sinus congestion and sleep deprivation

I have been having trouble sleeping through the night for at leat 5 years. Each morning I wake with terrible stuffy nose and sinus congestion and although I haven't had the test yet to prove it, I think I have sleep apnea. I'll sleep for about 5-6 hours then waske up with my heart racing, dry mouth, and sore throat, and never really get back to sleep.

My congestion is manageable through the day, but at night it seems to cause the apnea which interrupts my sleep. I've tried several medications, Nasonex, Flonase, Claritan, musinex (which actualy works well during the day), verymist, none of which worked well for me. I also use a neti pot twice a day. Now I'm on Singulair and my nose feel fairly clear, but the congestion feels like it's been shoved back into my sinuses, even into the sinus cavities at the back of the head.

It's been six weeks now since I've had a good nights sleep. It's getting to the point where my life is shrinking to the point of a little sleep, zombie my way thrugh a workday, stagger home to sleep poorly, and do the mundane chores that keep me afloat. My life is shrinking to my nose, my sleep, and my work.

Any suggedtions for other drugs or non-western techniques? Food Allergies? Balancing the immune system? the sinus issued being caused by food allergies, etc. I've been tested with the scratch method, but not a lot of the positives grow in my back yard.

Sherry -

Thanks for your response. I'm not ususally so whiney about this. I haven't been tested for food allergies yet, I was thinking of using Alcat to do that, and my allergist is in process of ordering the sleep study.

Thanks too for your suggestions. I was on claritan, but it didn't seem to help much, so I stopped taking it. I'll try the Zyrtec; I didn't know you could take both meds together. I guess I have some shopping to do, it's too bad it's not for something fun like jewelery!

My Brother says he doesn't get relief unless he takes H2 blockers in addition to H1 blockers. H2 blockers are meds like Pepcid or Zantac. H1 blockers are Benadryl, Zyrtec, Claritin, etc. My Brother uses Allegra and Zantac for his sinus allergies.

I use Pulmicort suspension for inhalation (Pulmicort Respules - for use in nebulizers) sprayed up my nose to help with congestion. The usual nasal steroid sprays like Nasonex are too weak and don't work for me. Claritin, etc., don't do anything for my sinus congestion. There is also an antihistamine nasal spray called Astelin that may be helpful for you (I got side-effects from it so can't use it).

Yes, food allergies, sinus infections, etc., can contribute to sinus congestion. I find milk/dairy consumption particularly contributory to sinus congestion myself.

Several years ago, I had obvious signs of a sinus infection. I was amazed at how well my sinuses cleared with treatment of the infection, and the clearing lasted for about 6 weeks after finishing the 30 days of antibiotics for the sinus infection...and this was in Spring, right during my worst tree pollen time of the year (birch pollen...causes all sorts of troubles for me).

Another thing to consider is cross-reactivity between pollens and foods. For example, I find if I eat apples during birch pollen season, I get a reaction from the apples. And my Allergist said eating the apple during birch pollen season could cause worstening of my pollen allergy symptoms as well. I'm fine with apples as long as it isn't during tree or grass pollen seasons (both trees & grass cross-react with apples).

A Naturopathic Physician may be able to help with immune system imbalance issues that may be contributing to your allergy symptoms. Also, gastrointestinal dysbiosis (bacterial/yeast imbalance or overgrowth) may contribute to the development of and/or worstening of allergies and may also need treatment.

I hope this helps - take care,

Razzle - thanks for the information. I've tried the steroidal nasal sprays (Flonase and Nasonex) and they didn't do much for me, except the bloody nose.

I tried the Zyrtec with the Singulair for four nights now and that workied well the first three nights, but last night wa not as good. I too find that dairy products can add to the congestion, and will do a better job of avoiding it in the future.

A friend of mine is on Astelin and she swears by it. I've never heard of Pulmicort, or combining the antacid medicines with the allergy blocks. what does the Pulmicort do? what kind of drug is it? Does your brother use OTC or prescription strength for the H2 blockers?