Headaches

Hi,

I have been a Cpap user for some time, however, this winter I seem to be really struggling with a sore nasal passages and headaches at the back of my head(where my straps are but not caused by them)

I have been to the sleep clinic, lowered the pressure as much as possible so it remains effective. I have a humidifier and a heated tube. I also use nasogel on a regular basis but I still seem to have headaches and a sore nose. I am also very tired so it must be effecting my sleep.

I had surgery on my nose this time last year, so I have been back to ENT consultant and he said everything was fine

any suggestions what else to try other than giving it up?

Maybe your headaches aren't from the mask or cpap machine and instead from something else and you would most likely still have them even if you give up on cpap.

Ukbtaylor wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 12, 2023 10:21 am

any suggestions what else to try other than giving it up?

Go see your doctor to be evaluated for other potential causes of headaches (and the list is a mile long).
First thing that comes to my mind is cervical spine or muscle tension issues.
Bed pillow and sleep position might also be a factor.
Get an overnight pulse oximetery done just to rule out the headaches being related to O2 levels.

Hi Ukbtaylor,

You say: "This winter I seem to have been really struggling ... "

Have you been turning down your heating because of the horrendous rise in UK fuel bills?

The official line on temperatures used to be: 'good for people' equals 20º C (or 68º F). The advice now is that you can make that 18º C and you won't come to much harm.

But maybe you're the one in a thousand who does come to some harm, does experience significant changes, at 18º C – changes enough to send your blood pressure up, and then unresolved high bp equals headaches.

Maybe to keep warm you've not had windows open at all and your bedroom is low on oxygen. I'm from the old schoool which sez: if you don't get enough oxygen into your system, you can't properly 'burn' the blood sugar – the combustion of which is what keeps your system temp at 37ºC (or 98.6º F).

Likewise, you may have been buying different food because of the 17 pc rise in the cost of the average weekly shop. Less expensive protein and more cheap carbohydrates. Not enough iron and vitamin K. Long term that can lead to anemia, which leads to less oxygen in the blood flow to the brain, which leads to ... headaches.

The point is: the cause of your headaches might not be your sleep apnea set-up. Your immediate environment, muscle tension, worry might be the things to 'treat'.

To test for sleep apnea, I assume you had some kind of 'sleep study' to look at your oxygen levels through the night – what Pugsy is suggesting is that that test could be done again, this second time with your CPAP machine on and running.

Go see your gp – I know there's been pressure on that part of the system lately, but IMO that is your best next step.

PS. Headaches and also feeling very tired – even when all your blood tests and system numbers are ok* – may be due to poor daytime breathing habits. Go on-line and check out 'hyper-ventilation syndrome'.

The remedy is breathing exercises – to be taught and supervised by a breathing physiologist or specialist nurse. GP to refer.

* I'm assuming that your numbers are ok because (i) you recently had surgery, and if normal protocol was followed, then your numbers would have been evaluated at that time, and (ii) there aren't many reasons for your system to change a lot in such a short time.

Thanks, we have not changed too much of habits due to the cost of living crisis. We just have lot less money

Thanks, I’ll book appointment for my GP