Blocked Nasal Passages

[EnglishEric]

Hello Everyone, I have been on CPAP therapy for just over 2 years now and have clocked up 3,200 hours use to date. I have a Resprionics Auto and use a Comfort Gel Nose mask but I often have to take the mask off during the night because one or both nasal passages block and reduce my blood oxygen level. If I get up and walk around they will clear somewhat and run, I can then try the mask again. I have a heated humidifier but this doesn't help much and really makes the mask very wet. Any idea anyone - please. English Eric

[lktnky]

Have you tried the nasal rinse routine? Using a squeeze bottle (or neti pot) with salt solution to rinse out my sinuses before bedtime has eliminated congestion for me.
Good luck,
lktnky

[DreamStalker]

If the congestion is due to allergies or cold/flu virus ... the nasal saline irrigation will be your friend. Do it 2 or 3 times per day until congestion goes away then regular use 1 or 2 times per week to keep the nasties at bay.

Another cause of congestion could be the mask itself. For me, placing pressure on either side of my nose tends to constrict blood flow through the sinus tissue. This causes the tissue to become engorged with blood and airflow becomes significantly restricted through my sinuses. For that reason, I cannot use nasal cushion or FF masks that fit around my nose.

I use nasal pillow type mask interface for primary mask and have a Liberty (equivalent to Hybrid) mask for backup in case I ever do get an upper respiratory infection again. So far it has been over 2 and a half years since I last got a cold or flu virus ... I think I credit regular use of my Grossan Hydro Pulse (more than paid for itself after first year).

Not give up on your treatment, there is a solution for your sinus congestion problems. Good luck.

[echo]

Untreated GERD (reflux) has also been linked to congestion, and it will harm your sleep (and esophagus). Might want to get checked out for it, especially if you have other symptoms (bad taste in mouth, heartburn...)

More likely is that your humidifer heating is up too high. Try turning the heating off to run it in passover mode.

[Ms Piggy]

I have the same problem, same timing , iI didn't have any nasal blocks for the first 2-3 yrs. The full nasal rinse is good, use an hour before bed
as you may have some residual draining.
But I find what works best for me is a couple of squirts, as needed, from one of the small nasal spray bottles you will find in the drug store (manual squeeze or the better mist atomizer type).
The ones I have tried are re-fillable so you can, if you wish, refill with your home made solution. Don't expect it to work all at once immediately, it can take a bit longer so you have to wait for it to loosen things up then blow and squirt again.

[profish]

I keep and old fashion Vick's inhaler by the bed. If I wake up in the middle of the night congested I can usually take a hit off of it in each nostril and clear out the problem. It is quick and easy. I do know people that have gotten hooked on these things however so I would only use it when needed.

[CorgiGirl]

If you already have your humidifier on a low setting or in passover mode and you're still having congestion, I'd try turning it back on and/or up. I find that if I don't have the humidifier on a high enough setting, I get clogged up. Everybody's different, so you have to experiment to figure out what's best for you.

[garyland]

What I used to do was get out of bed in the middle of the night because of a stuffy nose and go down stairs to fill the wood stove. It seemed that walking around at 2 in the morning and several sprays of saline would clear me up. Most of the time that would work. I have recently discovered that when I get stuffy in the middle of the night, I take my mask off and spray my nose a few times with saline and then lie there with out the mask for about 15 min. After doing this for 3 consecutive nights it worked each night where my nose cleared. I then put the mask back on and I am usually good for the rest of the night.

Personally, I think that the forced air is what causes the congestion.

Give it a try and see if it works for you.

Gary