Nasal Congestion

[CraneGuy]

First want to thank everyone for the help with my bloating. Seems as though I do indeed have aerophagia. Got a nasal mask instead of the full face mask. Seems like the right way to go. Now the problem is nasal congestion. Wake up breathing very hard, just trying to get air. One problem is I have a deviated septum, but I noticed that if I tilt my head to the side it opens up. So I sleep with an extra pillow that causes me to turn my head slightly. Now when I go to sleep all is well, but after about 3 hours, sinuses swell up. I have the S9 with the humidifier and heater. Blowing my nose doesn't help, because there is nothing there. Have tried Simple saline and the neti pot before going to bed to clean out the sinuses. Seems to work at first but doesn't last. Definitely don't want to go the nasal spray route. Have been addicted to Afrin in the past. Don't need that monkey on my back. Now I will take Tyleynol PM, but feel I am just using a different monkey. I have had a few really good nights sleep, but still no energy during the day. Any ideas?

[RandyJ]

There are non-addictive nasal sprays that may help: Astelin (an antihistamine), Nasonex, Flonase, etc (steroids). You should talk to your dr or if you see an ENT, even better. In any case they are not like Afrin; they are designed to be used everyday and do not cause rebound congestion.

Using one right before bed every night may get you through the night.

[Pugsy]

What humidifier settings are you using? If the nasal rinses help for a few hours....wonder if you need more moisture from the humidifier?
Some people need more moisture and some people need less moisture. If you are already using a higher setting might back down a bit but if you are already using a lower to medium setting you might try increasing the humidity setting on your machine.

[Elle]

I had this problem and it was worse when I switched to nasal pillows. At the advise of Pugsy I switched the humidity to 5 and it is much better.

Thank you Pugsy.

[lovescuba]

I had the same problem, and tried everything. I tried the saline, nettie pot, hot showers, high humidity, low humidity and every setting in between. It did not matter what I did my nasel passage would swell shut in about 3 hours. Finally talked to my Doc. and she prescibed Flonase, took about 3 days to work, now no problems.