How often do you suffer from a cold?
Whether you have a head cold, a chest cold, or a combination sinus
and head cold, there are ways to make it more bearable and help with
breathing. Most of the time using one or more of these suggestions
allows me to continue using my CPAP machine during a cold.
#1. Use a Nasal Strip. Applied
externally to the middle of the nose, nasal strips have an adhesive
on one side. Choose the appropriate size (small, medium, or large),
wash, and dry your face before applying.
#2. Take a Hot Shower Before Bed.
The steam and humidity of a shower cause sinuses to drain and the
lining of the nasal passages to constrict, relieving some of the
stuffiness of a cold. You can achieve the same effect by sipping a
cup of hot tea or having a bowl of hot soup.
Chicken soup, the age-old cold remedy,
may indeed have special benefits. When researchers at Mount Sinai
Medical Center tested the venerable cold prescription in 15 cold
sufferers, chicken soup proved more effective than plain hot water in
clearing out sinuses.
Avoid drinking cold beverages near
bedtime, however. I know from experience that even drinking cold
water increases congestion. Other cold beverages have the same
effect when done within a few hours of bedtime.
#3. Use a Saline Rinse. One of
the safest ways to unblock congested sinuses and get a good night’s
sleep is to use a saline rinse, in either a spray bottle or a neti
pot. A neti pot is a small container with a narrow spout that’s
used to pour small amounts of saline rinse into the nostrils. The
saltwater washes mucus and irritants from your nose and helps the
cells that move the mucus.
It's important, according to the
CDC, that if you irrigate, flush, or rinse your sinuses, you use
distilled, sterile, or previously boiled water to make up the
irrigation solution. It’s also important to rinse the irrigation
device after each use and leave it open to air-dry. Saline is a
safer bet than over-the-counter or prescription spray nasal
decongestants. Although topical decongestants effectively reduce
congestion, versions that contain pseudoephedrine may cause
sleeplessness and agitation. You may be able to breathe easier but
not be able to fall asleep.
If you have to use a nasal
decongestant, stop after 3 days and throw the bottle away.
Prescription sleeping pills may also be
a bad idea when you have a cold. Sleeping pills can exacerbate upper
respiratory obstruction in people with sleep apnea, which is a common
problem for people who are overweight or obese. If a cold is the
reason, you’re having trouble sleeping, it’s far better to treat
the symptoms of the cold than take a sleeping pill.
#4. Elevate the Head of the Bed.
One common recommendation is to prop your head up on pillows to help
sinuses drain more easily. This is bad advice, as by bending your
neck at an unnatural position, you can actually make it harder to
breathe. Instead, use a large, wedge-shaped pillow that raises the
upper body from the waist up. Or raise the head of the bed by
placing bricks, books, or a telephone directory under the legs.
Don’t raise it more than 6 inches, however, or the tilt will make
you slide out of bed. The slight incline causes blood to flow away
from the head and thus reduces inflammation of the air passages.
#5. Apply a Mentholated Gel.
This is another venerable treatment that remains popular. And it may
help, although not the way many people once thought. Studies have
shown that menthol doesn’t actually open up the airways. Instead,
the cooling sensation it causes makes people feel as if they’re
breathing more freely. And let’s face it, that’s what’s
important when you’re trying to treat the symptoms of a cold.
This does not often help those using a
CPAP machine with nasal pillows or a nasal mask. If you do try this,
do not be surprised if it does not help.
#6. Sleep on Schedule. When
cold symptoms make it tough to sleep, paying attention to the basic
rules of good sleep hygiene is more important than ever.
By now most of us know the basics:
- Go to bed and wake up on a regular schedule. (That way, when bedtime rolls around, you’re in the habit of going to sleep.)
- Avoid stimulating beverages like caffeinated coffee or alcohol in the hours before going to sleep.
- Reserve your bed for sleep, not a place to work, read, or watch TV.
- And if you do find yourself tossing and turning, get out of bed (and the bedroom, if possible) so you don’t associate bed with insomnia. Do something that you find relaxing until you feel tired enough to go to sleep.
Good sleep hygiene can be as effective
as prescription drugs in helping some people sleep.
“Getting enough shut-eye may be
especially critical during cold and flu season, according to a 2009
study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The
researchers enlisted 153 volunteers who agreed to be quarantined and
then exposed to the viruses that cause most colds. Those who slept
less than 7 hours were almost three times more likely to develop
colds than those who got 8 hours of sleep or more.”
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