Nasal congestion and humidity?

I knew it was too good to be true. I have had minimal bad luck with this new CPAP stuff but now I have the nasal congestion. Normally been using 3 or 4 setting on the humidifier. No rainout issues.
Last week one night I reduced the level to 1 and woke up with major nasal congestion. Thought I was having a huge allergy attack. Sneezing 10 to 12 times per episode. Itchy, runny and congested. Took Sudafed and Zyrtec no relief even with Flonase use. So that next night I cranked the humidity back to 3 and the problem went away.

Then night before last I was asleep longer than usual and the tank (set at 3) went dry and I woke up with this mess all over again. So for 2 days I have been miserablely congested. Got some Ayr's saline spray last night along with some Afrin last night. No help to speak of.

In a hot shower the nasal passages open up fairly well. Even outside in the heat and humidity they open a bit but in the house concrete is in the nose. I can use my nasal pillows and the air does blow through things and I sleep well, just miserable during the day.

My grandson is here for a visit, I can't feel like this, I have too much to do. What else can I do to relieve this congestion and pressure, even my teeth hurt? Breathing perfectly untill this happened. Ideas??
Thanks
Brenda

As soon as you said your teeth hurt I said "SINUSITIS". I had a RAGING infection a few months ago. I would suggest getting a very good antibiotic and painkillers from a doctor. Mine got really bad because I let it go. It was one of the most painful things I have experienced.
You might want to use a good Neti pot and salted warm water. I got mine from http://www.jalanetipot.com/ but I think they sell them in drugstores. It helps to do it daily if you have sinus issues. Good luck and let me know if I was right!

Thanks,
Cathy

I can just imagine your problem with nasal congestion and humidity. Even I suffered from it, although I don't have any problems with teeth ache.
There are different level of humidity that seems to work for those with nasal congestion problems. There are inexpensive humidity gauge to help you with your sleeping environment.

Dental Killeen Dentists El Paso

I don't have any of the usual sinusitis symptoms. Feel fine except for cotton in my nose. No fever, no recent cold symptoms, no sore throat, no cloudy infected looking drainage, no cough. If I had been using Afrin I would think Afrin rebound but I haven't used Afrin in years until yesterday.

When the nasal passages are open the teeth hurting seems to dissipate. Mainly I have congestion that will vary and itchy, runny nose (clear watery stuff), very much like seasonal allergies but it doesn't respond to allergy meds.

I can blow through the congestion with the nasal pillows easily. So the congestion doesn't block the air.

I increased the humidity last night to 5. Also testing a hybrid mask. Still was able to breath through the nasal pillows part of it till about 4 AM. Saline rinse and a tiny bit of Afrin has opened things back up to almost normal. Maybe the increase in humidity helped as this breathing is the best I have had in 3 days now. Itchiness is not quite to bad either.

I have read that varying problems with nasal congestion can and does occur with CPAP treatment. It seems that we do get "used" to things. I am hoping that I get used to this quickly. It sure has caused more grief than any other part of this treatment so far.

I've had a similar response after changing humidifier or pressure or EPR settings: two to three days of nasal allergy miseries. To stave off this possibility, I take a generic kind of Claritin tablet every night, use a Neti pot, and take extra vitamin C. Despite these precautions, my nose is particularly sensitive in the Spring during tree-pollen season (or as I like to call it, "Hell in New England"). And if something triggers an attack, it's very difficult to cut short. The human body regards nasal swelling as a foreign intruder and foolishly releases a flood of histamine to get rid of it. The best I can do is double the Claritin dosage and take a decongestant for a few days. In my case, air temperature seems just as crucial as humidity. I've forgotten to turn on my Aussie hose-heater a few times and lived to regret it.

I wonder if putting something like Vick's near the air intake on the machine would help to keep your nasal passages open while you sleep? Just a thought.

Pugsy, nasal allergies are awful! I'm glad your CPAP can bypass the congestion. My congestion unfortunately blocks my nostrils, luckily for xPAP therapy only one at a time.

Yesterday, my sleep doc gave me a sample of the new-ish axelastine nasal sprays (Astepro to be precise). While the taste isn't wonderful (in spite of the sucralose), a piece of chewing gum masked it. 1 hr later I was completely blocked and I felt discouraged. Yet, 2 hrs later my nose was completely unblocked until sometime overnight as I woke up with one side blocked again (haven't done nasal irrigation yet, I use the Grossan gadget and solution).

Might ask your doc for a sample and see if it helps out during the day (night time too maybe).

EDIT: might read about vasomote rhinitis which is weird & hard to manage as I can verify.

EDIT 6/24: Gotta say I think the Astepro is working , been less congested than usual since spraying nightly since Monday <fingers crossed>. I spray, then chew a piece of gum to mask the taste. It congests me slightly for an hr or so, then free breathing...not as clear as Afrin or generic but I can't that one them anymore

Except for the teeth pain, facial pain and one nasal passage blocked (dry, too!) I had no other symptoms of sinusitis. I thought I was having a severe headache. You never know. It has manifested in weird ways for me. Once I had sinusitis that was causing really bad pain in the base of my skull. Just a thought. Hope you get better and that I never get it!!!

Cathy

I personally found my CPAP a blessing.
It has dramatically reduced my nasal congestion and my spring allergies are also just about non existent this year. When I got a cold about 3 days after I got the machine I cranked the humidifier up as high as it could go and it worked like a dream.

I am considerably improved today. Last night I really cranked up the humidifier, also did some saline rinses. This morning and today has been much better than the previous 2 days. Still a bit stuffy and itchy but definitely feeling more like my old self. Teeth hurting has completely stopped.

Hadn't thought about the Vicks near the intake. We have some hiding around here somewhere. Will try it tonight. I have been wanting to try Bret's PurSleep aromas also. I love good smelling things.

I discovered that hot showers greatly relieved my symptoms. I discovered that simply snorting a little water (very little at a time) really helped my symptoms. Jury is still out on the saline rinses and I sure hope I never really have to do that Neti pot thing. I increased my humidifier setting to 5 last night. A little congestion early this morning but not nearly as much as before. It appears that I will survive after all.

I think my nasal mucosa got dried out and then became very swollen trying to compensate for the lack of adequate moisture. The swelling seemed to have created a backlog in pressure in the maxillary sinus area thus creating the pressure on my teeth. Maybe aggravated a wee bit with allergies as it is putting up hay time around here.

I had that same thing happen to me when I started. It takes a little while to get it back in shape. That is one of the reasons I went to the HC-150 humidifier. I can crank it up and not worry about sleeping to long because it will still have water in it when I wake up.

Good luck hope everything works out with your visit and all the fun thing you have planned!!

Jerry

I have intermittent congestion that comes and goes on no schedule that I can discern. I live in a normally very dry climate (western Nevada at 5,140 feet) that has been uncharacteristically wet the last few weeks. When I first started CPAP about 60 days ago, I ran my humidifier at 5 out of 9 the first night. Then, 4 the next, and at that setting for a long while. When the wet weather hit, I quickly went from 4 to 3 to 2. Eventually, I was just using the humidifier in passover mode.

As the wet weather started to clear out, I had to use heat again, with 1 or 2 doing the job nicely. However, congestion started to get worse again. The last three nights, I was using just passover humidifier as I was testing the 'field' capability of my machine and batteries. AHI got better each night; so did congestion. Don't think I slept as well, though. Tonight, I am back on 'shore power', will try a setting of 1 or 2.

The whole congestion thing is still a big mystery, and I need to start tracking my results with the relative humidity.

Hi Pugsly,

Sorry to hear 'bout your congested nose - Like some of the other posters - "Stuffy Nose Syndrome" hit when it, and whoever it decides to, especially when you are treating Sleep Apnea. Mine comes and goes - sounds like you are doing all the right stuff to get rid of it.

Like timbalionguy I live in a normally dry State. This year we have had so much rain, you would have thought it was Seattle. when I became congested this spring, I thought it might be sinus - but it wasn't. In a soaking wet spring, I had allergies - treated them with antihistamine, increased the humidity, & did Grossan Nasal Rinse.

I haven't had hayfever type symptoms in the past. Could this have started because of Cpap?

Good luck . . . Jan