Another Stuffy Nose Question

New user here (about three months) with stuffy nose issues. I've read lots of threads here about stuffy nose strategies, but so far haven't found a solution that works consistently for me. In my experiments, I seem to do better with a fairly high humidity setting, though that then requires a higher tube temperature to compensate for the rainout. With lower humidity settings, I get both the stuffiness and drying out of the nose and back of the throat. I bought a hose cover to help with the condensation problem, but I still get rainout if I push the humidity level too high.

The DreamWear nasal mask is very comfortable and works well as long as my nose is clear. Typically, I have under 2 events per hour until the point where my nose has gotten so stuffy I have to take the mask off for the rest of the night -- usually after 5-6 hours, or sooner when the humidity is set lower. Sometimes I can leave the mask off for an hour or so until the stuffiness starts to break up and then put it back on for the rest of the night.

My sleep doctor recommended daily nasal irrigation with a saline solution. After a week of that, I'm not seeing much, if any, effect on the stuffiness. This is all frustrating because I feel like I'm not getting the full benefit of my CPAP machine. I'm not sure what strategy to try next. . . .

You're in Seattle, where it rains a lot and you're near the ocean... have you tried a low (if any at all) hum. setting?

What hose air temp are you using when you still get condensation in the hose?
Are you getting any condensation in the mask? Or is it just the long hose?
What is your ambient bedroom temperature?
What is your ambient bedroom humidity? I know we assume high humidity where you live but what with furnaces and wood heat potential use that outside high humidity might not translate into your bedroom. Furnaces and wood stoves can dry out the air a lot.

Thanks for the replies. I get condensation in the hose and mask at a humidity setting of 5 and above on the AirSense 10. Actually, I've never gone above 6. Raising the hose temp helps, but there's still a little rainout in the mask even at 84-85 degrees. On the lower humidity/temp settings, I get really dried out and still stuffy.

With the furnace on in the winter, the indoor humidity is not too high -- around 40-42% according to my weather station. Ambient bedroom temp is about 64-65 degrees at night. The condensation wouldn't really bother me if the higher humidity settings eliminated the stuffy nose, but they don't. They help, but the stuffiness still catches up with me after a few hours.

Did you get the side fleece wraps with your mask? If so, are you using them? If not, add them to see if they will help insulate the air in the mask a bit more so less chance of cooling off and causing condensation to occur.

If you warm up your bedroom ambient air temp just a little bit it might be just enough to keep the air in hose from condensing even at the max temps. It's all physics in action and warmer air will hold on to the moisture in the air better than cooler air.
So the trick to do whatever we can to keep the ambient temp from cooling off the air wherever it is cooling at...hose or mask.

Condensation won't hurt us but it is highly annoying and can disturb our sleep as well as bed partners.

The entire mask frame could also have something wrapped around it to help insulate that air in the frame.
I had to do this when I used the DreamWear not because of moisture but simply because event the small frame was too large for my head and everything just slid all over the place. I took ever strap pad I had and covered all the frame.

Use lots and lots of simply saline during the day to help hydrate that nasal mucosa. Maybe even use something like Ayr nasal gel to help promote hydration and prevent dryness.

Yes, I've been using the fleece wraps on the mask because they feel good on my face. I never thought about the insulating factor. I'll check out the Ayr nasal gel too.

henkejs wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 26, 2019 10:21 pm

Thanks for the replies. I get condensation in the hose and mask at a humidity setting of 5 and above on the AirSense 10. Actually, I've never gone above 6. Raising the hose temp helps, but there's still a little rainout in the mask even at 84-85 degrees. On the lower humidity/temp settings, I get really dried out and still stuffy.

With the furnace on in the winter, the indoor humidity is not too high -- around 40-42% according to my weather station. Ambient bedroom temp is about 64-65 degrees at night. The condensation wouldn't really bother me if the higher humidity settings eliminated the stuffy nose, but they don't. They help, but the stuffiness still catches up with me after a few hours.

Older thread but I have a couple of suggestions.

Have you tried the heated hose to prevent rainout at higher humidity settings? (ResMed Climate Line Air Heated Tube for ResMed AirSense 10 & AirCurve 10, #37296)

For maximum effect, try the heated hose with the hose cover. Make sure the CPAP machine is below the level of your head. But at whatever point you get condensation (rainout), you'll have to back off the humidity level. Humidity levels that high will always have rainout problems in the winter. Even in Seattle, I guess, with the drying effect of forced-air heating.

Also, I use FloNase on an ongoing basis because I have naturally boggy nasal tissue that always worsens at night when I'm reclined. It helps. Flonase is a mild corticosteroid anti-inflammatory that will reduce allergic and non-allergic stuffiness, and is mild enough that you can use it chronically. It is available without prescription but tends to be a bit pricey so you may save on it if your doc writes an Rx for it (assuming you have Rx coverage).

You may find that you can increase the humidifier to levels that satisfy you during the warm part of the year (less heater blowing, so higher ambient humidity) and then use the FloNase in the cold part of the year when you back off the humidifier.

I use Navage nasal rinse x 2 daily and flonase x 2 daily (primary care doc said once daily, ENT doc said twice daily) and a humidity setting of 4 or 5 on my Resmed Airsense with a temp of 81.

almostadoctor wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 5:05 pm

Also, I use FloNase on an ongoing basis because I have naturally boggy nasal tissue that always worsens at night when I'm reclined. It helps. Flonase is a mild corticosteroid anti-inflammatory that will reduce allergic and non-allergic stuffiness, and is mild enough that you can use it chronically. It is available without prescription but tends to be a bit pricey so you may save on it if your doc writes an Rx for it (assuming you have Rx coverage).

to anyone interested in flonase, after you try it and like it, look for the generic kirkland equivalent at costco. i say after you know you like it because the generic comes 5 bottles to a pack.

sorry, don't remember the price.

and hat tip to forum member dog slobber for alerting me to this. i personally think it works better than the brand name.

zonker wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 5:48 pm

to anyone interested in flonase, after you try it and like it, look for the generic kirkland equivalent at costco. i say after you know you like it because the generic comes 5 bottles to a pack.

sorry, don't remember the price.

and hat tip to forum member dog slobber for alerting me to this. i personally think it works better than the brand name.

Great tip, zonker.

FYI, the generic name and dosage is "Fluticasone Propionate 50 mcg per spray".

If you live in an area that does not have a local Costco, Sam's Club also carries a generic Flonase spray.

Thanks everyone for following up on my post. I've been using the heated tube and the wrap to manage the condensation, but still haven't found a reliable solution to the stuffy nose problem. Even with daily nasal irrigation, I'm lucky to get through five or six hours before my nose clogs up.

A while back I tried Flonase (once a day) for a few days. Ended up with a bad nosebleed that required a trip to urgent care to get under control. That was the end of that experiment. Now I'm switching to a full face mask during the night once my nose plugs up. The nasal mask works much better for me when my nose is clear (fewer events than the full face mask), but at least I can get through the rest of the night with the alternate mask. Not ideal, but it's working.