Raw nasal passages

[Grego20112011]

I am a new CPAP user and also new to this forum. My issue is this: For the first few weeks I enjoyed great success and felt less tired during the daytime than I'd felt for years. Subsequently, during nightime use, I began awakening after a few hours with a "raw" and very uncomfortable feeling in my nasal passages. I tried using saline nasal spray and increasing the humidity level on my machine. Neither technique helped. I then tried using for the first time a chin strap, speculating that I had begun unconsciously opening my mouth and allowing a "rush" of air to penetrate the nasal passages. This technique has also been ineffective. I am very concerned that I'll no longer be able to use the machine and I'll suffer the consequences. Has anyone experienced this problem and found a solution? Thank you in advance for any light you can shed on this problem!

[Mary Z]

You can try some Ayr gel up in your nostrils. Hang in there- you'll get some good suggestions and won't have to quit your CPAP. If you'll fill in your profile so people know what mask you're using they can better help you.
Good Luck.

[evbirch]

Some ideas:

There could be a problem with your humidifier. A properly working humidifier should resolve any problems with dry nasal passages. You might check with your supplier to make sure that everything is working properly.

Make sure you're using distilled water. When I run out of distilled, I've used tap or bottled water and that will make my sinuses feel dry the next day.

Also, I have a tendency to turn off my humidifier during the night, so check in the morning to make sure it is still on and did it go through the water.

Hope that one of these suggestions helps!

[LSAT]

If the water level is going down, your humidifier is working. Use something like Ayr Gel to line the inside of your nose.

[poppi2]

I only experience raw nasal passages when I have an undetected leak, and air flows continuously into my nose. You ask, how can anyone have undetected leaks? Well, I am very hard of hearing (hearing aids in both ears while awake), and I can't always hear or feel the smaller leaks. Even the smaller leaks can result in a lot of air movement. Earl