For not buying my boyfriend decongestants after reading that a blocked nose can be fatal during sleep??

[imjustconcernedforhim]

My other half has got a rotten cold and is right in the thick of the blocked-nose stage.!

I fell down a right rabbit hole reading up on it and found a study [ doi.org/10.1183/09031936.03.00047903 ] saying that nasal blockage can mess with breathing during sleep (causing things like apnoea and drops in oxygen). I know that study was about completely blocked noses, but my anxiety has kicked into overdrive worrying about his breathing tonight!!
To make matters worse, he asked me to pop to the shops for some decongestants earlier. It was just before closing and I could have made it if I'd sprinted out, but I messed about and missed it. Now I'm sitting here feeling like a terrible partner, terrified that his oxygen is going to drop or he'll stop breathing in his sleep!! 😥

He’s definitely going to be mouth-breathing tonight.. but his nose isn't 100% sealed shut.
I read somewhere that your nose has little built-in sensors that basically act like a reminder switch for your brain to keep breathing properly. Since he'll be breathing through his mouth, I’m stressing: does even a tiny trickle of air or a little breeze in the room keep those sensors happy even if he'll be breathing through his mouth so his brain doesn't 'forget' what it's doing?

Bit rude considering she is anxious.

I'm 67 and have had colds every single year of my life and my sinuses are always affected - I'm still here! There is nothing to worry about, please calm down.

Why have you started another thread on this? Your anxiety is probably more dangerous than the nasal congestion.

@imjustconcernedforhim I say this gently and with care... this is not a normal response.

You need to speak to someone about this level of anxiety. Sitting researching journals in the middle of the night and seeking reassurance online will only feed in to it and make it worse.