CPAP when you are sick

[dontknowhowtodeal]

I have a cold. Any help on how you sleep with the CPAP if you can't breathe through your nose?

[palerider]

I have a cold. Any help on how you sleep with the CPAP if you can't breathe through your nose?

decongestants. spray or pill form.

[BlackSpinner]

That is why most people keep a full face mask as backup

[LSAT]

That is why most people keep a full face mask as backup

His profile shows a FF mask

[Guest]

I have a cold. Any help on how you sleep with the CPAP if you can't breathe through your nose?

i use some nasal saline spray and put on my nasal pillows. for me the air pressure opens my nasal passages right up allowing me to sleep. but i have had far fewer colds since starting cpap

[Gasper62]

Yup. Breathe from your mouth with your FFM on. (at least until your nasal passages are clear again.)

[chunkyfrog]

Flonase and a Breathe Right strip.

[Guest]

Thanks everyone. I should have mentioned that I am not able to take any decongestants. I do have saline spray. I also have the nasal pillow but haven't been able how to attach it.

[LSAT]

Use a NeilMed nasal rinse before bed (or Netipot). Works GREAT!

[palerider]

Thanks everyone. I should have mentioned that I am not able to take any decongestants

squirt some afrin up your nose.

[chunkyfrog]

Afrin IS a decongestant.
But I do get the picture.
I have HBP, and the labels say do not take this stuff with hypertension.
I realize this statement is mostly CYA for the drug company;
So I reserve my use for extreme symptoms.

[Captain_Midnight]

That is why most people keep a full face mask as backup

I'm no fan of the ff mask. But for the rare times that I have no breathing alternative, it's a miracle.

Typically, I can deal w a reduced nasal airway flow when I have a cold. Rarely, the cold wins. Then, a ff mask is the only alternative for me.

Hope this is useful.

.

[Bookbear]

And by all means, check with your doctor, but I suspect that a few nights with a decongestant would be OK. I think that a few nights not using cpap would do more harm than the decongestant, but as I said, check with your doc.

[Sir NoddinOff]

That is why most people keep a full face mask as backup

I'm no fan of the ff mask. But for the rare times that I have no breathing alternative, it's a miracle.

Typically, I can deal w a reduced nasal airway flow when I have a cold. Rarely, the cold wins. Then, a ff mask is the only alternative for me.

Hope this is useful.

Back in the day when I was using FX nasal pillows, I only used a full face mask for colds and congestion. After a year or so I realized the FFM wasn't too bad, plus I didn't have to tape my mouth using it. Eventually I just started wearing an FFM all the time.

[BlackSpinner]

Another thing that helps a lot of people is to put some Vicks/Tiger balm/ eucalyptus on a cotton swab by the air intake.