Sinus Problems with CPAP

I started using my CPAP machine a month ago....developed sinus and respiratory infection. I never got more than about 5 hrs each night on the machine....mostly interrupted sleep. I had severe congestion and sinus pressure. It also aggravated my asthma and increased my asthma attacks. Felt absolutely horrible while using the machine and was exhausted each day. I went off the machine and after my 2nd round of antibiotics I tried the CPAP again....I only lasted 3 hours. I woke up after 2 hrs, I tried to go back to sleep but after 3 hrs I pulled the mask off. It took me another 2 hours to fall back asleep.....I got a sinus headache, congestion and woke up with a migraine. I tried different settings, contacting the specialist at respironics and they aren't able to help. The rep told me she had the CPAP machine and it increased her sinusitus. I tried all her suggestions, but none helped...has anyone else had problems with this? and if so were you able to resolve the issue. thanks

oh my, youre having a time of it arent you?

so sorry its been so difficult..

Well, to figure all this out, youre going to need to know how to manage your therapy..

go to your user control panel and click on the icons for your machines and mask, choose text..

then tell us what your titration pressure is.. that is the pressure they adjusted your machine to prevent obstructive apneas..

it sounds like you maybe having trouble with the pressure..

there are machines which have pressure reducing features, ramp features so you can sleep thru the upswing of pressure, and even bilevel
machines which reduce the exhale pressure..

Since you have asthma, you may need something besides a straight cpap machine.. perhaps bilevel machine which is much easier to breath against..
however, we need to know your titration pressure, if it is very high, that could be why you are having a tough time.. or you are just struggling
because of your lung dysfunction..

Also, the machine should be sterile when you received it.. the masks and tubing should be cleaned frequently if you have asthma, as well as the
filters.. I wash my filter every week, and clean my mask daily, and tubing too..

It would help to know what machine and mask you are using. Try a saline rinse before bed and probably a full face mask so you can breath through your nose and mouth while the machine is on.

I have a Respironics Remstar Pro C-Flex +.....I do use the button that starts at 4 cmH20 and increases to my no. 12...takes about 30 minutes -enough time for me to fall asleep before full pressure builds up. And I use the nose pillows and don't have a problem with them.

i have gone thru the same thing. i have had mine now for almost 1 month and last week i had sinus and respiratory infection. ran fever for 4 days. i am better now and i sleep good with my cpap machine but my sinuses have been draining like never before. maybe that is good. i don't know. dr thought it was just a coincidence. when i first met with the pulmonary dr for the cpap machine i told him i was worried because of my bad sinuses. he said that it would probably help them. i am hoping that it took a long time for them to get this bad and they are not gonna dry up over night. but i definitely don't want to get sick again. we will see.

slaine... are you running it with CFLEX/CFLEX+ or without?

I know back when I had a straight CPAP and even when it was an APAP... I couldn't handle CFLEX (and CFLEX+ wasn't out yet). I was continually wheezing on it.

I'm an asthmatic.

slaine wrote:I have a Respironics Remstar Pro C-Flex +.....I do use the button that starts at 4 cmH20 and increases to my no. 12...takes about 30 minutes -enough time for me to fall asleep before full pressure builds up. And I use the nose pillows and don't have a problem with them.

Are you using a Humidifier with your Cpap?

I had sinusitis bad and some, what I felt were minor, alergies while I was on CPAP. They were cleared up without surgery. Was treated sucessfully by Dr. Tichnor who has an informative web site at http://www.sinuses.com/

Treatment was shots for the alargies along with prescription sprays for the nose. A few times when I had some alergy congestion I found that some vinegar in the humidifier water helped to open the nasel passages.

Hi there and welcome
If you are using nasal pillows, perhaps you should go with a full face mask. I can no longer use my pillows as they cause big sinus problems for me. I find that the blowing air directing into my nose creates problems with my sinuses. I have spent the last couple of weeks trying everything recommended for sinuses, antihistimines, nose spray, saline....the works. The other night I tried an experiment, I had been off the pillows for a week and all my sinus problems cleared up nicely...so...I went to bed with the pillows instead of my ffm. Only made it til 2 AM and woke up worse than ever with the sinus problems . Plugged my ffm back in and that's what I'm sticking to....NO SINUS POBLEMS .
Perhaps you should give it a try, the full face mask allows you to breath through you nose or mouth and doesn't blow directly onto you sinuses.
Good luck
Nan

CPAP gives me sinus problems as well. Nothing like having your sinus constantly irritated all night. I found 3 things that helped.

1. Change your filter. You might have missed this, but there is a foam filter that you clean with water and one that is a HEPA white filter that needs to be thrown out and changed. Any allergens can aggravate the sinuses. This likely isn't your biggest culprit.

2. Humidifier. Make sure you have one. Live somewhere dry? Put it on 5 and fill the tank to the brim every night. Live somewhere damp, play around with it. I use a 2 in the northwest and a 5 somewhere dry.

3. Pressure. This is probably the culprit. For me, it definitely is. Above a certain pressure, for me 12.5 PSI I think, my sinuses go crazy. I get lower AHI, but I spend all day in agony. Try lowering the top number on your machine if its an APAP or the general pressure number on your machine if it can only be set to one pressure. CPAP is no good if you can't use it.

Check with your sleep doctor, but to me, it's doubtful that you have a sinus infection. I think it's likely the pressure and your physiology. Your sinuses are prone to irritation. Some people could have a pressure of 50 PSI and their sinuses would be fine. Some, like me can only take so much.

I'd change your filters, give everything a good clean, turn your humidifier up and start with a low pressure like 6 PSI. See if that makes life bearable. If so, then wait a few days and try 8. Keep doing that until you hit the point where sinus issues come back.

I do have the CFlex +.......I actually did get a sinus infection after using the machine the first time. I was exposed to chemicals at work and developed MCS, fibromyalgia and sleep apnea......I have been fighting chronic sinusitus for the last 3 yrs....I had been working with a migraine specialist and my sinuses were actually pretty clear for months..until I used the CPAP machine. I tried the machine again last night...after 2 hrs I was congested and wide awake. I tried for another hour and still couldn't get back to sleep...I finally took the mask off and got up for a couple of hours. Then went back to bed.....I've wasted another day feeling miserable. I have a doctors appt. on Monday. It will be interesting to see what he says.....

slaine wrote:And I use the nose pillows and don't have a problem with them.

How do you know that? You are complaining that you have a sinus problem. How do you know it is not related to the nasal pillows?

slaine wrote:I have a doctors appt. on Monday. It will be interesting to see what he says.....

Yeah. It will be especially interesting if he recommends that you stop using the nasal pillow mask, huh.

Slaine,

You did not answer whether or not you have a humidifier on your CPAP machine, but I'm going to assume the answer is yes, as that's pretty standard nowadays. The humidifier can be your sinus friend or foe. You may have to play with the settings to get it to work for you.

I find too much humidity sets my sinuses in a tizzy, as does too little. It's kind of like "The Three Bears"--this much humidity is tooooooo much. This much humidity is toooooooo little. This much humidity is just right!

So start your humidifier on a medium setting (you don't state your machine either, but on the PR S1 that's a setting of "2") and see how it goes. If your sinuses are reacting, try turning it down one notch for the next few nights, and see if it's better or worse. If it's better, but not all the way, keep turning it down one notch every frew nights. If it's worse with less humidity, try turning it UP from the mid setting one notch every few nights until it's better.

I'm amazed that it affects me so much, but if I turn mine up one notch I'm guaranteed nasal congestion, headache, and ear pressure. If I turn it down one notch, then I've got dry nasal passages and that leads to all sorts of other problems.

You might benefit from a FF mask or a nasal mask so you aren't getting such direct airflow, but those are not without their own problmes (leakage and pressure on your nose). Whatever you do, none of these are an excuse not to use CPAP.

went to the doctors today....last two time I used cpap..only got 2 hrs sleep and was up most of the night with sinus pressure and congestion....I also talked with a couple of friends that had similar problems and they had to change their machines to bipap and change masks.....When I explained my results and the research I had done and the people I talked to..my doctor didn't think making any changes in my machine would help.....that my solution is botox treatments???????????????????????????????????????????????

While I cannot comment on the validity of this treatment it may be appropriate to get a second opinion and to understand why botox will solve the problem.