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Nasal Congestion Relief
An RPSGT shared this tidbit w/me that he read in a sleep professional forum:
I learned a new trick for stuffy noses in CPAP patients and it's going to sound silly, but a physician who ran a sleep center that lectured at our last Sleep Society meeting said whenever a patient complains they can't breath through their nose due to stuffiness or congestion, and wants the mask off, ask them to stick out their tongue....
Okay probably everyone is rolling in the floor right about now, but at the time I attended the lecture I had a whopper of a sinus infection.
Went back to my room to rest after the lecture and of course my nose stopped up almost as soon as I relaxed on the bed...so I stuck out my tongue for the required 1-2 mintues and it did allow me to breath through my nose again!!
I have little sleep today so I don't remember the exact wording he used explaining the anatomical reasoning behind it, but has to do with the nasopharangeal tissue being pulled forward with the tongue...etc....etc
All I know is I have helped numerous patients find relief and continue their titrations by trying it without nasal sprays being used.
Views: 133
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lee Longnecker on
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Very intesting.....I am going to look into that.....thanks for sharing that.
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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It seems to have some effect. I have not had the opportunity to test it much. So far it seems to help.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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For those of us wearing FFMs to do this with the mask on is easier said than done! LOL!
Mary Z.
Mary Z said:Cool! Thanks for passing that on.
Mary Z.
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Permalink Reply by susan mccord on
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Jeff, LMAO at you, per usual!!
j n k said:Words to live by. I may need a T-shirt that says that.
And whenever my wife sticks her tongue out at me, may I assume she is clearing her sinuses?
Rock Hinkle said:Do it before you put the mask on.
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Considering the fact that while I've been battling putrid sinus problems with a lot of headache and stuffiness alternating with the faucet drip, a couple of things have been helpful for me. One is saline spray and a lot of it, and then I was told about Ayr nasal gel. That stuff is the bomb. There are 3 different products--easy to find are Ayr saline spray and Ayr nasal gel, the latter GREAT for dry, sore nose both inside and out. (also found out it's good for cracked lips). The water-based gel can't hurt your sinuses and tends to dry and then stick better than regular products. Another REALLY good product from Ayr, and NOT as easy to find is Ayr nasal saline GEL spray with aloe)--I'm telling you that stuff HAS been helpful to me. Same as the other gel product, it gets in there and stays put for awhile and you can use it as often as you want. It didn't and hasn't solved my problem 'cause it's more complicated, but Ayr sure has brought me some comfort. Walgreen's always has it--I think probably most drugstores have both, just not the gel spray.
Forgot to say if you google Ayr products, they have a listing of stores that carry the hard to find gel spray by cities. In Indianapolis the ONLY store that keeps it in stock is Meijer. It's different in different areas (?) why. It's worth a try though. When I told my ENT guy that's what I was using he said, "Oh yeah, that's good stuff".
I'd never heard of it. Someone on SG, I think it was Irma, told me about it. It's helped her a lot too. Worth a try.
Another thing I found out by trial and error is there are accupressure points on either side of your nostrils that help with headaches--it works for me!--I tried it for congestion and sometimes it makes a difference. Just put your finger on each side, press down, and make small circles using the pressure from your finger. I press pretty hard, not hard enough to hurt, and move somewhere between slow and fast. I don't know why, but it HAS helped me.
Just some thoughts to consider....
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Rock, you make a good point. I just don't get stuffy until I'm firmly strapped in . But maybe doing it before I put the mask on will help with after I put the mask on.
Mary Z.
Rock Hinkle said:Do it before you put the mask on.
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Permalink Reply by Randy Deremiah on
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New CPAP user here. I tried this last night and it helped tremendously. I stuck my tongue out and let the air rush out of my mouth on the exhales. It was a little uncomfortable to pull off, but the blocked nasal passages unblocked themselves after one or two minutes. Thanks for the tip!
Randy
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An RPSGT shared this tidbit w/me that he read in a sleep professional forum:
I learned a new trick for stuffy noses in CPAP patients and it's going to sound silly, but a physician who ran a sleep center that lectured at our last Sleep Society meeting said whenever a patient complains they can't breath through their nose due to stuffiness or congestion, and wants the mask off, ask them to stick out their tongue....
Okay probably everyone is rolling in the floor right about now, but at the time I attended the lecture I had a whopper of a sinus infection.
Went back to my room to rest after the lecture and of course my nose stopped up almost as soon as I relaxed on the bed...so I stuck out my tongue for the required 1-2 mintues and it did allow me to breath through my nose again!!
I have little sleep today so I don't remember the exact wording he used explaining the anatomical reasoning behind it, but has to do with the nasopharangeal tissue being pulled forward with the tongue...etc....etc
All I know is I have helped numerous patients find relief and continue their titrations by trying it without nasal sprays being used.
Wow, this looks great, do you do this while having the apnea machine on? (i can't imagine)
P.S. tried it just now (with the machine off) and i think it worked! too bad you can't do it in the public lol
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