Are you struggling to sleep well? Do you experience pain in your forehead, bridge of your nose, or cheekbones? You may have sinus problems.
Sinus problems can disrupt sleep, essential for good health and overall quality of life. Keep reading to learn more about sinus problems and whether they could affect your sleep.
What are Sinus Problems?
Sinus problems refer to the inflammation of the sinuses. The sinuses are air-filled pockets in the forehead, behind the cheeks, between the eyes, and in the bridge of your nose.
Various factors, including infection, allergies, nasal polyps, and a deviated septum, can cause inflammation. When the sinuses become inflamed and swollen, they cause an obstruction that prevents the normal flow of mucus.
The blockage may lead to sinus pressure, pain, and other bothersome symptoms.
How Do Sinus Problems Affect Your Sleep?
There are various ways sinus problems impact sleep, including:
Nasal Congestion
Sinus inflammation and swelling can prevent mucus from draining, leading to congestion. Stuffiness or congestion can make it difficult to breathe easily through the nose, particularly when lying down, ruining a good night’s sleep.
You may struggle to fall asleep due to congestion or wake up multiple times per night feeling like you can’t breathe.
Sinus Discomfort and Pain
Sinus problems cause aggravating symptoms, including facial pressure and pain, toothache, headaches, and ear pain. Sinus pain can be so overwhelming that it wakes you up or keeps you from falling asleep.
Without a good night’s sleep, your body can’t rest and recharge. This can negatively affect your productivity, focus, energy, and mood during the day.
Postnasal Drip
When mucus accumulates and drips down the back of the throat, it’s called postnasal drip. You may feel a tickle in the back of your throat as the mucus drips down.
Postnasal drip can be bothersome and lead to a chronic cough. It tends to worsen at night and can keep you up when you should be sleeping.
Lying down changes your elevation, so more mucus will likely drip into your throat. Because of this, you may begin coughing constantly and feel the urge to clear your throat regularly, disrupting sleep.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that causes you to stop and start breathing repeatedly throughout the night. There are different types of sleep apnea. The most common is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
In obstructive sleep apnea, the throat muscles that support soft tissue, such as your soft palate and tongue, relax, partially or entirely, obstructing the airway.
When your throat muscles relax and obstruct your airway, you stop breathing momentarily. The subsequent lack of oxygen triggers a survival reflex that briefly wakes you up so you can begin breathing again.
Every pause can last for approximately 10 seconds to minutes at a time, which can happen hundreds of times per night while you’re sleeping. Obstructive sleep apnea prevents restful, healthy sleep.
It can also cause excessive daytime drowsiness and fatigue. Without timely detection and treatment, obstructive sleep apnea can increase your risk of health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack.
Sinus problems can be caused by structural abnormalities such as a deviated septum or nasal polyps. The same issues could obstruct your airway, contributing to or aggravating obstructive sleep apnea.
You’re likely to experience severe sleep problems if you have both sinus problems and obstructive sleep apnea.
What are the Treatment Options for Sinus Problems?
If antibiotics, prescription medication, and nasal sprays don’t provide adequate relief, a procedure like balloon sinuplasty could be beneficial.
What is Balloon Sinuplasty?
Balloon sinuplasty is a minimally invasive procedure to treat recurring or chronic sinus problems. Balloon sinuplasty can be performed under local anesthesia to prevent pain or discomfort. Your ENT specialist at Indianapolis Sinus Center will also apply a topical decongestant in the nose to control bleeding.
They’ll then insert a thin tube with a camera and light at the tip called an endoscope into your nostril, followed by a balloon catheter. The endoscope helps guide the catheter to the blocked sinuses.
Once in place, your ENT specialist will inflate the balloon to gently unblock your sinuses and permanently widen the sinus openings.
They’ll then deflate and remove the balloon. Finally, they will use a saline solution to remove mucus and pus and restore normal drainage. Your ENT specialist may repeat the same process in the other nostril if necessary.
The outpatient procedure takes about 15 to 30 minutes.
What are the Benefits of Balloon Sinuplasty?
The advantages of balloon sinuplasty for treating chronic sinus problems include:
Little Downtime
Balloon sinuplasty has minimal downtime compared to more invasive sinus procedures. After staying in the recovery room for some time, you can go home the same day.
Since there’s no tissue removed or incisions, there is minimal swelling and less bleeding. Most patients can resume regular routines within a day or two.
Immediate Results
Balloon sinuplasty is one of the most effective procedures for sinus problems, with patients reporting almost immediate improvements.
Long-Term Relief
Balloon sinuplasty offers long-lasting relief to persistent or chronic sinus problems by gently and permanently expanding your sinus passages. The cutting-edge treatment allows mucus to drain freely from the sinuses, reduces inflammation, and eases congestion, enabling you to breathe easier and enjoy a good night’s sleep for years.
Improves Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea linked to sinus problems can be treated more effectively when sinus issues are treated first.
Sleep Better
If sinus problems are keeping you from sleeping well, the ENT specialists at Indianapolis Sinus Center can help. We’ll create an effective treatment plan to enable you to sleep soundly again. Do you toss and turn at night because of sinus problems? Schedule your appointment today at Indianapolis Sinus Center in Greenwood, IN, to find lasting relief.