Sinus Infection and CPAP

Usually when I have a cold, I make it a point to use my continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine because generally, I feel better with it than without. However, using CPAP with a sinus infection presents some challenges with sleep apnea.

Well, I woke up with severe pain and pressure around my nose, dark green drainage, and not being able to breathe out of my nose at all. However, since I had been using my CPAP, I still decided to use it that night.

It was the worst thing I could have done.

Using CPAP with a sinus infection

Checking with someone when I’m unsure if I should use my CPAP will now become a regular part of the process. It’s hard enough to use it daily but using it and making myself sicker was the worse feeling. The positive side was I felt so horrible that it forced me to go to the doctor when I usually try to avoid the doctor as much as I can.

My normal routine with a cold

With a cold before bedtime, I drink hot herbal tea with honey that helps with sinuses and colds. I take a 24-hour cough syrup and then use my CPAP normally. The only time I had to stop using my machine was when I had COVID. It was rough without it while I don’t feel great using my CPAP anytime when I went without it I felt how much worse it was when I don’t use it.

Seeing that I use my machine all the time, I assumed that with a sinus infection, it’s like a cold and it should be ok to use the machine. That was a bad decision and from here on out, I will check with the sleep therapist at the medical supply company or with my sleep doctor when trying to determine when I should or shouldn’t use the machine.

Sinus infection and CPAP

If I use my CPAP with a cold, I didn’t think it would be any different with a sinus infection. I went to sleep, and I woke up feeling so much worse. All the water in my humidifier was gone and my mouth and nose were dry. My nose was bleeding and the sinus pressure caused me to wake up with a migraine.

At that point I was miserable, so I went to a walk-in clinic to be seen. After talking with the doctor, she is saying that the air pressure on my already sore nose cause it to dry out and worsen the sinus infection. She put me on an antibiotic and advised me to not use my CPAP for a few days until the antibiotics cleared the sinus infection.

I waited 5 days before I could resume using my CPAP.

What to do next?

I will never use my CPAP when I have sinus infection again. It just worsened the condition and made my sinuses worse. With nose bleeds from it drying it out my nose, I felt 100 times worse than I did after a night with it.

After the 5 days without it, it felt good to be able to breathe and use my machine again. I did however have to use Vaseline on the inside of my nose just to keep it from drying out for the first 2 nights.

Do you use your CPAP when you are sick? Do you find that it’s helpful or makes your symptoms worse?

Please share your story or comment below.