SleepyHead Numbers & Head Cold

[kgriggs]

I have a head cold, and I read all the head cold threads, but nobody posts their AHI numbers as affected by the cold. As the cold has developed for 5 days now, here are my AHI numbers. WHAT HAVE OTHERS FOUND?

09/08-07.25
09/09-08.21
09/10-08.64
09/11-11.70
09/12-14.68

[retired_guy]

I think those numbers demonstrate it would be nice for you to get over that head cold. Yeah, in fact I'm sure that would be best.

In the meantime, I'm wondering if you're having leak problems due to not being able to breath through your nose all that well. If so they could be skewing the results.

Mostly, get well kgriggs. Good job for hanging in there with the therapy in spite of having a cold.

[surferdude2]

I mostly have a problem of coughing and blowing the mask up to the ceiling, where it sticks due to some kind of glue that my throat seems to be manufacturing... I leave it there and finish the night with both eyes wide open. Coughs and colds are the bane of CPAP therapy and you're better off forgetting the mask until times get better.

[retired_guy]

Well, I'm not a big advocate of not using the mask for any reason. Yes, sinus issues, colds, being stranded in the Denver airport for 3 days due to a sudden snowstorm during July, -----any funky little things like that can make us shy away from the mask.

But my problem with that is if you find an excuse once, you'll find an easier excuse the next time.

So don't allow yourself the option of doing that if there is any other way.

Now as to an "any other way," at the bare minimum I would make sure I have a nice comfy recliner where I could sleep darn near straight up if I had to do it without my mask. That's my "emergency electrical outage plan" for the winter storms we get around here. I'll still keep my machine close by in case the electricity heals itself during the night.

[zonk]

WHAT HAVE OTHERS FOUND?

Full face mask and saline sinus rinse

[Bompa]

God bless the Saline Sinus Rinse!!!!!

[kgriggs]

So is it unusual for AHI to increase with a head cold?

Anybody else see their AHI go up and by how much?

[retired_guy]

I doubt that it's unusual Kgriggs. It's just your results cannot be considered all that reliable right now. And even if they are, you could easily make a case for how could it be any other way, if you have any upper respiratory problems at all, which of course with a cold you do.

So I really think the message is to not worry all that much about the ahi right now. Yes, 14, if accurate, is a higher number than you want to see and certainly higher than when you do not have a cold, but it's not really all that high in the grand scheme of things.

So just take care of yourself and feel better. You're 5 days in, so it should begin to wane now.

[trish6hundred]

Hi kgriggs,
Some people have a full-face mask, (FFM,) put on the shelf for times when they have a cold so that might be something for you to consider.
The nasal rences are quite helpful as well.
Try like anything, not to do without your CPAP therapy.
Hope you get to feeling better, soon.

[surferdude2]

I often wonder what a doctor, especially a pulmanologist, might think about wearing a mask while suffering from an upper respiratory infection. I would think that if inhibits coughing it might be dangerous from the standpoint of risking even worse infection in the bronchial tubes or lungs.