Sinus conditions, such as chronic sinusitis, nasal obstruction or structural abnormalities, can significantly affect your sleep quality. In fact, there’s a well-documented correlation between sinus conditions and poor sleep quality, particularly regarding the connection between sinus issues and sleep apnea.
How Do Sinus Conditions Affect Sleep?
When you’re suffering from a nasal blockage of any type—be it inflammation (congestion), obstruction or structural—breathing through your nose becomes difficult. If you’re struggling to get the oxygen you need through nose-breathing while sleeping, your body will switch to mouth-breathing, which can dry out your throat and cause your tongue and soft palate to fall back into your throat. With a dry, obstructed throat, you’re likely to either begin snoring or wake up suddenly, disrupting sleep.
What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your throat is blocked, leading to interrupted or even stopped breathing. You may gasp or choke during sleep, wake up suddenly or snore. Obstructive sleep apnea is most often caused by your soft palate and tongue falling backward and blocking your throat.
How Are Sleep Apnea and Sinus Health Connected?
Several studies demonstrate that sinus health and obstructive sleep apnea are strongly connected. Sinus issues can cause obstructive sleep apnea by forcing mouth-breathing due to blocked nasal passageways, or sinus issues can exacerbate obstructive sleep apnea if you already struggle with it.
Conversely, obstructive sleep apnea can contribute to some sinus issues, as interrupted breathing can lead to lowered oxygen levels in the body, triggering inflammation in the sinuses and respiratory system. This then makes breathing through your nose more difficult, creating a positive feedback loop.
How to Get Good Sleep
The good news is that, because sinus conditions and obstructive sleep apnea are so closely linked, treating one condition can help alleviate the other. For example, successfully treating and resolving a case of sinusitis may decrease the severity of your obstructive sleep apnea or dissolve it altogether. Or, using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine can help reduce inflammation in the sinuses while keeping the airways open during sleep.
If you need help with a sinus condition, obstructive sleep apnea or both, it’s time to consult an ENT specialist. ENTs are skilled in sleep disorders exactly because they’re so intrinsically tied to the nasal system and sinuses. Call Blue Ridge ENT today to learn more about how we can help you get the sleep you need and the relief you deserve from sinus issues.