Stinging sensation in nose/throat

[Snore Monster]

I have been having great success and using my CPAP all night for over 5 months but at 3:00 am this morning awoke with a burning or stinging sensation in my nose and throat. Drank a glass of water but that didn't help. I then did a nasal flush and that seems to have taken care of the problem. Any idea what caused this ?

[zonk]

Hi Snore Monster
I've found keeping well hydrated during the daytime does help. It is quite common for people to open their mouth while asleep and that would dry the throat, a chinstrap can help to keep mouth closed and there is always full face mask if everything else fail. Also getting humidifier to use with your machine can help as well. There is no data on the remstar plus to tell you whats the leak.

[zimlich]

Had you by any chance just washed something and there was some residual detergent? If not I have no idea. Hope it doesn't happen again.

[Snore Monster]

I am pretty sure my mouth remained closed during this event. Also, no, I had not just cleaned the hoses although that was one of the first things I did this morning. I am wondering if my sinus passages had dried out. I do take Claritin and Benadryl daily for allergies.

[greatunclebill]

could be reflux. different things feel and are described differently by different people. was there an acid taste with it?

[Snore Monster]

No, I have had acid reflux before. It was nose though to the back of the throat. I checked some internet info and it sounds like the weather which has been very dry in our area combined with the allergy medicine I take and the CPAP most likely caused nasal passage to dry out causing the irratation. Suggested that I use a saline type nasal spray before bed or to get a CPAP with a hummidifier attachment. It was really a poor way to wake at 3:00 in the morning.

[SuperSleeper]

SM, if you're still having issues after a couple days, might be a good idea to go to the doc - you could have an nasal infection of some type.

[PaulaO2]

Do you use the humidifier? If so, did you check the water?

If the water in my humidifier runs out in the middle of the night, I wake up stinging like mad and smell something like ammonia. I then proceed to sneeze my dang head off. Nasal rinse helps.

[Snore Monster]

Thanks but I don't have the humidifier option. I am sitting at my desk dead tired and hoping that some nasal spray tonight will help. Need my sleep and don't need a 3:00 am wakeup call like that again. I am hoping to get a new machine soon so hopefully it will have humidifier and all the other new bells and whistles. Oops, I shouldn't say whistle on a CPAP forum, whistles really aren't desirable.

[CHanlon]

Do you use the humidifier? If so, did you check the water?

If the water in my humidifier runs out in the middle of the night, I wake up stinging like mad and smell something like ammonia. I then proceed to sneeze my dang head off. Nasal rinse helps.

Yeah, I can always tell when mine runs dry, the smell wakes me up. :p No idea what it is, besides just hot metal, but it's just irritating enough.