nasal congestion while wearing cpap

Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep my nasal passage clear while I'm wearing my cpap? I can't take a decongestant because I've had heart surgery. I wear a nose mask because I tend to be a mouth breather at night and it dries my mouth and throat so bad I wake up often to drink water. When I am congested I usually end up taking my cpap off and feeling real bad the next day. My wife can't sleep because I snore and stop breathing and it ain't pretty. Last night I put some eucalyptus drops in the water of my cpap and I slept all night! My wife said I seemed to do fine and she also slept. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open.

If you are a mouth breather you will lose therapy through your mouth and record lots of leaks. Breathing through your mouth will definitely cause dry mouth. Have you tried a full face mask? They are designed for mouth breathers. You might also try a chin strap or taping your mouth shut. You should also be using a nasal wash before you go to bed.

jhm382 wrote:Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep my nasal passage clear while I'm wearing my cpap? I can't take a decongestant because I've had heart surgery. I wear a nose mask because I tend to be a mouth breather at night and it dries my mouth and throat so bad I wake up often to drink water. When I am congested I usually end up taking my cpap off and feeling real bad the next day. My wife can't sleep because I snore and stop breathing and it ain't pretty. Last night I put some eucalyptus drops in the water of my cpap and I slept all night! My wife said I seemed to do fine and she also slept. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open.

Use a distilled water based nasal rinse before bedtime "Niel meds" (?).
Get yourself a full face mask because everytime you open your mouth you are losing therapy.
Play with your humidifier settings - so like it very humid and some very dry.
NEVER EVER put anything into your humidifier except water!!!! Put the oil on a cotton pad at the air intake.

If you have the humidifier on a high setting, turn it down (or even off). It's not 'therapy' in itself, just a comfort feature and many of us don't use it at all. I know I get congested when I do use it (live not that far from the ocean).

Julie wrote:If you have the humidifier on a high setting, turn it down (or even off). It's not 'therapy' in itself, just a comfort feature and many of us don't use it at all. I know I get congested when I do use it (live not that far from the ocean).

+1

Too much heated humidity can cause nasal congestion.
After trying it a couple of nights when I started, I turned it off and would never turn it back on.
It's called "passover" humidification......water in the tank but no heat.


Den

.

jhm382 wrote:Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep my nasal passage clear while I'm wearing my cpap? I can't take a decongestant because I've had heart surgery. I wear a nose mask because I tend to be a mouth breather at night and it dries my mouth and throat so bad I wake up often to drink water. When I am congested I usually end up taking my cpap off and feeling real bad the next day. My wife can't sleep because I snore and stop breathing and it ain't pretty. Last night I put some eucalyptus drops in the water of my cpap and I slept all night! My wife said I seemed to do fine and she also slept. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open.

I am in the exact same boat, quad bypass, I think not being able to breath is also hard on my heart. So inspite of the warnings I use OTC decongestant at night before I mask up, nothing is going to cause me to sleep without my XPAP.

I've been operating this way for 7 years, also get a full face mask, I use Comfort Gel FF. Jim

Last night someone poured quickset concrete into my nose at 4am.

Yesterday I had received a NeilMed SinuGator irrigation machine. (Been using lavage by cup or NeilMed bottle for decades but didn't try the new item since I don't like to irrigate and lie down right away and there wasn't time earlier.)

Tried nasal spray -- wouldn't even go h through or in enough to START the opening. (It was a LOT of Nostrilla.)

So at 4 am I decided what the hey, and ripped open the box. Anything was worth a try and it was just sitting there. But I am thinking how could this be any different or better?

Took one look at it and was really pessimistic -- just another piece of junk to clutter up the sink counter.

Tried it. Worked similar to the bottle, but no sudden squirts seeming to go way up my sinuses. Ok, that's not bad but it probably won't work.

Got the Nostrilla in right after that. Took a decongestant (that I am not supposed to take.)

Went back to bed and made it through the night with comfort.

The SinuGator (really should be named Sinusgator I think) was part of the solution but as you can see there were other elements.

So far, this thing seems to have potential. And not too expensive -- IIRC it was about US $25 on Amazon.

Been trying sleep doc's Rx for Flunisolide Nasal Solution USP, 0.025%. Not keen on corticosteroids but supposed to be low dose. Started with 1 squirt each nostril pre-bed & on waking. Two weeks ago started 2 squirts pre-bed & 1 on waking. Nose clearer, I think.

Also, I try to do saline rinse at least an hour before bed to minimize residual dripping & nose blowing when I lay DOWN. I would be cautious about adding anything to the humidifier, since maybe the residual will concentrate in the reservoir and hose. My nose congestion got a little better with increasing hose temperature 1 click, which on my machine increases humidity.

Remember: CHECK WITH ALL YOUR DOCTORS. & PHARMACIST BEFORE TRYING ANY MEDS.

Good luck.
Don

Just tried that SinuGator again (about an hour ago), and it works.

Very gentle and so far none of the typical issues with saline pouring out of my sinuses an hour later.

It seems to have some type of pressure relief shutoff that keeps it from blowing the solution way up into your sinuses -- seems to be a pretty good compromise between simply snorting saline and using the squeeze bottle.

We'll see.....

I also use a nasal CPAP. The Techs for the CPAP company will tell you that if you are a mouth breather it is required to wear a Full face mask! You can call and speak to a Tech from your company. I personally have a problem breathing at night. I have deviated septums in both sides of my nose but my right side is the worst. I also have chronic Rhinitis in the right side. I use the humidifier on level 3. I cannot use a decongestant either for medical reasons. I went to an allergist. He said it would be fine to use the following to open up the nose and unstuff it. He said that this medicine is a type of nasal spray that is not addictive and can use it all my life if I need to. It does not go into the blood stream but acts on the nose only and that is what makes it safe whereas over the counter nasal sprays can cause problems. Big ones in fact he said.
Decongestants and nasal sprays do the following according to the doctor. Most people have a swelling in their nose and congestion in their nose and this makes it difficult to breath. A decongestant and Over the counter nasal spray will open the nose but when it wears off the swelling you had to begin with has now swollen even bigger causing even more difficulty breathing. It gets worse and worse as you use them. This medication does not do that. Check with your doctor before using it. It works just great! (Astepro 0.15%) You use it when you go to bed and it lasts 24 hrs. You may also be allergic to the solution that you clean your machine with. Sometimes we are not aware of that fact. This might be something you need to try different ones to see if any of them work better for you. Be sure to rinse especially well!!!!! Try liquid Biotine for your dry mouth. It is a rinse and is made for dry mouth. You can buy it at Walgreens. Good luck

One of my cardiologists (the sleep doc) said, "Take whatever you need, just follow the directions on the box" while the first said, "Don't take SudaFed".

The sleep doc felt that getting good sleep was better than the issue of the medicine not being ideal for someone with AFib. (Apnea causes Afib much more often than Sudafed is probably an obvious truth.)

The SinuGator is a GREAT tool. Most pleasant AND convenient way to use saline lavage that I have found.

But I am no longer taking any Sudafed, using any sinus spray at all, nor even bothering with the saline lavage most nights.

The ENT (and 2nd Sleep Doc) did tell me to use Flonase (even wrote script so I get it almost for free) which is now available over the counter. "Fluticasone proprionate."

Ask if you can take that -- it is corticoid that lots of docs prescribed until very recently it went OTC.

But I think the real difference is the CPAP. I believe it is holding my nasal passages open and clear as much as it is splinting open the rest of my airway.

I am allergic so I can't use that. Thanks anyway.