Breathing "different" during the day and MORE stuffed up!!!!

[piscesman7620]

I noticed that during the day I feel as if I am breathing different!!! Is this possible???

I have a quattro full face mask ( and yes it is the right size), but I feel like it pinches my nose and I wake up and for MANY hrs after it feel like I wore a "breathe right strip"

Maybe a lot has to do with the full face mask....it's not "natural" to wear one for 6+hrs consecutively.

I have a deviated septum and nasal polyps too....

maybe someone else out here can identify with my story...?

[BlackSpinner]

I noticed that during the day I feel as if I am breathing different!!! Is this possible???

I have a quattro full face mask ( and yes it is the right size), but I feel like it pinches my nose and I wake up and for MANY hrs after it feel like I wore a "breathe right strip"

Maybe a lot has to do with the full face mask....it's not "natural" to wear one for 6+hrs consecutively.

I have a deviated septum and nasal polyps too....

maybe someone else out here can identify with my story...?

put some moleskin between you and the mask.

Using a cpap machine has made a huge difference in my sinuses. They love the warm clean humid air they are now getting for 8 hours every night.

[chunkyfrog]

Speaking of moleskin, put the adhesive on the mask side.
That stuff really sticks to skin. Not fun.

[idamtnboy]

I noticed that during the day I feel as if I am breathing different!!! Is this possible???

What do you mean, "different"? Different breathing pattern, or your ease of breathing or whatever is different now from before CPAP?

Awake breathing is different from sleep breathing, for me at least. I can tell by looking at my flow graph when I'm awake and when I'm asleep. Awake breathing even lying in bed is not the same as sleep breathing. I believe this is pretty much the case for everyone.

I believe my nasal passages are more open now than before CPAP. I find air moves in and out with less restriction. So yes, CPAP therapy does change things.

[robysue]

piscesman7620,

Like BlackSpinner, my sinuses have come to appreciate breathing the moist, warm, filtered air all night long---particularly in my allergy season, which basically lasts from the beginning of tree pollen in March to the first good frost in October, although I really do need to have a decently clear nose to start the night off in order to be comfortable when I first lay down with the mask on my nose.

But I will say that when I first started out some 15 months ago during ragweed season 2010: My sinuses and nose would clear up during the night because of the pollen filter on the machine and within about 30 minutes of getting up they'd clog up very bad because of the full onslaught of ragweed now that I was no longer breathing in filtered air.

So it could be that you are merely noticing some preexisting daytime congestion problems more now that there are fewer nighttime congestion problems because of the filtered air you are breathing at night.

Things you can do to help the daytime congestion: Saline nasal sprays, an OTC nasal spray called NasalCrom if you have allergies, a neti pot or sinus rinse bottle, OTC antihistamines or decongestants in appropriate, and perhaps a prescription nasal steroid spray such as Flonase. But don't use decongestant nasal sprays such as Afrin---they can trigger pretty severe rebound congestion problems after as little as three days of use.

[Goofproof]

XPAP usage does make the breathing muscles stromger and probably breath volume, but more important breathing cleaner XPAP air may be something your body likes, making it like it better than normal air. Jim

[DoriC]

Have you thought about trying a different mask? It's not unusual to try several different ones until we find "the one". There's usually a 30-day exchange policy with the DME.

[betty333]

piscesman7620,

Like BlackSpinner, my sinuses have come to appreciate breathing the moist, warm, filtered air all night long---particularly in my allergy season, which basically lasts from the beginning of tree pollen in March to the first good frost in October, although I really do need to have a decently clear nose to start the night off in order to be comfortable when I first lay down with the mask on my nose.

But I will say that when I first started out some 15 months ago during ragweed season 2010: My sinuses and nose would clear up during the night because of the pollen filter on the machine and within about 30 minutes of getting up they'd clog up very bad because of the full onslaught of ragweed now that I was no longer breathing in filtered air.

So it could be that you are merely noticing some preexisting daytime congestion problems more now that there are fewer nighttime congestion problems because of the filtered air you are breathing at night.

Things you can do to help the daytime congestion: Saline nasal sprays, an OTC nasal spray called NasalCrom if you have allergies, a neti pot or sinus rinse bottle, OTC antihistamines or decongestants in appropriate, and perhaps a prescription nasal steroid spray such as Flonase. But don't use decongestant nasal sprays such as Afrin---they can trigger pretty severe rebound congestion problems after as little as three days of use.

I've read so many posts how beneficial CPAP machines are for allergies, because of the filter on the machine. I don't have sleep apnea, but I have very bad allergies and therefore stuffy nose all the time. Sometimes fully congested. I'm dying to try this cpap machine, but these idiot doctors and specialists wouldn't give me one. I can't buy it without prescription. I was told cpaps can cause side effects such as bloating and other apneas. So far I havne't came across any thread or post which mentions any bad side effects. Why couldn't I use or just try this machine?????

Before you guys start to say to try saline, sprays, antihistamine well I tried all those, not much help at all. I even had surgery. Lot of money, but little help.
If someone would be able to help where I could hire this without prescription, would really appreciate it. (I'm from Australia.)

[Julie]

Betty, I can appreciate your problem, but while Cpap machines might incidentally help allergies, they are serious things designed for sleep apnea and not meant to be used otherwise. Don't mean to sound so pedantic, but it's true, and maybe you need to either see another ENT doctor, or explore answers on your own... but please don't call doctors idiots for being responsible (tho' many are it seems ). They wouldn't be doing you a service to prescribe something you don't need that could potentially cause new problems in future. Allergies have many sources and need to be checked out one at a time (so you know what causes which change. And your stuffy nose could be caused by anatomy (turbinate problems or septal deviation) that might need addressing - and Cpap won't help those. There may be all kinds of things in your environment which could be changed as well, from carpets to pets to humidity.

[robysue]

I'm dying to try this cpap machine, but these idiot doctors and specialists wouldn't give me one. I can't buy it without prescription. I was told cpaps can cause side effects such as bloating and other apneas. So far I havne't came across any thread or post which mentions any bad side effects. Why couldn't I use or just try this machine?????

Aerophagia (bloating) is a real issue for many people. How you've not found any posts on this is beyond me since it's a very common topic around here. Aerophagia was one of my biggest issues when I was starting out and I posted about it alot. and aerophagia remains an ongoing irritant for me.

The "other apneas" are called "pressure-induced central apneas." They're a real problem too. I've seen estimates in the medical literature about OSA and CPAP-therapy that perhaps as many as 10% of new CPAPers have problems with pressure induced centrals. Sometimes the problem resolves itself and sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't resolve, folks with pressure induced centrals have to use extremely expensive, high end equipment.

Finally: For all the good the CPAP does me in terms of my allergies as a side benefit of treating my apnea, if I had my druthers, I would much rather have no apnea and not use a machine at night to sleep with even if it meant going back to dealing with horrible nighttime allergy problems. Sleeping with a dang six foot hose on your nose is NOT easy, NOT fun, and decidedly NOT natural.

But since you don't have OSA, then you need to look for alternate solutions to congestion problems. A good room air filter might do the trick by filtering out enough of the pollen. A good room humidifier might do the trick if you think your sinuses would respond to additional humidity at night.

[Todzo]

I noticed that during the day I feel as if I am breathing different!!! Is this possible???

I have a quattro full face mask ( and yes it is the right size), but I feel like it pinches my nose and I wake up and for MANY hrs after it feel like I wore a "breathe right strip"

Maybe a lot has to do with the full face mask....it's not "natural" to wear one for 6+hrs consecutively.

I have a deviated septum and nasal polyps too....

maybe someone else out here can identify with my story...?

Since I am constantly training in eucapnic breathing I am very aware of changes. They happen all the time. So far I have noticed large changes with emotional upset, lack of exercise, hot weather, and lack of sleep.

I would think that a new CPAP user might experiance changes due to working therapy (more energy) or badly working therapy (excessive stress hormones from obstructions and/or breathing stability issues). It might be wise to spend some quality time with the machine during the daytime to better train your breathing reflexes under machine pressures.

Have a great week!

Todzo

[chunkyfrog]

Todzo; original post was in December 2011.
---revived by betty333 (with allergies, but not apnea)
To Betty; The room air filter would be your best bet.
You may also need to go "whole hog" on eliminating allergens from your home,
removing all non-essential textiles (carpet, curtains) and cleaning all bedding, towels, etc.
(shaving pets if necessary)
I take an antihistamine daily, which does the job.

[Todzo]

Todzo; original post was in December 2011.
---revived by betty333 (with allergies, but not apnea)
To Betty; The room air filter would be your best bet.
You may also need to go "whole hog" on eliminating allergens from your home,
removing all non-essential textiles (carpet, curtains) and cleaning all bedding, towels, etc.
(shaving pets if necessary)
I take an antihistamine daily, which does the job.

I did note the date.

The first thing that lets me know that I am breathing too much is a stuffy nose.

Since I have been doing eucapnic breathing I have enjoyed "allergy free" summers and years. It is nice to be enabled to smell all the flowers and many other things I used to miss. Pollen days do not concern me at all anymore.

I think you will find your use of antihistamine unsustainable over time. Indeed one can wonder what kind of side affects and drug conflict reactions you will deal with. Good luck with that!!

[49er]

Todzo; original post was in December 2011.
---revived by betty333 (with allergies, but not apnea)
To Betty; The room air filter would be your best bet.
You may also need to go "whole hog" on eliminating allergens from your home,
removing all non-essential textiles (carpet, curtains) and cleaning all bedding, towels, etc.
(shaving pets if necessary)
I take an antihistamine daily, which does the job.

I did note the date.

The first thing that lets me know that I am breathing too much is a stuffy nose.

Since I have been doing eucapnic breathing I have enjoyed "allergy free" summers and years. It is nice to be enabled to smell all the flowers and many other things I used to miss. Pollen days do not concern me at all anymore.

I think you will find your use of antihistamine unsustainable over time. Indeed one can wonder what kind of side affects and drug conflict reactions you will deal with. Good luck with that!!

Todzo,

I share your concern about long term side effects with antihistamines and am definitely not against alternative medicine. I sure hope I find some effective solutions to prevent extensive dental work.

But regarding eucapnic breathing, the problem I have when I had done research on it is it isn't explained very well in layman's terms and the services related to it seem very expensive which makes me quite suspicious.

Chunky's advice was excellent regarding allergies.

49er

[Todzo]

Todzo; original post was in December 2011.
---revived by betty333 (with allergies, but not apnea)
To Betty; The room air filter would be your best bet.
You may also need to go "whole hog" on eliminating allergens from your home,
removing all non-essential textiles (carpet, curtains) and cleaning all bedding, towels, etc.
(shaving pets if necessary)
I take an antihistamine daily, which does the job.

I did note the date.

The first thing that lets me know that I am breathing too much is a stuffy nose.

Since I have been doing eucapnic breathing I have enjoyed "allergy free" summers and years. It is nice to be enabled to smell all the flowers and many other things I used to miss. Pollen days do not concern me at all anymore.

I think you will find your use of antihistamine unsustainable over time. Indeed one can wonder what kind of side affects and drug conflict reactions you will deal with. Good luck with that!!

Todzo,

I share your concern about long term side effects with antihistamines and am definitely not against alternative medicine. I sure hope I find some effective solutions to prevent extensive dental work.

But regarding eucapnic breathing, the problem I have when I had done research on it is it isn't explained very well in layman's terms and the services related to it seem very expensive which makes me quite suspicious.

Chunky's advice was excellent regarding allergies.

49er

Most of the research that I have seen looking at eucapnic breathing suffers from a severe lack of effort, that is they use way to little of the discipline for a very little time. One would expect doing that to yield modest positive results and it does.
I find the theory very simple to break down. CO2 serves as the main circulation and metabolism modulator in the body. Too much of it and the circulatory system opens up like a fire hose with the heart working hard to flush the system quickly. Too little of it and the circulatory system closes down with the brain being particularly starved. We need the right amount of CO2 to properly facilitate metabolism and cell health in the body. We need the right amount to properly facilitate the operation of the brain.
Since I already possessed pulse oximeters to help others find their Obstructive Sleep Apnea I guess my total investment in eucapnic breathing is about $50.00 for some Bytuko breathing materials (lost in a move - only got to about lesson #2) and much time reading and much time in daily practice. Although I do reach for the pulse oximeter from time to time most of the time other symptoms clue me in to my non-eucapnic usually hypocapnic state. If I sneeze I stop breathing for about 30 seconds. I never sneeze twice when I do this. If my nose is becoming stuffy I will usually next look at the back of my hand - which will show plumped blood vesicles if I am running toward the hypocapnic end of things (the vesicles literally disappear when I breath well but will reappear if I move into the hypercapnic realm). Another trick I have learned is to cover my ear with the palm of my hand. If I can hear my heart I am breathing too much. Indeed the sound will go from kind of a "fush fush" sound through what sounds like knocking on wood to actually sounding like an engine knocking if very hypocapnic.
To me eucapnic breathing consists of knowing what symptoms to look for (stuffy nose, plumped blood vesicles on the back of my hand with hand held gently at heart level, the sound of my heart with my hand over my ear (or lack thereof), SpO2 above 95% at the computer or 96% if doing moderate exercise as was determined by finding the lowest heart rate with exercion held constant controlling breathing). If breathing too much - first slow down. Second breath less volume. Third make exhale slow. Fourth place a pause between breaths. I may well start a "reduce the breathing" session by making inhale a slow count of two, exhale a slow count of four, and then a pause of four counts. I will resist my body's tendency to compensate by making the volume of each breath more. Soon (usually about 40 seconds) I will see the SpO2 level reduce a point, feel the blood come back into my feet and a feeling of warmth, and note that the crazy urge to breath too much goes away. I will then reduce the pause and continue for a couple of minutes noting symptoms. If I stop hearing my heart beat in my ear with my hand covering - or see no more plumped vesciles on the back of my hand - and feel my nose become warm moist and comfortable inside (and very un-stuffed) I know I am close and usually go back to what I was doing.
If I have too many of these "reduce the breathing in response to symptoms" times I will spend some quality time with the pulse oximeter. This may be at my desk, in bed with the CPAP, and/or climbing hills.
I have not found eucapnic breathing an expensive project. I do love the benefits!

Have a good week!

Todzo