Congestion at night

[mariange]

Hi All,

I've been searching and reading through threads on nasal / sinus congestion and have picked up some tips, but I think my question is slightly different.

I have had chronic nasal congestion all my life, but it only seems to happen during the night / when I wake up in the morning. I'll be fine as soon as I get up and start moving around.

• I've been gluten free for ages, and low PUFA for many years, even before Peating
• Drink a lot of milk now while Peating, but have gone through dairy-free phases and found no differences
• Am not constipated (1 good BM each morning)
• Currently have a diet high in milk, OJ, sugar, coffee, gelatin, shredded carrot salad, some shellfish, club soda.
• Have tried rotating in and out various supplements over the years - no differences so far.
• Doesn't change with the seasons
• Doesn't change with the environment (just moved from west to east coast)
• Doesn't change with amount of pets in (or not in) the house.
• Doesn't change with # of hours of sleep (more or less)
• Tried elevating the head of the bed - no difference
• I don't have trouble falling / staying asleep. So not sure if an anti-histamine is for me?
• Am using Peat to work on estrogen dominance / thyroid issues. I've been supplmenting T3, prenenalone and will add progesterone next month

Any other clues or ideas to look at? Do you think that the estrogen dominance is just causing what would otherwise be normal mucus to get too thick and sluggish?


Thanks!

Mariange

 

[burtlancast]

Have you consulted a nose specialist ?

 

[messtafarian]

I'm assuming you've gone through the whole dust/mold/mite/detergent, etc protocol. If you haven't you could try that.

I've read that congestion can be a problem with digestion. You could try anti-histamine, which will calm down an inflammatory gut reaction; but you could also try a little pancreatin and see if that clears it up. Pancreatin is pretty safe.

Also if I were you I wouldn't rule out a genuine infection. Sinus infections can hang around for years and years.

 

[jyb]

Not sure if its due to digestion due to only occurring once asleep. When my nose is congested or runny, which is due to bad food (even though I have no obvious digestion symptoms) it builds up throughout the day.

 

[fyo]

Have you tried bag breathing (maybe through the nose)? Bag breathing clears my nose. Or if I cover myself under the bed blankets and rebreathe that air for a while, nose clog goes away. If you find that works, then maybe you can try sleeping in a way that increases your CO2 exposure, like with your head slightly surrounded with some blankets/pillows.

 

[Swandattur]

You could have some trouble with histamine in foods. I have to avoid foods with high histamine or histamine releasers to a large extent. However, if you never have daytime stuffiness, then maybe it's the carbon dioxide issue as fyo said. The poster, pranaruba, talks about proper breathing for more carbon dioxide.
Another thing to try is negative ions, because positive ions cause serotonin buildup. Negative ions reduce it in the respiratory tract. Maybe just some house plants around the bed would help for more negative ions.

 

[SSP]

Salt (NaCl) nebulization maybe usefull

 

[Sphagnum]

I'm assuming you've gone through the whole dust/mold/mite/detergent, etc protocol. If you haven't you could try that.

^^The first thing that came to mind for me was dust mites, considering the specific time/place. A lot of people don't realize they can be as bad, if not worse, than pet dander when it comes to nasal breathing issues.

-Unless you're really married to your pillows, I'd replace them with brand new ones. If you don't want to replace the pillows, at least wash them in hot water on the heavy cycle. Most importantly either way, get dust mite proof pillow covers (not regular pillow cases) as soon as possible.

-The mattress also holds a lot of dust mites. Clean it best you can (very thorough vacuuming if possible,) and then get a dust mite proof mattress cover as well. From there on out, wash your sheets and pillow cases (not the dust proof covers, although they do need cleaning as well) at the minimum of once a week in hot water. More often when its humid.

-If you have carpeting in the bedroom, vacuum it well, then steam and/or wet vac it after. You can usually rent those from the supermarket. Make sure you have a really good vacuum from here on out, and are using it thoroughly and regularly in the bedroom afterwards. Honestly, if any of the things I'm mentioning seem to start helping, I'd remove any carpeting from the bedroom completely. That's just my suggestion, though.

-Dust the headboard, nightstands, lamp shades, blinds, and anything else that might accumulate dust regularly. Wash the drapes/curtains if you have them. Let in fresh air and allow the sun to shine on the bed if possible.

-I don't know your shower schedule, but it might help to shower before bed rather than the morning, to rid your body of skin particles before hopping in bed.

 

[mattmm24]

^^The first thing that came to mind for me was dust mites, considering the specific time/place. A lot of people don't realize they can be as bad, if not worse, than pet dander when it comes to nasal breathing issues.

-Unless you're really married to your pillows, I'd replace them with brand new ones. If you don't want to replace the pillows, at least wash them in hot water on the heavy cycle. Most importantly either way, get dust mite proof pillow covers (not regular pillow cases) as soon as possible.

-The mattress also holds a lot of dust mites. Clean it best you can (very thorough vacuuming if possible,) and then get a dust mite proof mattress cover as well. From there on out, wash your sheets and pillow cases (not the dust proof covers, although they do need cleaning as well) at the minimum of once a week in hot water. More often when its humid.

-If you have carpeting in the bedroom, vacuum it well, then steam and/or wet vac it after. You can usually rent those from the supermarket. Make sure you have a really good vacuum from here on out, and are using it thoroughly and regularly in the bedroom afterwards. Honestly, if any of the things I'm mentioning seem to start helping, I'd remove any carpeting from the bedroom completely. That's just my suggestion, though.

-Dust the headboard, nightstands, lamp shades, blinds, and anything else that might accumulate dust regularly. Wash the drapes/curtains if you have them. Let in fresh air and allow the sun to shine on the bed if possible.

-I don't know your shower schedule, but it might help to shower before bed rather than the morning, to rid your body of skin particles before hopping in bed.

This 100%. From my experience it’s nothing more than this. Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night wheezing after going to sleep breathing fine. And then go downstairs and sleep on a couch with no sheets, just a blanket and a hardwood floor and immediately be able to breath perfect. I actually just confirmed through an allergy test I’m allergic to dust mites.

 

[olowshinenine]

I have nasal congestion everynight every season for years. If I lay on my left side my left nasal canal is completely blocked and then when I switch sides the opposites happens. So I can only breath out of one nostril. When I lay on my back both nostrils have restricted air flow.

I am not overweight, my blood pressure is under control. I dont smoke and I only drink socially. However this congestion is every night. The only thing that solves it is a nasal decongestant however that solution is temporary. I will still wake up at night after the drug wears off with the congestion.

Someone please help

 

[moa]

@olowshinenine i think it can be infection of some kind (fungi and/or bacteria).

I've used oxygenated water with water (5 times more water than the solution 3% hydrogen peroxide = 0.5% i think or less).

careful not to hurt your eyes with this.

once a day, but start slowly and see how your react. it will cause more nasal congestion in the first 12h after usage, this is why it should be diluted, not too strong as to avoid irritation of the mucosa, and start with only one nostril first (in case it's swollen you still have the other one free for 12h).

I've only used it a few days in a raw then paused, cause it's irritating for the mucosa. other things could be oral antibiotics like doxicycline (i took during 4 days only).

nasal probiotics are Lactobacillus Sakei .

saline water to clean every day.

when i subsided, i was using doxicycline, but also i was doing oxygenated water every day in the nose but very diluted like 0.1% solution or less to avoid any burning of mucosa, for about 12 days in a raw or so.

I'm not sure if the antibiotic or combination of both triggered the healing.

also you need to make sure you have good levels of acetylcholine (choline, zinc, b5, b1).

it could be that the solution is acting as antiseptic but the other expansion could be that it acts by irritating the mucosa and triggering a nerve activation that produced mucus, including inside the sinuses, thus the activation of the nerves is flushing the sinuses by increasing the production of liquid and forcing a self cleaning self flush of sinuses and mucosa, and may not be at all related to the antiseptic action. I'm not sure, but it's a fact that it can also cause temporary burning of the mucosa if used too much, so it must be diluted.

used undiluted could be extremely painful and dangerous.

i haven't found any other solution, only using too much salty water can be problematic if it's not sterile, creating even more infection long term. i only use pressure isotonic sea water (almost sterile) every day and flush it out completely, homemade tap water with salt i use only once in a while cause it can spread infection, (i think fungi love when fresh water stays inside sinuses).

it takes time, the nasal mucosa is very very show to heal or change it's thickness, many months.

 

[Sphagnum]

I have nasal congestion everynight every season for years. If I lay on my left side my left nasal canal is completely blocked and then when I switch sides the opposites happens. So I can only breath out of one nostril. When I lay on my back both nostrils have restricted air flow.

I am not overweight, my blood pressure is under control. I dont smoke and I only drink socially. However this congestion is every night. The only thing that solves it is a nasal decongestant however that solution is temporary. I will still wake up at night after the drug wears off with the congestion.

Someone please help

I’d have two suggestions. The first is the dust mite cleanse that I mentioned above. The second is to see if there is anything in your diet that can be causing obstructive breathing through inflammation of the adenoids or other glands in your nasal passage.

My son was developing mouth breathing and snoring issues. I knew he had a dust mite allergy from a test at the hospital, and looking into relieving that is what got me all the information from my above post. It helped greatly, and I’d suggest you follow a similar cleaning protocol to begin.

However, he still had swollen adenoids that were keeping him from achieving fully unobstructed nasal breathing which in turned lead to mouth breathing, especially during sleep. I took him to a myofunctional therapist and she suggested cutting all wheat and dairy. She told me that in 95% of the kids she treats, it’s an intolerance to those foods that is causing inflammation which is the root of the breathing issue. The rest of the kids are usually having a reaction to food as well, but something other than just wheat and dairy. I cut all wheat, and conventional dairy from his diet, and he now breathes through his nose all day and night without any issue. I said conventional dairy because I was already buying A2 dairy direct from a small specialty farm because my daughter is allergic to all normal store-bought dairy. He is fine with the A2 dairy and just has to avoid the store bought cheese/milk/yogurt/etc. Try cutting those two foods to see if it helps. If not, it could be another food. You could try an elimination diet to get to the root of it. It would be boring and bland for a while, and you’d have to take special attention to making sure you’re still properly fed. I would think it would be worth the hassle, though, if it eventually fixes your breathing.

Also, maybe have your doctor check you for a deviated septum. I’m not suggesting surgery or anything else they’d want you to undergo, but if you do have one then it would be better to know and take that into account as well.

 

[moa]

She told me that in 95% of the kids she treats, it’s an intolerance to those foods that is causing inflammation which is the root of the breathing issue

This foods like milk contain substances that are similar to opioid. that's intended to calm down the calf. opioids are known to increase norepinephrine and inhibit acetylcholine release.

i would bet all nasal congestion and low saliva tooth problems from dairy is caused by low acetylcholine levels, as well as all the mental disturbances like autism etc that are also linked to low acetylcholine. (probably zinc deficiency, if you also have head acne, skin exema or back of the hand skin problems).

 

[olowshinenine]

I’d have two suggestions. The first is the dust mite cleanse that I mentioned above. The second is to see if there is anything in your diet that can be causing obstructive breathing through inflammation of the adenoids or other glands in your nasal passage.

My son was developing mouth breathing and snoring issues. I knew he had a dust mite allergy from a test at the hospital, and looking into relieving that is what got me all the information from my above post. It helped greatly, and I’d suggest you follow a similar cleaning protocol to begin.

However, he still had swollen adenoids that were keeping him from achieving fully unobstructed nasal breathing which in turned lead to mouth breathing, especially during sleep. I took him to a myofunctional therapist and she suggested cutting all wheat and dairy. She told me that in 95% of the kids she treats, it’s an intolerance to those foods that is causing inflammation which is the root of the breathing issue. The rest of the kids are usually having a reaction to food as well, but something other than just wheat and dairy. I cut all wheat, and conventional dairy from his diet, and he now breathes through his nose all day and night without any issue. I said conventional dairy because I was already buying A2 dairy direct from a small specialty farm because my daughter is allergic to all normal store-bought dairy. He is fine with the A2 dairy and just has to avoid the store bought cheese/milk/yogurt/etc. Try cutting those two foods to see if it helps. If not, it could be another food. You could try an elimination diet to get to the root of it. It would be boring and bland for a while, and you’d have to take special attention to making sure you’re still properly fed. I would think it would be worth the hassle, though, if it eventually fixes your breathing.

Also, maybe have your doctor check you for a deviated septum. I’m not suggesting surgery or anything else they’d want you to undergo, but if you do have one then it would be better to know and take that into account as well.

Thank you. I rarely drink milk eat yogurt and my bread intake is minimal. I have been to an ENT several times they said my septum has a slight deviation but not that bad. They put the camera in my nose and saw nothing bad. I don't smoke And tend to eat quite healthy.

I don't understand how it can get so congested from one side to the other

 

[mattmm24]

I have nasal congestion everynight every season for years. If I lay on my left side my left nasal canal is completely blocked and then when I switch sides the opposites happens. So I can only breath out of one nostril. When I lay on my back both nostrils have restricted air flow.

I am not overweight, my blood pressure is under control. I dont smoke and I only drink socially. However this congestion is every night. The only thing that solves it is a nasal decongestant however that solution is temporary. I will still wake up at night after the drug wears off with the congestion.

Someone please help

I don't know if you have ever had HTMA done. Highly reccomend you get that done. Figure out your sodium to potassium ratio and try your best to get it to 2.5. A lot of people are just guessing. Your energy will highly improve once you figure out where you are and start moving towards this marker. I had the same breathing issues and I moved away from what worked in the past. My sodium potassium ratio is usually lower than 2.5 so I do better on supplements that raise that ratio. In general this means your adrenal glands are lacking which can have a big effect on all of the systems in your body working efficiently. Supplements that raise this ratio are copper, manganese, selenium, calcium. Those are the main ones. Zinc and magnesium tend to lower the ratio. This doesn't mean not to take zinc or magnesium, just in the proper ratio. I am telling you I had the same issues, and it's because your adrenals and or thyroid is lacking the proper nutrients to function at a good level. I wouldn't guess on where you are though, because everyone is different as far as sodium potassium ratio. Get a hair test done.

 

[olowshinenine]

I don't know if you have ever had HTMA done. Highly reccomend you get that done. Figure out your sodium to potassium ratio and try your best to get it to 2.5. A lot of people are just guessing. Your energy will highly improve once you figure out where you are and start moving towards this marker. I had the same breathing issues and I moved away from what worked in the past. My sodium potassium ratio is usually lower than 2.5 so I do better on supplements that raise that ratio. In general this means your adrenal glands are lacking which can have a big effect on all of the systems in your body working efficiently. Supplements that raise this ratio are copper, manganese, selenium, calcium. Those are the main ones. Zinc and magnesium tend to lower the ratio. This doesn't mean not to take zinc or magnesium, just in the proper ratio. I am telling you I had the same issues, and it's because your adrenals and or thyroid is lacking the proper nutrients to function at a good level. I wouldn't guess on where you are though, because everyone is different as far as sodium potassium ratio. Get a hair test done.

Hey Matt I have not had this done yet. I just recently got a sex hormone blood test done.

 

[OLLNX]

Same exact thing is happening to me

 

[OLLNX]

I have nasal congestion everynight every season for years. If I lay on my left side my left nasal canal is completely blocked and then when I switch sides the opposites happens. So I can only breath out of one nostril. When I lay on my back both nostrils have restricted air flow.

I am not overweight, my blood pressure is under control. I dont smoke and I only drink socially. However this congestion is every night. The only thing that solves it is a nasal decongestant however that solution is temporary. I will still wake up at night after the drug wears off with the congestion.

Someone please help

Oh, my! Reading your symptoms and this is EXACTLY what I have been going through for years! Nightly nasal congestion and clear nasal passages during day time/sports activities. No excessive mucus. I do not think it is some sort of allergic reaction. No other health issues what so ever. Tried everything under the sun: special dust mite cleaning, air purifiers, nasal rinsing, nightly aspirin, all sorts of antihistamines, saline rinses, drastic dietary adjustments and even turbinate reduction procedure. Afrin is the only thing that helps, but I do not want to get hooked and I will never touch corticosteroids.
And like in your case all my ENT can say is that I have slightly deviated septum, but it should not affect my breathing. Have you been able to find any solution? I am looking at alaxo nasal stents (alaxousa.com) Expensive and no guaranty it will work.