Stuffy nose early morning even with humidification!

[Fredman]

I have a Remstar with a humidifier. I have tried all settings but find lately that about 1 hour prior to my clock radio going off, that I awake with a stuffy nose. Often I awake having to sneeze.

I have ensured that both filters (foam and hepa) are changed an cleaned on a weekly basis for the foam and usually monthly or earlier for the micro hepa filter.

I have tried taking antihistamines and decongestants before going to bed with not much better results. Any thoughts?

[Snoredog]

allergies, its that time of the year, tree pollen really bad.

either that or you have something physically wrong with your nose, try a saline rhino rinse like with a neti pot or ear aspirator.

you can make it at home if your water is good,

-8oz pure warm water (RO, filtered or bottled, no chlorine)
-1/4 teaspoon of table salt (they have un-iodized by Morton, works better)
- pinch of Arm & Hammer baking soda (pinch between thumb & index finger)

Mix it up, squirt 4oz in one side holding head over sink, use the other 4 oz on the other side, blow yer noze.

Do that 3-4 times per week then when needed after that, should notice your nose remains clearer even at night.

The saline solution flushes out the allergens sticking to the walls of your nasal passage, those allergens are what cause the tissue to become inflammed, swell and block off the air passageways.

While you may notice immediate effect, continual use (3-4 times per week) your allergies should become more manageable.

Use of OTC sprays like Afrin don't work more than a day because they don't "flush out" those allergens, the spray itself begins acting like an allergen and causes same inflammation and can be the cause itself from extended use. Read the warning on the bottle, should indicate it should not be used longer than 3 days.

[Fredman]

Thanks for the suggestion. It sounds worth the try. I really never thought of that before. It makes sense that pollens and allergens can be sitting there causing the stuffiness. Just assumed that the medication would help. I have seen a video on how to use a neti pot and seen them in pharmacies. Thanks once again!

[Guest]

I use the homemade spray several times a day. But now I'm looking into a Neti pot. Its a pot that you put water and salt in, and irrigate your nose a.m. and p.m. Google it and see what you think. It sounds like it helps lots with allergies and stuffy noses. Its been used for centuries.
I have used the spray for about 10 years now and its amazing how it keeps my sinuses healthy. When I get lazy and don't mix any up, my sinuses always get into trouble.
Good luck.
P.S. Snoredog........I always used: 1 cup H20, and 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda. But I've read recently that the soda is too caustic. Have you ever heard that?

[Country4ever]

Sorry....I wasn't logged in when I wrote that last reply. It was me.

[Robin_]

I sometimes wake up with a dry nose and feeling like I need to sneeze if my maks has been leaking. Not sure why that should be, but there does seem to be a correlation there for me. Also the DME recommended setting #2 on humidifier, but I find that #3 makes a big difference for me as far as comfort. Just some thoughts.

[6PtStar]

IMHO, the Neilmed squeese bottle works better than the Neti Pot. I have not heard about the baking soda being caustic but most of the formulas I have seen say just use a PINCH of baking soda not a whole 1/4 teaspoon full.

Jerry

[Snoredog]

I use the homemade spray several times a day. But now I'm looking into a Neti pot. Its a pot that you put water and salt in, and irrigate your nose a.m. and p.m. Google it and see what you think. It sounds like it helps lots with allergies and stuffy noses. Its been used for centuries.
I have used the spray for about 10 years now and its amazing how it keeps my sinuses healthy. When I get lazy and don't mix any up, my sinuses always get into trouble.
Good luck.
P.S. Snoredog........I always used: 1 cup H20, and 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda. But I've read recently that the soda is too caustic. Have you ever heard that?

the pinch of baking soda is optional, but its purpose is to break down dried mucous, use it and you will see the difference, it makes it like one major runny nose but dries quickly when you are done.

the idea behind that rhino rinse is to flush out the allergens and irritants like dust and smog.

The advantage of making your own is it doesn't have any preservatives like the store bought pre-mixed stuff, sometimes the preservatives used can also irritate your nasal passages.

The amount of salt you use should have a similar Ph as that of eye tears, you can increase/degrease the amount you use to your own liking.

[Guest]

I can't stand the taste of those preservatives. The home-made stuff is just so natural. But you do have to change it at least weekly. I clean the sprayer out with a little bleach.
Do you all boil your water first?

[GumbyCT]

For me it's the dust in the air that makes me sneeze after breathing filtered air all nite. My nose runs for about an hour until it adjusts to all the impurities again.