Allergies and medication safe to take
Hello
My name is Denise. I’m new to this forum. I’m waiting to get my to sleep study done next week. I believe I have obstructed sleep apena. I keep waiting up multiple times a night. I used to snore heavily but I lost 10 and don’t snore as much. I have nasal congestion at night. I have been using a saline nasal spray at night to clean night and add a breathe strip over my nose to open nasal passages.
My doctor suggests I use Flonase spray and take zrtyec at night. I only used Flonase spray one time at night and it I felt like I couldn’t sleep. Woke up more often and I believe it didn’t let me sleep.
What do you recommend taking at night to relieve nasal congestion? If you have any natural remedies pleas let me know. I know that every time I wake up my sinus pressure in my head acts up. Until I get my sleep study done and get a solution for my problem this will continue. Do allergy medications make sleep apnea worse or help? Thank you. Hope to hear from you soon.
Hi Denise,
I share the exact same issues from the sleep apnea side, i used to wake every 2 hours and the next day i would be super tired!! I couldn't bare the thought of having a big machine plugged in as i get claustrophobia at the best of times!! So i tried a globria airflow mouth piece and that seems to have fixed it, im waking up feeling refreshed every morning now and barely waking in the night. Heres the link to them here https://globria.com/products/airflow - hope that helps!
All the best,
Diane
Hi
. We are not medical experts, so it wouldn't be safe for me to give you advice about medications. Often though, sinus pressure and headaches are symptoms of a sinus infection. Can you get checked out today to be sure? - Lori (Team Member) 
As Lori said, we can't give medical advice here, but I do want to briefly mention migraine, as I also work on our sister site, Migraine.com. Migraine is more than just a persistent or bad headache -- it's a neurological disorder that has specific triggers. Migraine can come with nausea, visual symptoms, dizziness, fainting, temperature changes, nerve pain and many other symptoms. If you think that's what you're dealing with, it's definitely a good idea to talk with your doctor. I'm eager to hear about how your sleep study went this week -- how you felt about it and what they learned. Hoping you get some answers from this! -Melissa, sleep apnea team
Hi Denise! Glad you're here with us. I'm just curious, have you tried sleeping with your head slightly (or even significantly) elevated? I wonder if that would help both with the congestion and with sleeping more soundly. Do you have your study date yet? I'll be thinking about you -- it sounds like you're already working hard take good care of yourself. Keep it up! -Melissa, sleep apnea team Hi Lori,
With PCOS, I’m on a low carb no sugar low starch diet. No processed foods, bread, potatoes, pasta, sweets etc. Taking metformin 750mg, my progesterone is low as well so I take that day 14 of my cycle. I lost 10 pounds. I’m trying to exercise a bit more but with not sleeping well I can’t do too much. My doctor will be doing bloodwork in a few weeks to see where I’m at.Those are some pretty significant changes,
. Kuddos to you and congratulations on the weight loss! Many people struggle with changing their dietary and lifestyle habits when they learn they have high blood sugar. If ever you are looking for more support, come on over to Type2Diabetes.com. We have a very active and very welcoming community. It sounds like you have a good medical team looking after you. That is so important. - Lori (Team Member)
Hi
. Welcome to the community! I am glad you found us. Have you ever had allergy testing done? It's not a quick solution, but it might help you understand the source of your congestion and, eventually, reduce your exposure to whatever is causing it. For instance, I have a moderate outdoor mold allegery. I have learned that opening the windows at night is a bad idea. It makes my symptoms worse. Did your doctor also recommend guaifenesin (Mucinex)? If not, you might want to ask about it. Mucinex can thin the mucus and make breathing easier. Here is an article from one of our sister communities about environmental allergy treatments that might help: https://allergies.net/environmental/treatment. Here is another article about alternative treatments for congestion: https://allergies.net/living/stuffy-nose-tips. I hope this helps. Let us know how the sleep study goes if you don't mind. I will be thinking of you and hoping you get some relief. Best wishes. - Lori (Team Member)
