Sleeping with congested nostrils

[canibeyou]

Originally Posted by irishmom

Afrin will work...but if you use it for extended periods (I think for more than 3 days) you will get what is called rebound congestion, which is worse than what you started with. Make an appointment with a good ENT and find out what they can do for you.

^5. I got "addicted" to Afrin, right before I went in for surgery. My ENT doctor was very unhappy that I'd ever picked up a bottle of Afrin to begin with. Any ENT doctor will tell you the "evils" of Afrin.

And I should add, I had an allergy test (that thing where they prick your back with different sasmples of like cut grass, cat dander, etc.) and it came back negative on being allergic to anything.

[DCNative]

Originally Posted by canibeyou

^5. I got "addicted" to Afrin, right before I went in for surgery. My ENT doctor was very unhappy that I'd ever picked up a bottle of Afrin to begin with. Any ENT doctor will tell you the "evils" of Afrin.

And I should add, I had an allergy test (that thing where they prick your back with different sasmples of like cut grass, cat dander, etc.) and it came back negative on being allergic to anything.

Wow... I'm glad I stopped using Afrin when I did! I went back to the nasal strips and I slept pretty good last night.

I'll call today and make an appointment with an ENT.

[CosmicWizard]

DCNative

Perhaps you are mildly dehydrated. Experiment with drinking more water throughout the day. I keep a bottle of water at my bedside. If I wake up congested, drinking some water, often...but not always clears the congestion. When water won't clear the congestion, a few minutes of conscious deep breathing takes care of it. As someone else suggested, avoid the meds. Meds merely relieve symptoms and do nothing to address the cause and oftentimes make the congestion worse.

regards....Franco

[momof2dfw]

Yep, Afrin is not a good thing. My dad was stuck on using that for way too long. Took forever to get off of. I also have had a deviated septum and had surgery for it back in the 80's. Boy was I lovely - two black eyes.

Zicam makes some AWESOME products one of which is their sinus pressure releif spray gel. It is not addictive like Afrin and let me tell you it clears your sinus passage up so fast it almost hurts to breathe. No joke. It is an otc product and was recommended to me by our allergy and asthma specialist along w/ their Zicam Cold Remedy. The cold remedy works wonders if you start using it w/in 24 hours of first symptoms. I'm also on Allegra & Flonase (not many of the others work for me) and when they are bad the only thing that gets rid of the "itch" for my eyes, nose, etc is Benedryl.

Pick up some of the Zicam for sinus pressure and try it.

[citybythebay]

Originally Posted by ApartmentNomad

Additionally, you could try nasal irrigation: running warm salt water through your nasal passages, to clean out your sinuses. I have found the Grossan Irrigation system to be the most satisfactory way to do this (but some people have gotten positive results by using a traditional neti pot, or using a squeeze bottle). Regular nasal irrigation has cut way back on the frequency with which I get sinus infections. Although I list this option last, it could make the biggest difference of all the suggestions I've made (but it makes sense to first do what you can to clear your bedroom of allergies).

I use to have a killer case of sinusitis. I was watching Oprah one day and Dr.Oz (((I absolutely love that doctor!))) was on as a guest and they were discussing the Neti Pot....I went out that day and bought one!...to this day I have not had a problem with my sinuses. Can't say that will help everyone, but it sure did me.

I also agree about clearing your bedroom of allergies. Things you may not even think of could be the culprits.

-For instance, a ceiling fan. A ceiling fan will throw microscopic dust particles everywhere. I rarely, if ever turn mine on.
-Carpeting-huge dust/mite collector.
-Mattress- another environment where dust mites like to hibernate...hope no one is getting the 'itch-ies'...
-Window treatments-I don't have any window treatments besides a valance on most of my windows, which get washed at least once a week.
I use to have mini-blinds...I couldn't handle the dust that would settle on the slats. And those are so darn hard to clean, unless you have the type that are 'inside' the window pane.
-Furnace-Be sure to clean your furnace filter at least every couple of months...all year round if you have C/A.
-Typical household cleaners...I totally cut back on cleaning products and only use one product that has not given me any allergic reaction. Some of the chemical ingredients in cleaners are pretty harsh to be exposed to.

Just some ideas....