I can never breathe through my nose

• Back
• Jan 19, 2022

You’re ready to get a good night’s sleep, but almost as soon as your head hits the pillow you just can’t seem to breathe through your nose. Does this sound familiar?

Table of Contents Show

• Chronic Sinusitis Symptoms
• Why Diagnosis is Important
• Frequently Asked Questions
• What is a polyp?
• Why do polyps form?
• I can’t taste anything very well. Why?
• What can be done, before surgery, to reduce or eliminate polyps?
• Why Come to Michigan for Treatment?
• Make an Appointment

There are a handful of common causes to that uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe through your nose when you’re trying to sleep. They can include nasal congestion, obstruction, or even a deviated septum.

Nasal congestion might not be as noticeable during the day, but once gravity isn’t able to help drain sinuses as quickly, pressure can build. This pressure is caused by mucus that is being produced but has nowhere to go. Conditions such as allergies, the common cold, or sinusitis are often the cause.

An obstruction in the form of nasal polyps can also cause difficulty breathing at night, and even cause pain. While in some cases surgery might be required to remove the obstruction, steroid sprays are sometimes an effective option.

When the cartilage in your nose leans to one side or the other, it’s called a deviated septum. Depending on how the bend is positioned, it can block the nasal passage and lead to difficulty breathing through your nose. Surgery is required in order to correct the bend.

For some of these causes, there are ways that you can treat yourself at home. Saline sprays and rinses can help clear mucus from nasal passages. Over-the-counter medications can reduce inflammation and irritation. You can also improve the air quality in your bedroom with air purifiers, monitor and maintain comfortable humidity levels, make sure that your bed linens are clean, and use covers to reduce dust mites.

If your breathing at night doesn’t improve, give us a call. We want to help you get to the root of your discomfort, and determine the best treatment option for you. After all, a good night's sleep is something that everyone should be able to enjoy.

Chronic sinusitis with polyps is an inflammation of the sinuses that lasts more than 12 weeks and is associated with nasal polyps. In the Michigan area, and probably in the U.S. in general, this condition accounts for a large portion of the sinus surgery performed.

Chronic Sinusitis Symptoms

In general, as polyps swell or get larger, they start to fill the nose and cause nasal blockage or obstruction, which some patients refer to as “congestion.”

For a person with allergies and polyps, a “bad allergy day” will frequently cause the polyps to swell more and cause more symptoms. Likewise, treating a patient’s allergies will often cause the polyps to shrink somewhat and may give some relief from the blockage.

As polyps get larger, filling 75% to 90% of the nasal cavity, patients really start to complain of nasal obstruction, and this often motivates them to seek medical care.

When polyps fill the entire nose, patients are miserable. They can’t breathe through their nose at all so they breathe through their mouths during the day and at night.

Why Diagnosis is Important

Because patients can’t breathe through their nose, they mouth breathe while sleeping, causing them to snore. Sometimes nasal polyps can make snoring severe enough to tip a patient who snores over to sleep apnea – which has a substantial effect on patients.

Patients with sleep apnea don’t sleep well, and they are at higher risk for other health problems, including heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and memory and concentration problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a polyp?

Polyps arise when the tissue lining the nose, called mucosa, becomes very inflamed and swollen. The normal mucosa, which is pink, moist, and 1 to 2 millimeters thick, can become swollen with fluids and proteins until it resembles a fluid-filled sac.

Why do polyps form?

Polyps form as a reaction to inflammation or allergy. In addition, patients with an inflammatory disease (not necessarily due to allergies) in the nose and sinuses may have polyps grow in the nose and sinus.

I can’t taste anything very well. Why?

When there are polyps filling about 50% or more of the nose, the air in the nasal cavity is blocked and does not reach the area where the smell nerves are located. When air and odors can’t get to the nerve endings, then a person can’t smell well, or may not smell anything at all – and therefore can’t taste well, either, because much of our sense of taste is related to our sense of smell.

What can be done, before surgery, to reduce or eliminate polyps?

The treatment for polyps depends on what is causing them, so it is very important to get a thorough evaluation of the polyps in order to obtain the best treatment. Before surgery, we may want to try:

• Steroid Sprays Steroid sprays are prescribed for most types of nasal polyps, particularly mild polyps caused by allergic rhinitis (allergies to cats, dust, molds, pollens, trees, grasses and/or molds). They are also used for patients with medium and large polyps. Steroid sprays are helpful in shrinking polyps or slowing their natural growth.

• Steroid Pills Steroid pills will cause a dramatic shrinkage of the polyps, but the effect is usually temporary – a few days or a few weeks. While the fluid in the polyp is dramatically reduced, the inflammatory cells and tissue remain; after stopping the steroids, the water returns to the polyps and they often return to their original size, if nothing else is done.

Why Come to Michigan for Treatment?

• We treat more than 5,000 patients every year.
• We take a multidisciplinary, step-by-step approach that takes you – as a whole person – into account.
• If you need us for surgery, know that we perform more than 500 surgeries every year. And, when it comes to surgery, experience counts.

Make an Appointment

To make an appointment, please call 734-936-8051.