"please keep me updated about oximeters "
Sleep Apnea Forum Bringing Power to the Patient
New? Free Sign Up
Then check our Welcome Center to a Community Caring about Sleep Apnea diagnosis and Sleep Apnea treatment:
CPAP machines, Sleep Apnea surgery and dental appliances.
CPAP Supplies
Latest Activity
Such a Thing as Too Much Nasal Rinsing?
I heard from a customer of ApneaLife that his ENT and him have decided against nasal rinsing more than 1x per month on the grounds that daily nasal irrigation could add too much moisture to the sinuses and that the sinuses are not equipped to deal with that much moisture -- in other words, that daily rinsing (what I do) could do more harm than good for the sinuses. any basis in fact for that claim?
Views: 972
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by D. W. Conn on
-
Too much nasal rinsing can cause the mucus membrane to dry out..in affect you stop self lubricating and become dependant on rinsing. Daily use can destray natural protection of membranes..i really hate phone texting HA
-
Permalink Reply by Mike on
-
phone texting works fine! so how likely is it that we cause more harm than good with daily nasal rinsing in your opinion?
D. W. Conn said:Too much nasal rinsing can cause the mucus membrane to dry out..in affect you stop self lubricating and become dependant on rinsing. Daily use can destray natural protection of membranes..i really hate phone texting HA
-
Permalink Reply by Mary L. Montovio on
-
I'm glad that I received this, I had an ENT appt today, because of my allergies and my ENT has me doing the nasal irrigation of a 100 cc of saline solution, and using Nasonex, but that gives me a headache when I use it, but I'm lazy at it. I couldn't tell you the last time I did it. But I will bring this to his attention.
I have a CPAP that has a humidifier on it and I use it daily at night. No sense in doing both, I think. In the morning, I start with the sneezing and runny nose and I'm blowing it and that's the way I'm cleaning out my sinuses. Then during the day I have to take a Claritin, on a daily basis.
-
-
Please report back the results of your conversation with your ENT.
Mary L. Montovio said:I'm glad that I received this, I had an ENT appt today, because of my allergies and my ENT has me doing the nasal irrigation of a 100 cc of saline solution, and using Nasonex, but that gives me a headache when I use it, but I'm lazy at it. I couldn't tell you the last time I did it. But I will bring this to his attention.
I have a CPAP that has a humidifier on it and I use it daily at night. No sense in doing both, I think. In the morning, I start with the sneezing and runny nose and I'm blowing it and that's the way I'm cleaning out my sinuses. Then during the day I have to take a Claritin, on a daily basis.
-
Permalink Reply by susan mccord on
-
That's exactly what's happening to me every a.m., but it goes on for longer than I particularly enjoy! Is that a normal thing with CPAP? My cardiologist's nurse, who's also on CPAP but very knowledgeable about heart stuff told me to NEVER use my pump without humidification. It does something bad to something, but I can't remember what she said it was. She did say "Never".
Soooo, back to this nasal irrigation thing--what IS that? and why are people doing it? Are we supposed to do it? I've never heard about it....'course then, I've never heard of 98% of what I'm learning on here!!!
Susan McCord
Mary L. Montovio said:I'm glad that I received this, I had an ENT appt today, because of my allergies and my ENT has me doing the nasal irrigation of a 100 cc of saline solution, and using Nasonex, but that gives me a headache when I use it, but I'm lazy at it. I couldn't tell you the last time I did it. But I will bring this to his attention.
I have a CPAP that has a humidifier on it and I use it daily at night. No sense in doing both, I think. In the morning, I start with the sneezing and runny nose and I'm blowing it and that's the way I'm cleaning out my sinuses. Then during the day I have to take a Claritin, on a daily basis.
-
-
Does OTC saline nose spray mess up membranes???
D. W. Conn said:Too much nasal rinsing can cause the mucus membrane to dry out..in affect you stop self lubricating and become dependant on rinsing. Daily use can destray natural protection of membranes..i really hate phone texting HA
-
Permalink Reply by Banyon on
-
Well if you want to take an ENT's word for it, you can have your choice. My ENT says do it once or twice per day.
There is something about getting the correct salinity in the solution. Too much salt can cause swelling of the membranes and too little can cause drying. The salinity should approximate the natural salinity of the nasal membranes. Use a good recipe or use the premeasured packets and the recommended amount of water.
I will add that I love body surfing and can do it for two hours at a time. Usually I get a good saline rinse just from being in the surf. I always notice that my nasal passages never felt better than on these days.
-
Permalink Reply by RD on
-
I've been doing a once a month saline nasal rinse for years now with no side effects. The only issue I have sometimes with it is that is hurts like when I got a snout full of water at the pool when I was a kid. (Aquatic brain freeze!)
I started developing ear and throat bacterial infections years ago and did all the over-the-counter remedies for them. Finally, I spoke with a pharmacist (who was also a wholistic wiccan healer type - nice girl by the way!) and she told me that by rinsing with a saline solution I'd clean the junk out and the salt would help kill the bacteria and dry up and heal the swollen membranes in my sinuses. This was invaluable information to me especially when I do disaster relief work. Molds, mildews, fungi, all want a warm, moist, dark place to flourish which includes your sinuses and lungs. I believe, that for me, I was healthier and more productive for it when deployed to various disaster sites.
Daily flushing causes an accumulation of salt in your sinuses and will "clog up" the works. The salt will dry out the natural membranes in your sinus. that's why salt has been used over the millenia as a food preservate to remove the moisture from foods allowing you to store them for a long time with little or no refrigeration. The salt accumulations can impede the natural secretions that your body needs to defend itself against foreign particles that will otherwise make you sick. That's why your nose runs when you have allergies and such - you're trying to self cleanse.
Nasal flushing, used/done correctly and "as needed" is a nice tool to have in your health-wise toolkit.
I won't tell you what to do but . . . please consider this when making your final decision. Thx.
-
Permalink Reply by Steven Y. Park, MD on
-
"Different strokes for different folks." If nasal saline irrigation works for you, keep doing it. If it causes problem, either adjust the regimen or concentration, or stop. For many people, it's a great regimen, but for others, it's more of a chore with no beneficial effects.
There's controversy in the ENT literature about isotonic vs. hypertonic saline. Hypertonic saline has been shown to temporarily paralyze cilia of the mucous membranes. So although it decongests your nose to make you feel better, you may be relying on the irrigation itself to flush out the mucous.
Another interesting study showed that not very much saline actually reaches the sinus cavities. Most of it goes through the nasal passageways only. But by decongesting the sinus openings, you'll feel better.
-
-
Robert Dunn said:......... The salt will dry out the natural membranes in your sinus. ..................
Did you make this up? If you have a credible scientific source of information, please reveal it. At this point, I consider your statement to be nonsense.
-
Permalink Reply by Kristina Zabala on
-
My ENT said I SHOULD rinse "daily, or at least weekly" with saline to counteract some of the sinus problems that can be caused by CPAP usage, including bacteria build-up. She also has me using prescription nose drops daily. I use a CPAP with a humidifier..
© 2025 Created by The SleepGuide Crew.
Powered by
