Nasal Congestion while in therapy

[abeo]

Hello Everyone:

For the past couple of weeks I've been having problems with my sleep. I have been using a full face mask to compensate for my nasal congestion but it seems that I have been getting less sleep than before using the full face mask.

Also, lately I have been suffering from nasal congestion while in CPAP therapy. Why does this happens?

[Wulfman]

Hello Everyone:

For the past couple of weeks I've been having problems with my sleep. I have been using a full face mask to compensate for my nasal congestion but it seems that I have been getting less sleep than before using the full face mask.

Also, lately I have been suffering from nasal congestion while in CPAP therapy. Why does this happens?

Could be a number of things. Allergies, catching a cold, etc.
Is there a humidifier on your CPAP machine? If the humidifier is set too high, it can increase the congestion. I don't use ANY heat and store my distilled water in the refrigerator so it's cold......which keeps my nasal passages open.
Doing nighttime nasal rinses/cleansing will help.

If you were/are a mouth-breather, you wouldn't have noticed the nasal congestion before starting CPAP because you were compensating for it. Now that you're using the machine, it's more important to breathe through your nose (if possible).

Den

[abeo]

Den:

Thank you for your reply. I use a humidifier and usually I place it at a medium setting. I will start using your technique to see if it will help me.

Cordially,
Abelardo Dauhajre

[sleep diva]

I find that using a humidifier really helps. I keep mine at 3. For a few weeks I was having a home sleep study without the humidifier and I ran into all kinds of problems. Hope it helps you.

[abeo]

Thanks Sleep Diva

[DannyP]

Eveyone Differs as to the Location, Climate, etc. I live in East Texas where it is Humid most of the Time and I found that using the Humidifier only makes my congestion worse. I use the machine with Humidifier off and in Passover Mode. Also as mentioned Nasal Rinse before bed help a lot. It is just a Trial and error thing for each Individual. Good Luck .

[LinkC]

Now that you're using the machine, it's more important to breathe through your nose (if possible).

Why is that, if using a FF mask?

[Wulfman]

Now that you're using the machine, it's more important to breathe through your nose (if possible).

Why is that, if using a FF mask?

If at all possible, it's more efficient.....and that's what the nose was designed for. A full face mask allows both options and helps prevent mouth-leaking/breathing, but just because a person uses a full face mask doesn't mean they shouldn't TRY to breathe through their nose. By training yourself to hold your tongue to the roof of the mouth, it helps to seal off the area where mouth-breathing occurs. Mouth-breathing can also allow more apneas to occur if the tongue falls back and closes off that part of the airway. Doing nasal rinses/cleansing before bedtime helps keep the nasal passages open.

Den

[CorgiGirl]

Everybody's different...less humidity works best for Den, more works best for me. I would encourage you to experiment to find out what works best for you.

[sleeplessinaz]

Hi--I am with CorgiGirl --more humidity is better for me too!!! Everyone is different though so like everyone said --change your settings to see what might work better. I have mine set at 3--LOVE it!!!
Carrie

[KevinMWHM]

Just a bit of advice if you end up going with a really low setting on the humidifier (like I needed to do for the same problem). Have some chap stick at the ready. I've found the lower setting much better but the cooler dry air drys my lips up after a few days. Good Luck from a fellow mouth breather!