CPAP with a sore throat?

[allynpsych]

Just a quick poll here... because I'm getting conflicting advice.

If you have a cold (sore throat, cough, congestion, possible sinus congestion, earache, whatever), do you keep using your CPAP or not?

Specifically the sore throat part I guess... right now I'm trying to decide whether my throat feels worse after a couple hours trying to use the CPAP or after a night of heavy snoring. We have the cold/flu in our house that just won't quit!

[sdb7802]

If it hurts too much, I stop cpap and lay there and whimper. It can be murder. Hope you get well soon.

[allynpsych]

If it hurts too much, I stop cpap and lay there and whimper. It can be murder. Hope you get well soon.

Thank you! I needed that chuckle about the whimpering.... I skipped it last night, but I'll try again tonight.

[TonyJ]

I am just dealing with my first cold on CPAP and I have learned a couple of things the hard way. I have been using APAP at a range of 7-12 for some time. My 90% and CPAP setting is 8. I left my machine on APAP to start and the first night the APAP pressure instead of its usual 7 to 8 sat at 12 and just under for most of the night. I woke up several times during the night with pain as severe as any I have ever felt save for a kidney stone attack in my face and head. The next night I switched to straight CPAP and everything was very normal from there on . So next time a cold is coming it will be straight CPAP for me at least.

[palerider]

when I've got a cold, or sore throat, or bronchitis, I turn up the humidity, it helps, much like a steamy shower.

[trish6hundred]

Hi allynpsych,
I use my CPAP when I have colds and it helps me.
I hope you get to feeling better, soon.

[RapmasterUK]

Ive been using BiPAP since 2011 and have found that if i have a sore throat like tonsilitus or close to infection i find that it makes the problem worse . I do try to ware the mask as much as possible as i snore like a Lion rores . Which like many CPAP -BiPAP user that is how i found out i have sleep apnea .....I blame the wife for compalining ...LOL

[tmo1138]

So... lemme tell ya a story... YMMV, IANAL, etc etc

Several years ago with my first CPAP I noticed I was getting some rather nasty head congestion and decided to suffer thru it, take Nyquil, use my CPAP etc.. What I actually had was a sinus infection..and at the time my pressure was up high enough that I was pushing all that crap out of my head and into my lungs.. ended up with a nasty case of pneumonia because I thought all I had was a head a chest cold but it wasn't getting better.

Now.. I don't know if it was directly related.. but I can say that since then if I'm congested *that* badly I load up on drugs and wait it out until my head clears up enough.

But again.. this might have only been me and my particular scenario.

[palerider]

that I was pushing all that crap out of my head and into my lungs..

you DO realize that the only thing pushing anything into your lungs is your normal breathing, right?

unless you're using a NIV machine (*vaps, asv, ST)

[sdb7802]

I forgot to mention; I take percocet when I get a sore throat. It takes the edge off the pain.

Not recommended for everybody.