Still having problems with nasal congestion -Update- Pg 1 at the top-

Without the CPAP, I have headaches that nothing helps, my jaw goes forward (my dentist thinks to help me get air - BTW he sent me for sleep test, doctors missed my symptoms), I get a problem with my neck from what I suspect is pulling my head to the side trying to breathe at night. My throat dries out and hurts.

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I can sympathize! For the last decade I have had some stuffiness at night but never in the day. I've never had any allergies that I'm aware of. Something about the CPAP (too much humidity....too little humidity?) drives my nose crazy and it just becomes completely blocked. I was trying saline spray, but that has become useless. Lately I have tried using Afrin on just one side in hopes of getting SOME air! I get some relief from taking one little Sudafed (the plain old kind you have to stand in line for at the pharmacy).

Could it be that your chin moving forward and your neck hurting is the result of teeth clenching? I wake up nearly every day with those issues and I am a power clencher. Doc said CPAP would stop the clenching. It has not. And now the CPAP is causing an additional issue...the swollen nasal passages. I have to wonder sometimes if CPAP and the constant disruption to my sleep it causes along with the stuffiness is worth it for someone like me with mild apnea. Something I'll discuss with my doc next month. I now have an app't with a specialist to discuss Botox injections to help control the clenching.

Anyway, I wish you well...and AIR!!

CtoB - lower (or remove altogether) your hum. setting... if the humidity in your location/house is high, you'll get congested by adding more.

Julie wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:22 am

CtoB - lower (or remove altogether) your hum. setting... if the humidity in your location/house is high, you'll get congested by adding more.

I've been working with that and haven't seen improvement at any setting. Haven't turned it off completely though....worth a try. What can possible go wrong??

Love your avatar!

clenchingtobreathe wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 12:21 pm

Julie wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:22 am

CtoB - lower (or remove altogether) your hum. setting... if the humidity in your location/house is high, you'll get congested by adding more.

I've been working with that and haven't seen improvement at any setting. Haven't turned it off completely though....worth a try. What can possible go wrong??

all the liquid in your body desiccates?

This study is linked right on the forum homepage,....upper left under news.

https://www.dovepress.com/effect-of-con ... ticle-TCRM

Seems to me that changing your Cpap filters very regularly may be of significant benefit since dust mite concentrations were found to be quite high as opposed to normal room air.

clenchingtobreathe wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 12:21 pm

Julie wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:22 am

CtoB - lower (or remove altogether) your hum. setting... if the humidity in your location/house is high, you'll get congested by adding more.

I've been working with that and haven't seen improvement at any setting. Haven't turned it off completely though....worth a try. What can possible go wrong??

There are 2 leels to try.
1. Humififier off with water in it. This is sometimes called passover humidification since the air just passes over the room temperature water.

2. Humidifier off with no water in the tank. This would be no added humidification.

I can relate to the twisting of the neck being a problem doing nasal rinses. Managed to do it for a while when it was really needed. Been seeing a product advertised on late night TV called Navage that gives a rinse where one doesn't have to contort to use it. Can't speak for or against it but it seems it could meet a need. Am interested in seeing what others say about the water. I used distilled only. Maybe there's an even safer option.

I would recommend the Sinu-Pulse over the TV pitched Navage personally. I have one of the former myself that I use if I feel a sinus infection coming on. You can also use the simple and cheap Neil-Med squeeze bottle and not have any crazy neck craning involved. Only the Neti-Pot requires that.

https://www.amazon.com/SinuPulse-Elite- ... are+system

https://www.amazon.com/NeilMed-100-Sinu ... nse+bottle

kteague wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 2:59 pm

I can relate to the twisting of the neck being a problem doing nasal rinses. Managed to do it for a while when it was really needed. Been seeing a product advertised on late night TV called Navage that gives a rinse where one doesn't have to contort to use it. Can't speak for or against it but it seems it could meet a need. Am interested in seeing what others say about the water. I used distilled only. Maybe there's an even safer option.

http://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/N_R ... is-it-safe

The risk factor is not mentioned but how many people use nasal rinses with ordinary tap water? Probably about 95%.

LLrry wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 8:15 am

What do you do if you can't use the machine? Do you get problems when you don't use it - headache etc? Do you sleep in recliner if you can't use it?

Sleeping without the machine means you are back to full on sleep apnea. Possibly worse if it has been a while since you started cpap. Our untreated sleep apnea tends to get worse with age, regardless of whether we are treating it or not.

Also, many people can be just as bad in a recliner. My mom sleeps in a recliner due to pain issues. When I let her use my full data machine at her prescription of 10, she still had clusters of events that were each over 30 seconds long. That was in a recliner AND using a pressure of 10. I have also been known to fall asleep while watching tv, sitting upright, and snorting myself awake. So, no, sleeping in a recliner wouldn't help me at all. Might help some people, but that really varies.

LLrry wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 8:15 am

What do you do if you can't use the machine?

I don't understand the question... there is no "can't use it".

I've used cpap every night for nine years.

Even when I was in the hospital with a tube up my nose down into my stomach... Still used cpap, though my leak numbers were worse.

Some of us have sinus allergies causing nasal congestion. I have tried to get a FFM I m happy with to work during the times I cannot effectively breathe through my nose.

So far, once or twice a year, I either stop using CPAP part way through the night or do not use it for a couple of nights. I realize sleeping without CPAP us not good but during those times I rest better without CPAP. It may be difficult for those without chronic sinus problems to relate to the challenges.

I have serious sinus problems. But I find that using nasal pillows and turning up minimum pressure from my APAP allows me to blast through what I would otherwise consider completely closed sinuses. Yes, I have a full-face mask in case I ever need it in an emergency, but If I give them time the nasal pillows always eventually work every night. When problems came close to keeping me from using nasal pillows, I began using generic Flonase to shrink some of the swelling. It worked. Hey, just me.

jnk... wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 26, 2018 7:38 am

I have serious sinus problems. But I find that using nasal pillows and turning up minimum pressure from my APAP allows me to blast through what I would otherwise consider completely closed sinuses. Yes, I have a full-face mask in case I ever need it in an emergency, but If I give them time the nasal pillows always eventually work every night. When problems came close to keeping me from using nasal pillows, I began using generic Flonase to shrink some of the swelling. It worked. Hey, just me.

Sometimes I cannot "blast through" without drowning or choking in mucous.