asthma and nose breathing

[Ash123445]

hi all, does anyone struggle with a constant stuffy nose and if so how does it effect your asthma?

[ReedB]

Hi, my nose can get stuffy due to allergies or sometimes a cold. I use a nasal spray but it's not always effective. Generally, if my nose is blocked then there's a major possibility that the inflammation may also effect my lungs. Also, if I'm breathing through my mouth more than my nose because I'm bunged up then my lungs are going to be more exposed. It's all connected.

[Homely2 Administrator]

One of my important defences against asthma is nasal breathing, if I cannot nasal breathe then I am much more likely to have asthma issues.

The more nasal breathing exercises I do, the less stuffed up my nose is. A respiratory physio really helped me with my nasal breathing.

At present my nose stuffiness is mainly caused by hay-fever, and I have just found that loratadine works better for me than ceterizine, which is a welcome discovery.

[Clematisa1 in reply to Homely2]

Oh that's interesting as I use cetrazine but it's not been very effective this year. ❤️

[Jamesd1986]

Hi, I dont suffer with blocked nose too much, but instead i get post nasal drip from allergies. Taking a steroid nasal spray called dymista, which can sometimes cause dryness / blood. The important thing to do is lean forward and angle the spray towards the outter nose wall / ear and not sniff hard. This makes it work better and can help prevent bleeding.

[Patk1]

I've chronic rhinosinusitis too.i take antihistamines,use a steroid nosespray.i also use sterimar nose and sinus wash whn bad

[Wodie]

This is just anecdotal but Asthma runs in my family and we all have runny noses tooNo sense of smell either.

My Mum could sneeze 30 times in a row!@@ She had allergies too tho.

[Poobah]

The nasal cavity is part of the respiratory system, so anything going on there can have an affect on the lungs. Ideally, nasal breathing is best for our lungs as it filters the air, slows it down, warms it up then mixes in nitric oxide. This is perfect for the lungs and to maximise good gas exchange (oxygen in/CO2 out). Couple that with diaphragm breathing and you're doing the best possible breathing.

Sounds brilliant, until you get a cold or any rhinitis. It's not unusual for asthmatics to also suffer from some kind of nasal disease and it will take its toll on one's asthma, as mouth breathing is hard on the lungs and good gas exchange is affected.

Usual treatment is a steroid spray or drops and rinsing, if necessary. But breathing exercises will also help, for example Buteyko for nasal health but if you can get an appointment with a respiratory physiotherapist, they can teach diaphragmatic breathing exercises too.

Learning if you have any triggers for your nasal inflammation too can help. Sometimes it's external like pollen and pollution, and sometimes it can be what you consume.

In my experience, respiratory specialists deal with the area below the throat and ENT everything throat and above, despite the respiratory system being one system. So it follows that treatment is often separated between asthma and nasal disease, even though some cases are related.

Never use over the counter decongestants, like Sudafed or Otrivine, as they can cause damage and rebound symptoms if used more than a few days. Any chronic nasal condition should be treated by your doctor or specialist.

One NHS ENT specialist has made a series of helpful vlogs which are available on YouTube. Just search for Vik Veer. In addition, have a look at the Buteyko vlogs by Patrick McKeown.