One of the things I discovered early on my journey to optimise the quality of my sleep, was the impact that blocked sinuses played in increasing the number of sleep disruptions I experienced each night. When you are already living with fragmented sleep, the last thing you need is to further add to this by a blocked and stuffy nose. I thought I would share some information on what can contribute to this and tips help keep your sinuses clear while you sleep. My friends at Hypoair (they are experts in the field of air quality and purification) have been kind enough to let me share some of their information to help members of our community develop a better understanding of what can impact sinuses and to hopefully achieve better sleep.

What can be Sabotage Your Sinuses

One of the most likely causes could be sinusitis (also called rhinosinusitis): an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, the cavities within the bones that surround the nose (Harvard Health).  Inflammation blocks the ostia, which are the narrow channels that drain into the nasal cavity, so that drainage becomes blocked.  Sinusitis can be caused by a cold, allergies, or a deformity such as deviated septum or nasal polyps.  Here are the different lengths of sinusitis (healthline.com)

• Acute sinusitis can be caused by a cold, but then a secondary infection can happen once the sinuses get inflamed and blocked.  Technically acute sinusitis lasts less than 4 weeks

• Subacute sinusitis lasts from 4-12 weeks

• Recurrent acute sinusitis occurs when you have the same symptoms 4 or more times per year, but it lasts over 7 days each time

• Chronic sinusitis symptoms last over 12 weeks

What Could be Causing it?

Normal sinuses are lined with a thin layer of mucus that traps dust, germs and other particles in the air. Tiny hair-like projections in the sinuses sweep the mucus (and whatever is trapped in it) towards openings that lead to the back of the throat. From there, it slides down to the stomach. This continual process is a normal body function (American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology).

Here are some of the common irritants that can interrupt this process:

• Dust:  A dose of good old dust, whether it’s from a woodshop, mowing the grass on a very dry day, or bringing out boxes from an attic, can overload the sinuses. The problem is that dust is a very complex mixture of irritants.  It can contain dustmites and their feces, chemicals, 

• Pollen:  Plants have to reproduce, and sadly the weeds seem to be the worst offenders to our noses.  In addition, you’re not just imagining it: pollen really is becoming worse every year!  Check out the Hypoair post on allergies on their website.

• Mold:  Mold is dangerous in that unlike other allergens, it can colonize and actually grow inside your sinuses, since they are warm, moist and dark.  Then, the rest of your body is susceptible to other colonizations as you breathe the mold spores and swallow them with mucous.   

• VOCs:  VOCs can cause inflammation that leads to sinusitis.  A 2001 study showed that patients with chronic rhinosinusitis were exposed to higher levels of volatile organic compounds than healthy subjects.

Neither the team at HypoAir nor myself are medical professionals, so we can’t recommend the techniques and drugs that doctors use for prevention and relief of sinusitis.  However, natural techniques are generally milder, and with many people living with narcolepsy already being mindful of taking additional medications, natural alternatives to treating and preventing sinusitis is always welcomed.

Natural Ways to Treat and Prevent Sinusitis

• Mask-wearing definitely a way to reduce nasal issues, but why? Masks filter out many of the airborne contaminants listed above that can trigger sinusitis, as well as germs like bacteria and viruses.  Three years into the coronavirus pandemic, the stigma of wearing a mask is virtually nil, and there are a plethora of masks you can use to protect yourself against pollutants and germs alike (see the Hypoair post on masks). 

• Nasal irrigation is the number one defence against sinusitis according to Harvard Health (steps included in the article).  Whether you choose to use a bulb, small pitcher or neti pot, the homemade rinse works great to flush away the irritants that can block drainage and start a nasty infection.   It’s recommended to do this daily if you can! I irrigate my nose every night before bed and it makes such a significant difference.

• Hydrate–your body as well as your nose!  Drink plenty of water during the day, and use a plain nasal saline spray several times a day if you are in a dry environment.  Adding a drop of food-grade tea tree oil or oregano oil (oregano oil is a bit harsher) to the saline spray adds a layer of antimicrobial protection to your spray. 

• Avoid being unprotected in moldy and dusty places.  If you have to go down into a moldy basement or into a dusty attic, make sure to wear an N95 or respirator mask that seals well, and don’t take it off until you are safely in a clean place. 

• Keep pollen, dust and pollution out while letting fresh air into your home, by installing some Window Ventilation Filters in your open windows.  They are easy to install and can be vacuumed a number of times before replacement.

• Neutralise pollutants by adding a bipolar device by to your home. Positive and negative ions neutralise mold and germs by damaging their outer layers, and they cause small nanoparticles to stick together and drop out of the air in order to avoid breathing them in.

• A Whole-Home Polar Ionizer installs into your AC system to distribute ions to every room of your home.  

• The Germ Defenders and Air Angels from Hypoair are room-sized, portable ionizers that are super-easy to maintain.

• Be very vigilant about humidity levels in your home, so that mould does not gain a foothold.  You can monitor humidity easily using our inexpensive Humidity Sensors to maintain humidity between 40-60%.  If you see any water intrusion into your home, make sure to deal with it promptly to prevent mold growth! 

• Use a MERV 13 filter (if possible) in your furnace/HVAC and change it regularly!

• Use a standalone HEPA filter in areas where you spend a lot of time (living room, bedroom)

• Clean as often as you can using a non-toxic, unscented cleaner. I use TotalClean from Hyopair as it fits the bill perfectly!  Safe to use around food, people and pets, TotalClean is the solution to replace all of the VOC-producing cleaners that can irritate and inflame sinus pathways.

Breathing To Decongest the Nose

Nasal breathing if practiced regularly can help to reduce blockage of the nose. If you have a long history of rhinitis (nasal obstruction), then you may feel air hunger during rest and most certainly during physical exercise when you first switch to nasal breathing. The feeling of air hunger is due to an accumulation of carbon dioxide. When you have a strong chemosensitivity to carbon dioxide build-up, you will likely exhibit a fast respiratory rate with excessive breathing volume. In addition, stuffiness of the nose will create resistance to breathing, which will also cause air hunger.

The feeling of air hunger will continue until breathing becomes lighter and the nasal obstruction of the nose reduces. The best exercise to open the nose and alleviate the feeling of air hunger is holding the breath until a strong air shortage is created. Ideally, an adult should hold their breath for at least thirty seconds to help decongest the nose. Make sure that you are suited to doing strong breath-holds and practice the nose unblocking exercise. This exercise is taught in the Invincible Breathing for Narcolepsy course (following the Oxygen Advantage technique). Here is a quick overview of how to do the exercise:

Nose Unblocking Exercise:

Before you perform this exercise be sure that it is suitable for your specfic medical conditions and needs. If you are (or are likely to be) in the first trimester of pregnancy then please do not perform any breath hold exercices. If pregnant, beyond the first trimester you should never do strong breath-holds as this will create a lot of stress for both yourself and baby. If this is you, please do not perform this exercise.

• To start, just breathe normally through the nose

• Once you have settled in to relaxed and comfortable breathing, take one final breathe in through the nose and back out through the nose

• At the end of the exhale, pinch your nose with your fingers and hold your breath

• Sway gently from side to side as you continue to hold your breath

• Relax into the breath hold and continue to gently sway

• The goal is to hold your breath for at least 30 seconds (or longer) and once you feel a moderate to strong air hunger release the nose

• Inhale through the nose to carry the Nitric Oxide from the nasal cavity into the lungs

• Resume normal and relaxed breathing to regain your composure

If you have a mildly congested nose at night, then first clear the nose by practicing the nose unblocking exercise (see below) and rinsing the nose with saline solution. It is very important that if you have a history of nasal obstruction to wear mouth tape to help restore nasal breathing during sleep. While wearing the tape, the nose will never completely block. In any event, MyoTape does not cover the lips and allows mouth breathing in times of emergency. You will continue to experience symptoms of nasal obstruction and a stuffy and runny nose until your BOLT score is at least twenty five seconds. Follow this link to see how to do the BOLT Test.

If you have an uncomfortably congested nose at night, then it is helpful to follow the same instruction as above and also to wear a nasal dilator during sleep and physical exercise. Nasal dilators will help overcome the feeling of suffocation during sleep. My favourite nasal dialator is from Mute Snore.

The vast majority of people are able to switch from mouth breathing to nose breathing permanently. For those with a severely deviated septum or nasal polyps, practice five repetitions of the nose unblocking exercise to create a strong air hunger. Then check if you can breathe through your nose for one minute. If you are unable to breathe through their nose for one minute following correct application of the nose unblocking exercise (five reps to create strong air hunger), then consider visiting you family doctor.

If you are unable to make the dates for the Narcolepsy Life Academy Functional Breathing courses, you can always consider taking one of the Oxygen Advantage Breathing Courses including their Online Sleep Course.


Think about the general disruption of sleep that a blocked and stuffy nose causes you. Isn’t an ounce of prevention totally worth a pound of cure?  We think so!