Cpap & Sinutitis

so i have had some sinus problems recently and they are telling me my sinuses are sensitive and inflammed and need to heal .. right now i am using nasal pillows and usually at night i feel ok but in the AM after using cpap my sinuses feel very aggravated and I generally feel not good, pressure, pain etc -- anyone deal with this or have suggestions? the doc said cpap may aggravate my sinuses.

Do you have the proper humidity settings? What are your pressure settings? Is the doctor treating your sinusitis? Saying the CPAP is causing the sinusitis without offering any help is not good.

The humidifier on the cpap (nasal pillows)virtually eliminated all my sinus problems. Before that, I had at least 2 every year for 25 years. I had my pressure all the way up, but recently had DR. turn it down 2 numbers, due to the fact I started using Kinesiology tape to stop my Mouth breathing. have your pressure checked and try turning it down a bit and see if that doesnt help you.

Right now the pressure is around 8.2 and I use nasal pillows, the only mask that really works for me.. I have not been using any humidity setting, have it turned "off" should I be using it set at 1 or 2? I thought about getting the climate line heated / cooled tubing but right now I just have regular tubing. I have lingering sinutis from an allergy not the cpap, the cpap just seems to be aggravating it.

There's a reason that most docs recommend "heated humidifier" when prescribing cpap.....most people need at least a little added moisture because when the nasal mucosa get dried out they react with allergy like symptoms in terms of what mimics a sinus infection sometimes.

Turn on the humidifier...set it to maybe 2 and see what happens.

Does a hot steamy shower seem to relieve your sinus symptoms???? At least short term?

yes hot showers ususally do help, I dont have the heated tubing .. maybe i can get one .. try the regular tubing set at 1 or 2 for humidity?

tx

The heated hose is mainly for rain out (condensation in mask or hose) prevention so it isn't a critical need unless you have a lot of condensation that gets annoying.
Even without a heated hose there are other ways to limit the condensation chances should the need arise. I did it for years before we had the heated hoses to help out.
So you can try a relatively low humidity setting with the non heated hose and then make a decision about a heated hose should it be needed.
If no condensation happens then it really isn't needed anyway.

CPAP without humidity can really dry out your sinuses, leading to the irritation that causes sinusitis. So, yes, experimenting with adding humidity is a good idea. But start slowly--too much humidity can be as bad as too little, and adjust only one thing at a time. Give each change a night or two to see if it's helping or making things worse, although if it's making things really worse and you can tell quickly, then dial it back to the prior setting.

Try some saline nasal spray during the day, too, to hydrate the nasal tissues. Look for a brand that doesn't include sodium benzoate (it stings!), just plain saline. I prefer the cans of saline that deliver a gentle mist to the plastic squeeze bottles.

Got it thanks, will try this tonight, gonna start with a setting of 1 or do you think 2?

Used the cpap with humidity set on 2 lastnight, my sinuses seemed to feel better this AM, not as much pressure etc. but there were some water droplets in my nasal pillows this morning .. should I set it to 1? it used a little over a half of tank of water lastnight, I have been waking up most mornings with no taste then it usually comes back later in the day ..

http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t9403 ... -road.html

read my posts number 2 and 3 at the above link.
I talk about various reasons for moisture in the mask (or hose) and different ways to deal with it when it is a problem.

You can try reducing the humidity setting to 1 but your nasal mucosa a sinuses may not like going drier.
AND it might not stop the water droplets in the nasal pillows anyway if the condensation is from the moisture in your own exhaled breath rather than the humidity setting.
I know people who don't use any humidity at all (dry water chamber) yet they get a lot of rain out in the mask just from the moisture in their own exhaled breaths condensing. Usually it happens when they prefer a cold bedroom.

You are just going to have to do some trial and error experiments to see what your nasal mucosa needs/wants and see what happens.
There are ways to deal with the condensation if need be.

You need to make your nasal mucosa/sinuses happy first and then deal with the condensation if you need to.

I prefer the max setting of 8 for humidity and would take more if I could get it. If I don't then I get some horrible allergy like symptoms with my nasal mucosa and sinuses. I also like a cold bedroom....recipe for condensation of great magnitude. I have lots of experience dealing with rain out. It can be done.