Waking through the night due to 'dry' blocked nose. Anyone else had this?

[CeilingThomas]

DS is 15 months and has had a permanently blocked nose since last August. It has got steadily worse during this time too. When he's got a cold there is snot but even when he hasn't got a cold he wakes repeatedly in the night with a kind of dry nose, no snot at all. You can hear his nose rasping as he breathes, it's like his nostrils are too small or something. Calpol and neurofen often fix the problem but we don't like to medicate him unnecessarily and he's not ill, he just wakes up because he can't breath through his nose. Saline spray also relieves the dryness but doesnt solve the underlying problem and DS finds it distressing to have stuff squirted up his nose when he's trying to sleep. I can hear in his cry that he doesn't want to be awake, and he often pushes us away when we try to console him because he is very able to settle himself and just wants to be asleep.

We've literally tried everything (hypoallergenic everything, no soft toys in cot, keeping window shut/open, humidifier, vapour rubs/plug ins, sleeping on back/sides/tummy, proped up, lying flat, nasal spray, sleeping in with us, milk/water etc etc) and we've just got a referral to a paediatrician for allergy testing.

I just wondered if anyone else has experienced this and what the solutions were, if any.

Thanks!

Our DS has respiratory problems and we find sterimar spray and a nasal aspirator the only things which help. He hates them both.

Since last August? That's a very long time for an allergy to continue, unless it's something permanently in your house (mould from damp, dust mites, etc).

My nose does it periodically (seals shut, sinuses completely swollen) but I know all my triggers and try to avoid them so I'm not permanently blocked up. I do find that dairy makes things worse, so does dehydration.

If you don't find any conclusive triggers from the allergy testing ask to be referred to a pediatric ENT - he may have some other issues that are causing his nose to become more easily blocked (nasal polyps etc).

Thanks for replying. It is a long time, it's got progressively worse since then. Aug to dec he slept through around 4/5 nights out of 7 now it's down to 0. Will request ENT if allergy testing doesn't suggest anything. I had a dust mite allergy (asthma) as a child. One of my symptoms was vvv itchy nose. DS is rubbing his with gusto a lot of the time. My guess is dust mite allergy.