What causes one side of my nose to stop up almost every night?

Factual Questions
41

One thing that may interest you is that when you lie on your right side, your body regulates your breathing so that you breathe through your left nostril.

When you lie on your left side, the opposite is true. It takes a few minutes for the change to take place. Maybe around 5 minutes.

I don’t know why this happens. It may have something to do with the fact that there tends to be more oxygen in the higher levels in a room. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air and tends to sink to the bottom of a room. So your nose gets more oxygen if you breathe through your top nostril when you lie down on one side or the other.

This is only my own theory. I know that my body does change my breathing to breathe through my top nostril. But I have no idea why. I’m just guessing about the oxygen thing.

42

Different folks and ENT docs will tell you several things… Deviated septun, allergies, chronic sinusitis (inflammation of inner linings of nose), dry air, sleeping positions, etc

I have had this condition since over a decade and seen tens of ENT specialists with varying opinions, but really no one has a cure or an explanation. Most ENTs will recommend

  • daily saline nasal rinses with alkalol,
  • nasal sprays such as Nasonex or RhinoCort or
  • even a day surgery using CoBlation technique.

However, despite people trying all of the above, no-one yet has been fully cured, its only been mild symptomatic relief at the best, if conditions didn’t get worse after surgery due to “dry nose syndrome”

First and foremost, don’t believe anyone who comfort you and blame the environment … dry air, allergies, etc. Yes those external factors may exasperate the already existing problem which is purely INTERNAL, but they are not the root cause. Others folks living in identical conditions don’t exhibit similar problems.

The cure lies in a lifestyle change and holistic medicine. That is the only way to calm the overexcited nerves. Inflammation of the nasal passages is a sign of exhaustion and excess heat which needs to be cooled down. Improved blood flow in the nasal passages can remove the excess heat. Blood thinners like Gingko Biloba extract may help a bit.

Also try to cut an onion into 2 halves and heat on a stove pan for 10 mins. Then when its reasonably warm to touch and not too hot, place the flat edges of the onions over the sinuses and forehead. Keep for 10-15 mins and repeat for 7 days.

Also lastly but most importantly, try to make a solution of ghee-camphor, which is clarified butter melted in a pan, added with few drops of edible camphor. Place a few drops in each nostril while head is hanging vertically downwards such that the solution reaches area between eyebrows and not the throat.

Also practice quietude with soft talking, no shouting, less talking, no sarcasm and no harsh words… :cool: LifeStyle changes begin here :slight_smile:

Everything helps a little bit.

Good luck !:slight_smile:

43

This may be the most zombified thread ever.

44

If the cause is blood flow related, try sleeping with an elevated pillow.

45

It’s like Captain Jack Harkness.

46

who cares?

47

I doubt it!

48

Hi everyone,

I hope you are still following this thread up.

I have allergic rhinitis (chronic) manly because of dust mite. I also have a deviated septum. For about 15 years I developed rhinitis medicamentosa because of daily use of nasal sprays. Nowadays, I no longer use them. However, when laying down I always get one nostril stopped up. Even with the use of Dymista 125/50 (Azelastine; Fluticasone propionate) I still have this issue.

I will be a rhinoplasty to fix my deviated septum and to reduce the turbinates soon. In the meantime, I was wondering if any of you have ever used an oral decongestant (such as Sudafed) specifically for the issue described on this thread. That is, to help reducing the inflammation of the nostrils at night (which is basically when I experience this issue).

Any comments will be extremely welcome! :slight_smile:

49

A new study on the nasal cycle (or “nose boners”) since the last bump.

50

Oral decongestants containing pseudoephedrine do help open up your nose, but it has a big drawback for nighttime use: it is a stimulant. Before my turbinate reduction, I used to take it at night. I definitely had a harder time going to sleep and getting quality rest. YMMV
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

51

Mine goes away if I use my CPAP. So if you’ve got any likelihood of sleep apnea, go get a sleep study.

52

I’ve exactly the opposite problem, but only when I have a cold. I can be stopped up ALL DAY LONG, but sometime during the night my nose clears up. I’ll wake in the morning and for about 10-15 glorious, glorious seconds, my nose is wide open and I can breathe normally.

Then it stops back up again. Love to know why it does not.

Of course, I also have an “idiopathic post nasal drip”, so I’m always a little stuffy.

53

As long as the zombie is already awake…

I had this problem until I had my tonsils and adenoids out. Also had a problem with my ears stopping up every time I had a cold-- and I had LOTS of colds.

Now, fewer and shorter colds, no nose stopping up at night, no ears stopping up, not from colds, or flying, or anything.

I think the adenoids made the most difference. The tonsils were done mostly because they were “blown,” ie, were no longer doing what they were supposed to do, and just collected lots of tonsilliths, and recovery from adenoidectomy alone, or having them all out was about the same, so the doctor said it was just as well to do both.

Recovery was tough, because I had the surgery as an adult, but I am very glad I did it, and would do it again without hesitation.

54

Same here. I’ve had a blocked nose for years while sleeping. It went away a few weeks ago when I started with a CPAP. My doctor recently told me that snoring (and obstructive sleep apnea) can both be caused by the soft tissue in the back of the throat relaxing and blocking the airway. This can apparently have a side effect of preventing your nose from draining during sleep, which leads to a blocked nose.

55

I second this. Fantastic product. Fixed my problem right away.

Actually I use the Target brand ones, you get 30 for like 9 bucks. Its worth it considering how much better I feel breathing well. I don’t have sleep apnea, but a slightly deviated septum (lots of fighting when I was younger is my explanation) that would cause the issue OP has. The strips worked out for me really well. If they don’t work right away, try adjusting placement on your nose, it makes a difference.