machine with no added moisture at least 3 times in the past 5 years. Also, I don't have allergy attacks. I am lucky...those shots I took 35 years ago helped a lot.

There's zero doubt in my mind that the symptoms were directly related to the nasal mucosa being too dry.
Under my breath I called that forum member, whose advice I followed, every bad name I could think of but they were only trying to help and offered what works for that person. I really wished that the advice had been tempered with "nasal mucosa humidity needs are highly individualized and some people need more and some people need less" as it would have saved me a lot of grief. I lived in Las Vegas for 5 years. The dry air there (and I was in Missouri when I started therapy) was a known issue for my nasal mucosa. Dry air and my nasal mucosa don't get along well together. I would have then increased the setting from 3 to 4 or 5 instead of reducing the setting.

My nasal mucosa would be happiest if I could snort water. I know that it doesn't work that way for everyone though.
So I always like to temper my advice about humidifier settings with the YMMV sticker about some people need more and some people need less and each individual has to figure out which side of the fence their nasal mucosa wants to be.

When you tell people to keep reducing the humidity levels and make it sound like it works for everyone....well...you might end up being called some rather nasty names under someone's breath.