Discomfort or difficulty breathing due to nasal congestion can be a lot worse when lying down than when sitting or standing. you probably sleep better when propped upright by pillows.
The important is to determine why you are suffering from nasal congestion. Nasal congestion can be caused by a cold, allergy, or hay fever -- or even a reaction to certain medicines -- but in your case, it sounds chronic, since you say it's been like this forever.
I would suggest looking into three possible causes:
1) Nasal septum deviation, where the wall that separates your two nasal passages is not aligned normally and causes obstruction of the nasal passages.
2) Chronic sinusitis or rhinitis (inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, often but not always accompanied by toothache, headache, or eye pressure). If you find yourself coughing a lot when it's time to go to bed but not so much during the day, you should definitely look into this. Allergies and smoking (including second-hand smoke) are two ways you could have developed chronic sinusitis to begin with.
3)hypertrophied turbinates an enlargement (hypertrophy) of the inferior nasal turbinates.Enlarged turbinates and nasal congestion can also contribute to headaches and sleep disorders such as snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, as the nasal airway is the normal breathing route during sleep.It is common to have a nasal septal deviation in addition to inferior turbinate hypertrophy.
4) Sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that occurs while you are sleeping. Although plenty of healthy people suffer from sleep apnea, obesity is often a factor. You should particularly look into sleep apnea if you have been observed to snore loudly (every night, not just every now and then) and sleep restlessly. If you just have trouble falling asleep because of your stuffy nose but sleep soundly and feel well-rested when you wake up, you may not have sleep apnea.
The important is to determine why you are suffering from nasal congestion. Nasal congestion can be caused by a cold, allergy, or hay fever -- or even a reaction to certain medicines -- but in your case, it sounds chronic, since you say it's been like this forever.
I would suggest looking into three possible causes:
1) Nasal septum deviation, where the wall that separates your two nasal passages is not aligned normally and causes obstruction of the nasal passages.
2) Chronic sinusitis or rhinitis (inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, often but not always accompanied by toothache, headache, or eye pressure). If you find yourself coughing a lot when it's time to go to bed but not so much during the day, you should definitely look into this. Allergies and smoking (including second-hand smoke) are two ways you could have developed chronic sinusitis to begin with.
3)hypertrophied turbinates an enlargement (hypertrophy) of the inferior nasal turbinates.Enlarged turbinates and nasal congestion can also contribute to headaches and sleep disorders such as snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, as the nasal airway is the normal breathing route during sleep.It is common to have a nasal septal deviation in addition to inferior turbinate hypertrophy.
4) Sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that occurs while you are sleeping. Although plenty of healthy people suffer from sleep apnea, obesity is often a factor. You should particularly look into sleep apnea if you have been observed to snore loudly (every night, not just every now and then) and sleep restlessly. If you just have trouble falling asleep because of your stuffy nose but sleep soundly and feel well-rested when you wake up, you may not have sleep apnea.
•
