Cpap with a cold

[Mundy]

I've been suffering from a cold for about a week now. Cough, stuffy nose, runny nose etc. I can't use my nasal pillow mask because of congestion. Absolutely hate coughing into my hybrid mask but I can't remove it easily for a cough either. Any suggestions?

[Still tired]

I haven't had a cold in many years but i do suffer w/ allergies, pretty much the same thing when a big gob of goo wants to slide down your throat. I assume Nyquil does not work. Family method is to consume lots of warm fluids to keep everything flowing & reduce congestion as much as possible. Have you seen an ENT ?

[xenablue]

My allergies are the worst that they've ever been, however within a few breaths with my nasal pillow mask, my head and nasal passages clear.
Last night was the first time I was awakened because I needed to sneeze, but went right back to sleep after that until the alarm. I find coughing or sneezing much more preferable with nasal pillows than a FF mask.

I understand you have a cold, not allergies, and I haven't had a cold in over a decade, but imagine the runny nose and congestion issues are similar.

Have you tried an OTC med. to dry you up overnight? I put off taking things like Zyrtec unless symptoms keep me awake, and d I on't take anything during the day except in extreme cases.

Cheers,
xena

[JohnO]

My allergies are the worst that they've ever been, however within a few breaths with my nasal pillow mask, my head and nasal passages clear.

I've noticed this over the past couple of years. If I go to bed, and sense that my nasal passages are clogged, instead of immediately switching to mouth breathing, I will force myself breath in and out slowly and deeply through my nose. It seems to be enough to get back into a regular rhythm. As we head into the worst of ragweed season here in Minnesota, it is time to remember and practice that technique. It might not be the same with a cold.

[nanwilson]

I have sneezed and coughed into my hybrid mask...just give it a good wash in the morning, also used a wipe on the part of my hose that attaches to the mask. Try cleaning up barf from your mask and leading edge of your hose....yyyuuucckkkk.
I had food poisoning awhile back and did not have time to remove my mask...........arghhhhhhh.
Hope you feel better soon.

[CentralScrutinizer]

It's funny, when I first started using CPAP, I was very afraid of what would happen when I got a cold. The first time I had one, i tried to use a mask, rather then my normal nasal pillow gear, it was even worse for me trying to use a full face mask, I had already gotten used to sleeping with my mouth closed all the time, so breathing through my mouth is not really even a option. Fortunately, I have found that in most cases, the pressure blowing in my nose actually keeps things pretty open for me... I use benadryl for antihistamine, and take Ibuprophen to deal with the inflamation that comes with the cold. I get over colds much faster now then before I was using CPAP.

[Uncle_Bob]

I do a saline rinse of my nose before bed time and sleep with a small amount of pursleep clear and calm scents. Then just continue on my nasal mask and hope for the best

Hope you feel better soon.
~UB

[Janknitz]

CPAP is hard when you have a cold, BUT I have also found that except for the worst gooey days, CPAP is also a godsend when I have a cold because I crank up the humidifier and sleep much more comfortably. A full face mask is really nice to have for those times.

I always have night day or two when I really cannot use the CPAP because of a constantly running nose and slimy sneezes. I usually end up sleeping in the recliner. Sometimes, I'll just hold the mask to my face with my hand for the humidifier effect, then I can easily move it away to sneeze and wipe my nose. When I fall asleep, I fall asleep without it. I don't get much therapeutic benefit for a night or two, but the last time I even had a bit of a cold was a year ago, and it wasn't bad enough I couldn't wear my mask. I think using CPAP has greatly helped my immune system fight off viral illnesses.

[zoocrewphoto]

I have had two bouts of coughing that lasted for 3 weeks or more. All since I started less than 4 months ago. The first round wasn't as bad and only cost me 3 nights of compliance. This last round just ended, and thankfully was after compliance was completely as I failed miserably many nights. I kept pulling the mask off in my sleep. I still have no idea what caused the coughing, and medicine barely helped. I was taking allergy meds, allergy nasal spray, cough syrup with codeine (day and night), and cough drops nonstop during the day and sometimes at night too. It was all I could do to keep from coughing at work (I work with food, so that is very important).

I was physically exhausted from all the coughing, and not sleeping as well. But as a testament to cpap therapy, I still felt better than before therapy. I am still upset about the coughing though. I am still coughing some, though not enough to take medicine now. But after two rounds at 3 weeks or more, I am worried that it will keep coming back. I have never had this kind of coughing before, and it doesn't seem to be cold, flu, allergies, or asthma. I went to my primary doctor twice during the last round, and my lungs sound fine. Normally an asthma cough will noticeable improve with use of my inhaler. No such luck with this cough. OTC cough syrup did no good at all. The cough syrup with codeine did help, but was not enough by itself, and I could feel the cough get worse again after 3 hours, even though I was only supposed to take every 4-6 hours. And it didn't make me sleepy, so it didn't help with my sleep at all. And the cough drops were nasty, yet needed continuously, and not enough by themselves. The only positive was that after 2 weeks of constant cough drops, my teeth are whiter. Probably not good physically for my teeth, but they do look better.

I really do hope the cough does not come back again anytime soon as I would like to get some consistent sleep with my machine all night, every night. I used it for the first month, then had the coughing for 3 weeks, then 2 1/2 weeks, then back to coughing again.

[Mundy]

Who would have thought it would be this challenging to sleep and breathe at the same time?

Amen to that!

Thanks everyone for your replies. I have things to try tonight at least!

[RandyJ]

I agree with those above who just strap on the full face mask with a cold and get through it.

[Gerald?]

I often get a blocked nose with allergies too.

I find if I can get it clearish then I can breathe through my nose on CPAP. It will stay fairly clear all night. It will block up almost instantly again when I take my mask off in the morning.

As much as Buteyko is completely useless for many things, I have found the Buteyko trick for clearing your nose works 99% of the time for me. It is enough to get my nose clear and then I can put my nasal pillows on and start breathing. The method is:

Take a normal breath in
Let a little bit of air out
Hold your breath. Hold it for about 5 seconds after your first desire to take a breath.
When you start breathing again, breathe only though your nose and as gently as possible. You don't want to hear air coming out your nose.
If your nose is not clearer, repeat this a few times with about 15 seconds break between each time.

I am not advocating Buteyko for anything else. In my view claims that you can avoid CPAP using it are rubbish. However, this trick works for me and I know it works for others.

[Mundy]

Thanks for your response, Gerald.
I hadn't heard of the Buteyko method so I did a little further research. Sounds interesting. Like so many things that offer complete cures it (as you said) it probably is a huge exaggeration. Doesn't mean there is no value in it. I'm going to try your method for clearing my nose before starting Cpap. I've had some luck with nasal saline, but combining the two may be just what I need.

My cold is better so that last night I was able to use my nasal only mask again. I do have allergies though so I'm sure I'll be testing this method soon.