Stuffed Nose When Sleeping: Non-allergy Related?

mujuro

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I've had this for a few years now. I suspect it may be one of the most harmful issues plaguing me. More on that suspicion below. Whenever I lie down, my nose gets stuffed. It's usually worse at night, and on very rare days it disappears entirely. I have not been able to nail it to anything in my diet. It's also curious that a shot of liquor will clear my sinuses like the strongest of menthol. This evidently seems like a blood flow/vasodilation issue, and I know I'm not alone, so why does it affect some and not others? The fact that it occurs more profoundly at night makes me think it's a serotonin ("thrombotonin") downstream effect, however no drug seems to make any improvements (bromocriptine makes it much worse).

The other day I used a steroidal nasal spray to clear my passages so I could assess if I felt any better the next morning compared to typical mornings. Energy levels were much higher all through the day. My workout in particular was much more powerful. To make matters worse, from 2009-2010 I was on a high dose of quetiapine before bed which blocks the nose. For about 12 months I mouth-breathed during sleep which I believe retrained my brain in a negative manner.

I am planning on seeing an ENT specialist but in the mean time I wanted to know if anyone else experiences the same thing or has found any relief.
 

nikotrope

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Do you sleep on your back? I used to sleep in a seated position to get my nose cleared during sleep, it was very effective and got me more energy. Now that my CO2 production is better I naturally sleep on the side, while before I always get back on my back while sleeping.

Multiple factors could make your nose stuffed: histamine, estrogen, endotoxin, lack of CO2 production, etc. For me caffeine made it better, salt almost completely cleared my nose all day and night long and more calories also improved my condition. So I think it's a mix of less histamine, estrogen, endotoxin and improved CO2 production that improved my nose.

I had a stuffed nose for as long as I can remember, so it's kind of a big deal to have a cleared nose.
 

tara

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If you haven't already tried it, I'd recommend trying a chinstrap or a little tape (eg 20x30mm, with some grease on your skin so you can get it off without damage in the morning) to keep your mouth shut at night. Hyperventilation is common at night, and tends to cause the nasal passages to become congested (swell, produce extra mucous). If you can stop the mouth-breathing, it is very likely that your nose will clear within a minute or two. If you are really suffocating, you can still breath round the edge of the tape, or if necessary pull it off easily. But it is worth tolerating it feeling odd for a couple of minutes at the beginning, and seeing if your breathing adjusts to it.
If you can sometimes breath through your nose comfortaby, then it should be possible to retrain this habit for all the rest of the time. I used tape for more than a year, but now I don't seem to need it.
 

haidut

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mujuro said:
I've had this for a few years now. I suspect it may be one of the most harmful issues plaguing me. More on that suspicion below. Whenever I lie down, my nose gets stuffed. It's usually worse at night, and on very rare days it disappears entirely. I have not been able to nail it to anything in my diet. It's also curious that a shot of liquor will clear my sinuses like the strongest of menthol. This evidently seems like a blood flow/vasodilation issue, and I know I'm not alone, so why does it affect some and not others? The fact that it occurs more profoundly at night makes me think it's a serotonin ("thrombotonin") downstream effect, however no drug seems to make any improvements (bromocriptine makes it much worse).

The other day I used a steroidal nasal spray to clear my passages so I could assess if I felt any better the next morning compared to typical mornings. Energy levels were much higher all through the day. My workout in particular was much more powerful. To make matters worse, from 2009-2010 I was on a high dose of quetiapine before bed which blocks the nose. For about 12 months I mouth-breathed during sleep which I believe retrained my brain in a negative manner.

I am planning on seeing an ENT specialist but in the mean time I wanted to know if anyone else experiences the same thing or has found any relief.

Low levels of CO2 are known to cause that and especially at night. There is a Youtube video showing an easy fix. You inhale/exhale 2-3 times and on the last exhale you hold your breath and gently shake your head left and right (i.e. try to touch your shoulder with your ear). for about 10sec. If you can hold your breath for longer than 10sec at exhaled position even better. Do this 2-3 times and your nose/sinuses should open.
 

burtlancast

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Your troubles are caused by a hypertrophy of the membranes covering your Nasal concha
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_concha
It's an extremely common problem.

You need to see a specialist: he might advise or not surgery.(http://www.medtronic.com/for-healthcare ... /index.htm)

But an excellent possible fix is to elevate about 15cm your bed (on the head side), which will prevent the blood swelling these tissues.
Having fresh air in the room also helps a lot.

Worth a try.
 

tara

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haidut said:
Low levels of CO2 are known to cause that and especially at night. There is a Youtube video showing an easy fix. You inhale/exhale 2-3 times and on the last exhale you hold your breath and gently shake your head left and right (i.e. try to touch your shoulder with your ear). for about 10sec. If you can hold your breath for longer than 10sec at exhaled position even better. Do this 2-3 times and your nose/sinuses should open.
Yes, I've seen this work. The work of moving your head speeds up the CO2 production in the area, compared with just waiting longer with your head still.

burtlancast said:
Your troubles are caused by a hypertrophy of the membranes covering your Nasal concha
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_concha" class="vglnk"><span>http</span><span>://</span><span>en</span><span>.</span><span>wikipedia</span><span>.</span><span>org</span><span>/</span><span>wiki</span><span>/</span><span>Nasal</span><span>_</span><span>concha</span></a>
It's an extremely common problem.

You need to see a specialist: he might advise or not surgery.
This may be possible, but I don't think it's the most likely problem or solution. I think it is more likely the normal defensive functioning of healthy nasal passages in response to low CO2 levels.

burtlancast said:
But an excellent possible fix is to elevate about 15cm your bed (on the head side), which will prevent the blood swelling these tissues.
Worth a try.
This might still help - as burtlancast says, it's worth a try.
 
OP
mujuro

mujuro

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Excellent. Thanks guys, I'll give those methods a try, see if I can't improve it. ENT will be my last port of call. To clarify, the issue seems to be getting to sleep with clear sinuses. Some mornings, like this morning, I will wake up to find I have completely clear passages and will easily sleep in for a few hours if the day permits. Exactly when they clear up I obviously don't know - it could be hours beforehand.
 

kineticz

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I'm currently using nasal strips, a powerful ioniser, and salt and OJ before bed. Great sleep. I think adrenaline causes the sinuses to swell, and makes nose bleeds more likely.
 

Rahmon

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Actually I didn't even know I had this issue. And the reason I didn't know was because I always seemed to have an inflamed nasal passages. It was the norm for me....this is going to sound silly to some, but you might want to consider trying a grounding/earthing band. Just google it. There's a science behind the reason it works and there are many that thinks its a quack but there's definitely something behind it as I have had success with it for other things. It's fantastic at taking away inflammation and so I use it when I sleep and my nose clears. I also where it at work since I work at a desk and the more one wears it, the better the situation gets. I put one on my son as he has allergies and is always clogged at night and it helps him sleep like a baby. However it doesn't work if one has a cold...

Everyone's situation can be different, but it's interesting to note that my inflamed nasal passages have started to get better since I've been taking supplements to deal with lowering cortisol. There might be some connection there for me.
 

bohogirl

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Low levels of CO2 are known to cause that and especially at night. There is a Youtube video showing an easy fix. You inhale/exhale 2-3 times and on the last exhale you hold your breath and gently shake your head left and right (i.e. try to touch your shoulder with your ear). for about 10sec. If you can hold your breath for longer than 10sec at exhaled position even better. Do this 2-3 times and your nose/sinuses should open.

I have a problem where one nostril is always plugged. It changes throughout the day and I've been accustomed to breathing through my mouth at night and during the day.

I just tried this sitting up. Air is now flowing from both nostrils.

It's gonna be a long way, but I am going to try to use tape at night to retrain myself to breathe through my nose, which I think is going to help half of my problems.


Nose breathing/deep breathing is so calming.
 

Atalanta

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Actually I didn't even know I had this issue. And the reason I didn't know was because I always seemed to have an inflamed nasal passages. It was the norm for me....this is going to sound silly to some, but you might want to consider trying a grounding/earthing band. Just google it. There's a science behind the reason it works and there are many that thinks its a quack but there's definitely something behind it as I have had success with it for other things. It's fantastic at taking away inflammation and so I use it when I sleep and my nose clears. I also where it at work since I work at a desk and the more one wears it, the better the situation gets. I put one on my son as he has allergies and is always clogged at night and it helps him sleep like a baby. However it doesn't work if one has a cold...

Everyone's situation can be different, but it's interesting to note that my inflamed nasal passages have started to get better since I've been taking supplements to deal with lowering cortisol. There might be some connection there for me.

What supplements do you take to lower cortisol?
 

Rahmon

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What supplements do you take to lower cortisol?
I started out with one called Seriphos, but I can't seem to get a hold of it anymore. This was the strongest supplement, but after the first month since I could no longer find it available I did a combination of Relora (600mg), and Lactium before I go to sleep.
 

Jayfish

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I'm currently using nasal strips, a powerful ioniser, and salt and OJ before bed. Great sleep. I think adrenaline causes the sinuses to swell, and makes nose bleeds more likely.

This is exactly it. A dry but plugged nose at night is a sign of adrenalin, probably brought on by endotoxin.

Eating an easily digested meal, mostly sugar and salt before bed along with red light therapy and shallow, slow breathing to raise co2 should help.
 

ilovethesea

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I had this and it vanished after taking anti-biotic.

Which antibiotic and how long did you take it for? Dosage?
I have some Penicillin-Vk I was thinking of trying.

I have the same issues off and on with blocked nasal passages and pretty sure it's an endotoxin issue.... Breathing exercises don't help me, I don't have a mouth breathing habit - it's only when I get congested I am forced to breathe that way. I agree that lying down can sometimes make it worse.

I've found food elimination and charcoal/cascara/carrot can only do so much. They helped me in that I no longer get a runny nose/sneezing during the day, but I still struggle with morning sniffles, and blocked breathing at night. I've taken cyproheptadine and Benadryl long term but they give me dry mouth (which has led to dental issues) and still don't give me completely clear breathing.
 

Greg says

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Which antibiotic and how long did you take it for? Dosage?
I have some Penicillin-Vk I was thinking of trying.

I have the same issues off and on with blocked nasal passages and pretty sure it's an endotoxin issue.... Breathing exercises don't help me, I don't have a mouth breathing habit - it's only when I get congested I am forced to breathe that way. I agree that lying down can sometimes make it worse.

I've found food elimination and charcoal/cascara/carrot can only do so much. They helped me in that I no longer get a runny nose/sneezing during the day, but I still struggle with morning sniffles, and blocked breathing at night. I've taken cyproheptadine and Benadryl long term but they give me dry mouth (which has led to dental issues) and still don't give me completely clear breathing.

I used these for about 4 days (until I could taste it on my breathe and I felt warm and content, a pleasant sensation). Then again 3 weeks later. Now I use charcoal + cascara every so often. But I think a blocked nostril is a good gauge of endotoxin.

Screen Shot 2016-07-18 at 11.20.58.png
 

dreamcatcher

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I'm currently using nasal strips, a powerful ioniser, and salt and OJ before bed. Great sleep. I think adrenaline causes the sinuses to swell, and makes nose bleeds more likely.
I've noticed on the day I took 2x3 drops Progest-E, my chronically blocked sinuses cleared up. I'm not sure if it was caused by Progesterone. I will soon retest.
 

bluewren

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Inclined Bed Therapy fixed my nightly blocked nose. It has been super helpful.
 

SQu

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Actually I didn't even know I had this issue. And the reason I didn't know was because I always seemed to have an inflamed nasal passages. It was the norm
Me too. At one point was dependant on nose drops to sleep, weaned myself off them. I no longer have this problem unless I have a cold. I suspect it was histamine as I had other symptoms. Not sure what exactly it was that helped but possibly cyproheptadine, and thyroid supplementation. The CO2 raising tips work too, and help me fall asleep.
 

Blossom

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Inclined Bed Therapy fixed my nightly blocked nose. It has been super helpful.
My husband mentioned that too. We've been sleeping inclined for less than 2 weeks. I used to not be able to breathe well through my nose when flat on my left side due to a deviated septum but now when inclined I can sleep in any position comfortably.
 

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