Were you totally unaware of how bad you sleep was?

Did you have any other symptoms related to poor sleep?

I ask because I have structural nasal issues that I believe are affecting my sleep, but I'm terribly afraid of surgical correction due to the risk of Empty Nose Syndrome. My fitness tracker says my sleep is okay, but I'm starting to doubt it.

What kind of sleep study did you get done?

As someone who's also suffered from poor sleep, related to nasal issues, I'm curious what you've tried. Have you tried mouth taping, chin straps, or breathe right strips? How about dietary changes to reduce congestion? What about breathing exercises and exercise in general?

I've personally found mouth taping to be the most beneficial, along with breathing exercises (and general exercise) and eating a cleaner diet to reduce congestion. One thing I do is get in bed a bit early so I can do some breathing exercises and get my nasal breathing really dialed in before falling asleep.

I lay in bed on my back and progressively slow my nasal breathing, focusing on very long and complete exhales. I roll over onto my side when I'm ready to fall asleep. I've tried box breathing, and 4-7-8 breathing for this purpose, but I find the extended inhales to be energizing, and not conductive to falling asleep.

I actually did have a septoplasty and turbinate reduction back in 2015 before I'd ever even heard of empty nose syndrome. When I first listened to "Breath", by James Nestor and he talked about empty nose syndrome I recoiled in terror. I had anxiety for a bit, imagining I may have it and not have noticed and from imaging how my life could have turned out if I had a bad surgeon. After a few, I realized those fears were silly, and thanked my lucky stars that I didn't suffer that terrible fate.

The surgery helped my nasal breathing slightly, but it wasn't dramatic or life changing. Knowing about empty nose syndrome now, I would definitely try all other possibilities before going under the knife. I think the surgery can be life changing for some, so it may just depend on how bad your structural issues are and how good the surgeon is.

Tried strips - none of them did anything. May try mouth taping since it seems low risk. I have asthma though (adult onset), which complicates things. I'm pretty good about exercise - my fitness tracker can nail my resting heart rate if nothing else! I'm just a little skeptical about its overall sleep tracking. I am pretty sure identifies waking and slow wave well, but overall, I just don't feel I sleep as deeply as I did even 5-6 years ago. I took percocet last year for a night right after surgery and I hit a level of restfulness that was unmistakably something I hadn't experienced for a long time.

Can fall asleep on my back just fine, but for some reason, every night I wake up hot with a dry mouth about 3-5 hours in and I have to move to side sleeping to deal with the nose.

I think I may just have to pony up for an in-clinic sleep study already and get some better data. I also have chronic muscle cramps and pains from exercise overexertion that are not going away, so again, I'm suspecting poor quality sleep. My diet is pretty good, and my blood tests haven't ever suggested mineral deficiency.

I had nose surgery about 20 years ago for a deviated septum when I was in my late teens, and it did help, but it has since redeviated somewhat, though not nearly as bad as before. I think simply being younger and having more growth ahead of me at that age made tissue regrowth more likely.

Waking up with a dry mouth is a classic sign of nighttime mouth breathing, and potentially hyperventilation. I used to always wake with a dry mouth, and often breathing heavy.

If you're able to breath through your nose, I would definitely recommend trying the mouth taping. I just use a very small strip right in the center of my lips (.5" x 1"), so I can actually still open the sides of my mouth and breath, which makes things feel less claustrophobic.

I can recommend getting :

https://www.amazon.com/Withings-Nokia-Sleep-Temperature-Comp...

It doesn't replace the true sleep study, but can still help

I was completely unaware. in 2012 I DID feel more tired than usual but just chalked it up to depression and anxiety. Yes, I had muscle aches too! hence the doctor immediately suspecting lack of vitamins and minerals. I don't remember the sleep study type :(

I wonder nowadays if an Apple watch and the AutoSleep app could tell you the same thing. It is such a great tool for tracking your sleep.

Similarly: My anxiety also had a physical cause: pinched spinal nerves. Resolved thru surgery, which was done for other reasons.

I had wrestled with anxiety, insomnia, etc. for ages. Tried everything with no improvement. None of my care providers ever suggested a possible physical cause.

Thank you for this anecdote. I think I have a pinched nerve in the neck, very painful and my anxiety and panic attacks started together with the pain but were unrelated, linked more with university workload. My totally unsupported and unscientific opinion is that the inflammation of the nerve make impossible for my nervous system to relax, hence the anxiety.

I'd like to learn more about this (pinched spinal nerves causing anxiety) but am having trouble finding anything helpful online. Most results are along the lines of the pain making the patient anxious about their condition, with some hypochondria thrown in. Can you elaborate, or do you happen to have a relevant term or two I could search?

Sorry. Just my personal experience (anecdotal). I don't think any of my care providers quite believe me.

It's so frustrating to not be believed by care providers. Thanks for sharing your personal experience. I'm glad you found a solution.

I had something similar, but it was due to being disturbed by my partner throughout the night. We bought a SOLID king size bedframe and memory foam mattress and now I don't even notice when my partner is also in bed.

Can't breath through my nose, makes my sleep paralysis much worse, can't smell properly and it impacts taste a little too

Breath right strips help a little

How did you fix the sinusitis?

I have the same exact problem and my way of dealing with it is an extreme elimination diet. It's hard, but I can sleep, and I'd rather sleep than pig out on food. Gluten, sugar, spices and a myriad of vegetables and grains are triggers for me.

Also daily saline nasal rinses and I can breathe better than ever, though diet is what does the most work.

My pet theory is years of junk food precipitating into IBS and leaky gut, so only the food that cause fewer reactions are ok. In a healthy body some "toxins" are tolerated and don't cause issues, but when your gut is fucked you need to start from scratch.

My case was very bad to the point I was also losing my sense of smell so I had to have a surgery. It's a laser procedure and it worked like a charm.