Stuffy nose at night leading to poor sleep

[DillyTante]

For a good few years now I have continually suffered from a stuffy nose at night. It can be clear when I go to bed but my airwaves seem to swell at night. This leads to me waking up periodically with a really dry mouth & just generally getting a crap nights sleep.

I have learned to manage it in various unsatisfactory ways: Olbas oil on my pillow but the smell often becomes distracting; nasal sprays but I literally have to shove the stuff up my nostrils and down into my throat and I'm sure long term use isn't great; and Breathe Right Snore Strips. These work the best but they are really expensive. I've tried every cheaper brand going & none of them work properly.

Does anyone else have this problem? Is there something the GP can do? I have been told anecdotally that where I live might contribute due to our town being in a sort of bowl but not sure how true this is. I don't go away often enough to make a scientific observation.

Can anyone give me any advice?

Bump

Could it be an allergy to something in your bedroom, dustmites maybe? Have you got anti-allergy covers on your bedding and mattress. There's lots of other advice if it is dust mites like hoovering the mattress. The allergy uk website has loads of info.

You could try an antihistamine to see if that helps

I get this too. I even asked the doctor about it because I was getting so little sleep. He didn't take me seriously. If I am woken up in the middle of the night it can take up to 3 hours to get back off because of the sniffling.
I take antihistamine because of hayfeaver but that doesn't help the night time. It doesn't seem to be about the room because it happens if I lie on the sofa too or anywhere I sleep. It seems worse when I am tired.

Sorry no help but would be interested if anyone has some advice.

Thanks for the replies. I don't think it is allergies but I suppose I could try an antihistamine. What would you recommend?

Ask the GP?
Ask the pharmacist
Ask another GP

Try this: close one nostril and sniff HARD then again with the other nostril. If there's a big difference you might have a deviated septum. I did and it disturbed my sleep for years. I had it sorted and it was lovely.

Yes it is different. One is completely clear, one sort of flaps or squeaks IYKWIM?

How long have you been using nasal sprays? They're not supposed to be used continually and you may have developed a dependence on them which is actually causing your stuffy nose.

For about a year I used mine every night. Like you I'd be totally unable to breathe without it do started using it as a preventative measure. I then got a cold so started using it a lot more. As a result my blocked nose was constant and I suffered several nose bleeds every day for over a week. Did some research which suggested the nasal spray might be to blame so I went cold turkey and stopped using it. The first night was difficult but that was all. I've not used it since (several months) and my nose isn't blocked up anymore.

I think it was originally caused by an increase in medication I take but I don't doubt that my continued use just made things worse.

I have had sinus problems compounded by allergy issues and the one thing that really helped me was good old nasal rinsing. I was prescribed nasal sprays by a consultant but they didn't help as much as this did.

In case you're wondering what the hell that is, it's basically pouring sterile saline solution (warm salty water, essentially) up your nose to flush out your nasal passages.

Takes a bit of practice but it really does work: google "nasal irrigation" or "sinus flushing" for more info.

One tip though, always use boiled water and always use pure, iodine-free salt such as sea salt. Iodine is not nice stuff if you pour it up yer nose, and tap water can contain nasties, even though it's chlorinated.

Oooh yes! DD1 has to rinse her nose daily because of a condition that she has.
Get yourself a Neilmed bottle and sachets and give it a go. It feels very weird but might help.

Me! I have this.
My daily regime is to use a saline nasal spray daily to clear out any gunk (I order one called Humer from France but sterimar is the same just more expensive). Some people use something called a netti pot for the same effect.
Then I use a steroid nasal spray called nasonex (generic name mometasone). I lie on my back after using the max dose so it goes right to the back of my nose/throat. I get this on prescription.
And I am just trying to wean myself off breathe right strips (they are much cheaper on amazon).
If its really bad I use Karvol on my pillow (can't stand smell of olbas oil). And if really really bad I use something like Vicks sinusitis spray.
See your gp for a referral to ENT and get checked out for a deviated septum, nasal polyps, allergies etc, and they'll get a regime in place which makes it bearable.