Cold and congestion with CPAP

How do you handle sleeping with congestion and a CPAP?   I was so stuffed up last night I couldn't wear it and I truly suffered today!  I tried a decongestant and it didn't work.  Share your secrets!

Does your CPAP have the humidifier on it? Maybe that would help some...I hope some one comes along and answers your question I wondered that too when I got mine. Still trying to adjust to mine, I've only used it a little over a month now.

Hope you feel better soon.

I have a humidifer on my CPAP but I hate it.   In the winter I never had it more than the 2nd level and now I have it on 1 or lower.   I get too much condensation in my mask and then water just rolls all around my nose.  I have actually inhaled the water drops and about choked! 

It's all good now and my cold is virtually gone!

Breathe right strips

also put the tubing under the covers with you, that keeps the condensation down

Hi! I came to this forum today to ask the same question! I have only been on cpap for a week. On my second night I developed a cold or allergy symptoms and have been miserable ever since! The gentleman who fit me for my cpap told me that if I got a cold I should still use it and that the humidifier should help but it didn't. Everything seems to be working properly but I can't even tell if I'm getting better sleep because I can't breathe with the cpap on! Advice, please!

repeating myself, but you might not see the reply - breathe right strips with menthol is what I use when conjested and humidity on the cpap saves me when I'm sick

I read on a sleep apnea forum to use one of those Netti pot things regularly and it really cleans out your sinuses.    I haven't been brave enough to try them yet.  I don't have allergies either I usually can just blow my nose before I go to sleep and it will clean me out.

Initially it took me about a week for me to switch from mouth breathing to nose breathing.  I can remember my husband waking me up and telling me to close my mouth. 

I had the same problem. I just put a little bit of vicks vapor rub near my nostrils at the beginning then it didn't seem to work very well, so I went to a nasal spray (over the counter) that would keep my sinuses open for me.
Then my doctor prescribed nasanex (I believe it was) and it worked great until I got on my 2nd bottle then I discovered it had been slowly eating a hole in my septum. I'd been getting nose bleeds badly and attributed them to my blood pressure. But then once I discovered the hole in my septum, I noticed my nose bleeds went away and now my nose isn't congested anymore like it had been before.
I found that my congestion was worse using my heated humidifier I got with my CPAP machine.
Best wishes.