Newbie Asking For Help!

Asking for Help! Hi all,

Apologies if this isn't the right place to ask this question, I have just come across this forum and hoped some of you may be able to help me.

I'm 24, I play sport/gym, and definitely not overweight.

For the past 12-24 months I've had issues with my sleeping and breathing of a night - I'm a mild asthmatic and suffer from hay fever here and there, and I've always just put my sleeping issues down to that. But after a sleep assessment two months ago I was told I have mild-moderate obstructive sleep apnea.

In a search to find out why this has come about, I went to an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT), who has informed me that my sleep apnea issues are due to nasal obstruction. He says I have enlarged/disfigured nasal turbinates and that I require surgery (septoplasty/turbinate reduction). Unfortunately the waiting list is potentially up to 12 months and he didn't really provide any information on how to manage/treat my sleeping issues in the meantime.

I thought I would write in here to see if any of you had any suggestions on what I can do in the meantime for some relief? Apart from general remedies such as saline spray etc., is there anything else anyone recommends I try? My quality of sleep is bad - Im waking up multiple times in the night, and I'd love to get a full night's sleep for the first time in a while.

Would a CPAP machine help in this circumstance? I would ideally like to avoid this option as much as possible but will consider it if it is likely to be effective and I have no other alternatives.

Please, any information and assistance would be greatly appreciated! I worry if i go on like this for too long I'm going to develop further health issues.

Thank you for reading, Ben

Hi Ben,

I might not be the ideal person to answer this one but, amongst other issues, I also have frequently obstructed sinuses although it does abate of it's own accord from time to time which implies that some degree of swelling or immune response is likely to be involved.

Therein lies the potential solution because I found that the general saline sprays achieved very little in the way of benefits but the steroidal sprays work really well.

I know a year seems like a long time and you aren't supposed to use those sprays constantly but, along with other steps, like breathing the steam from a hot drink and perhaps even antihistamines, the time will fly.

In the meantime you could speak to your doctor and/or your chemist about it and also encourage the ENT to put you on the list to benefit from cancellations.

Yes, a CPAP machine could help. It would be best to discuss this with the sleep clinic where you had your apnea test. They should be able to give you some advice on whether or not it would help, and suggest the best type of mask.