Nasal pillow sinuses?

REIUSA · Post by **REIUSA** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 6:40 am

Is the nasal pillow worse for your sinuses than a nose mask or does it not make any difference? The reason I ask is it seems like the pillow blows air more directly into your nose, more so than a nose mask.

Is there any mask made specifically to be easier on sinuses?

When you are starting to get a sinus infection and have a lot of sinus drainage does a cpap mask or pillow make the problem worse? On one side it seems to help me because it helps me breath easier when I am congested but then I have to wonder if it is just irritating my sinuses more and causing more drainage to enter the lungs.

Also, is there anything I can do to lessen the chance of getting a sinus infection? A netti pot has helped prevent an infection from what I have experienced but I still get a lot of drainage like before it becomes infected.

RipVW · Post by **RipVW** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 6:49 am

My experience with my nasal pillow trial was similar to what you describe--more air directly up the nose, seeming to cause me to be more congested. I guess this is just another one of those individual preferences things, since I know there are many nasal pillow users who love them. Most here recommend a full face mask for use when one has a cold and congestion. I've found that I prefer my FFM all the time over every other mask I tried.

REIUSA · Post by **REIUSA** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 7:55 am

I'm starting to like the pillow since it has less material touching my face, but if it makes sinus problems worse I will probably go back to a nose mask or look into the full face masks. My skin becomes irritated and I break out when a lot of the mask material touches my face so that is part of the problem too.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:06 am

There is not more air going up your nose unless you normally breathe through your mouth and then try an breathe only through your nose.

Breathing through your nose is the way humans are supposed to breathe ... the pie hole is for, well, pies (and emergencies).

In other words, your lungs determine how much air you take in and breathe out and hopefully the conservation of air is maintained or you will either blow up like a balloon or shrivel up like one of those vaccum seal plastic bags ... neither would be a good thing.

So to answer, a nasal cushion mask and a nasal pillow mask provides the same amount of air up your nose (that your lungs take in) and even a FF mask will provide the same amount of air if you keep you mouth shut. It's basic physics.

I should add that LESS air is possible up your nose when you do get sinus congestion but then a FF mask will allow you to use the pie hole for those types of emergencies.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:19 am

I've been using the nasal pillow since last spring, but have only recently started to have sinus problems. There have been several posts recently about sinuses, and I wonder if the time of year is having an affect on things, and we're blaming it on our nasal pillow.........or perhaps it just makes things worse. I know I'm having a heck of a time with my sinuses. But, I'm not congested. I feel totally dried out and shrunken. my sinuses too.
Our mucous membranes are sort of the same throughout our nose and mouth, so I'm thinking if we breathed pressurized air through our mouths, we'd start seeing irritation there too. Maybe you could find a full face mask that felt okay, and wear it intermittantly, to give your sinuses a break?
I've been trying to use a Neti pot, but it seems to put fluid into my eustachian tubes. I think I'm built weird.
There are natural nose drops, called Ponaris, that my ENT suggested for me to use. You might try those for your congestion......if you can stand the smell. They are herbal, and pretty strongly scented.

REIUSA · Post by **REIUSA** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:57 am

I'm not so worried about the amount of air, just the pressure and dryness. I guess it doesn't really make any difference I just want to make sure it's not a problem other people have had.

I have had 4-5 sinus infections a year since I have been on a CPAP and a lot of it is related to allergies I think, I have been taking allergy shots for the past two months so I hope it helps.

At first I had a bad habit of not changing the water every day but I am better now, that is probably part of the problem too. I also have been using a passover humidifier and from what I have heard a heated humidifier is much better on the sinuses, I'm still not sure though, next week I plan on getting a heated one so I really hope it helps.

The netti pot has been one of the best things for my sinuses so far, if you can handle it I highly suggest using one once a day or several times a day if you have runny sinuses.

If you have problems with water getting in your ear tubes one thing you could try is once you are done running the salt water though your nose is let it drain out as much as possible and bend over a little and let it drain out with gravity, once the water drains as much as it can gently blow you nose without blocking one nostril to get the rest out, don't blow hard. Just running the water through wouldn't send water down your tubes I wouldn't think. From what I have read and been told the pressure from blowing your nose is what will do it if you have over sized tubes.

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier, CPAP

Country4ever · Post by **Country4ever** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:43 am

Hi REIUSA,
I'm the "guest" who posted above. I hadn't logged in, so my name didn't show.
Anyhow.....just wanted to say that I have a heated humidifier. I was having tons of sinus pain. I had my humidifier cranked up to almost the highest setting, yet still feeling like my sinuses were dry and raw. Wulfman suggested that the heat might be drying things out. I've turned it down to almost off, and I'm feeling a bit better.....but I can't say for sure.
I'm just telling you this, since the heat, if turned up too high, might actually worked against keeping your sinuses moist.
I'm going to the ENT this week, and I'll ask him what he thinks.
Maybe in the winter, the heated part is a good thing, but I wonder if its not good in the wetter months?
I fear some of us just have extra delicate tissues in there, and we are going to be bothered by anything stronger than normal breathing??

bipappap · Post by **bipappap** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:57 am

Everyone is different, but I have been using a Mirage Swift for about 2 years and it has worked great. I had sinus trouble a couple of times a year before starting BIPAP. I haven't had a problem since I started. The air blowing directly into my nose seems to keep my sinuses open, sometimes I might be just a little stopped up when I put it on within a few minutes I am fine. I have a heated passover humidifer. I have to keep my heat turned up to 4 or I don't get enough mositure in the air. The higher my heat the more moist the air is.
Good Luck

ja-awake · Post by **ja-awake** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:43 am

How timely that I should check this forum today! I just called my med equipment guy to see if there is a machine out there that puts out more heated and humidified air. I, too, have the Resmed S8 Escape, and I have the heat/humidity set up to the max. But the cold dry air really hurts my sinuses and throat. I'm looking for sugggestions about machines that might do a better job of heating up and humidifying that air.
I use the hybrid mask, which I love -- it solves the problem of my mouth breathing.

Any ideas?

Janet

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:49 am

ja-awake wrote:How timely that I should check this forum today! I just called my med equipment guy to see if there is a machine out there that puts out more heated and humidified air. I, too, have the Resmed S8 Escape, and I have the heat/humidity set up to the max. But the cold dry air really hurts my sinuses and throat. I'm looking for sugggestions about machines that might do a better job of heating up and humidifying that air.
I use the hybrid mask, which I love -- it solves the problem of my mouth breathing.

Any ideas?

Janet

get an HC150

ja-awake · Post by **ja-awake** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:04 am

Thanks, Dreamstalker. I just looked at the reviews and they look good.
Janet

REIUSA · Post by **REIUSA** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:49 am

[quote="Country4ever"]Hi REIUSA,
I'm the "guest" who posted above. I hadn't logged in, so my name didn't show.
Anyhow.....just wanted to say that I have a heated humidifier. I was having tons of sinus pain. I had my humidifier cranked up to almost the highest setting, yet still feeling like my sinuses were dry and raw. Wulfman suggested that the heat might be drying things out. I've turned it down to almost off, and I'm feeling a bit better.....but I can't say for sure.
I'm just telling you this, since the heat, if turned up too high, might actually worked against keeping your sinuses moist.
I'm going to the ENT this week, and I'll ask him what he thinks.
Maybe in the winter, the heated part is a good thing, but I wonder if its not good in the wetter months?
I fear some of us just have extra delicate tissues in there, and we are going to be bothered by anything stronger than normal breathing??

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:41 pm

I find that I have to play with the humidifier setting too. It needs to be different in the summer vs. the winter. I also use a prescription nasal spray and that helps a ton with my sinuses. If I have too much humdity from my machine, I have drainage, my nose gets slimy inside and it smells funny all the time. Then, I know I have my humidifier up too high.

Machine	Mask

Additional Comments: Resmed HumidAir 11 for humidifier