Doctor says I should use a warm mist humidifier in the bedroom at night. Apparently I have chronic sinusitis and the mist is suppose to help with the "mucus" situation.

Anybody here use one? Just how much do they cost? I haven't been any where to check the prices because I'm not getting caught in all the holiday craziness. I'll wait.

Are they very labor intensive in the cleaning department?

I'm going to check online at some stores to see whats available. But I was just looking for some relevent input from the peanut gallery.

Not sure of the price, but the Vicks vaporizor is efficient, and available at most department stores/ Pharmacies.

I have sinus problems too. I used one years ago, it helped a little but not a whole lot. The one I had was about $100 and was one of the most expensive ones at the time. I remember I had to add salt to the water to make it steam right, not enough or too much and it didn't work right.

Now I use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea and my sinus problems are almost completely gone, at least since I started using it, which was about 6 months ago. The big test will be when the tree pollen starts up again in the spring.

Good luck.

Thanks. Trees kill me too. I just suffer thru it because I see what those alergy shots do to people. They seem sicker, longer than me. So, once the trees are done I'm pretty much ok.
What does that cpap do? Is that where the air is " forced" into you so you can actually breathe?
Well, so far I seen a couple where they have filters now to help with the minerals and there are some that use ultra-violet light to sterilize( like they in ORs) the water. They seem to have stainless steel now in the base to help cut down on bacteria and to make cleaning easier.

Try not to use well water in the humidifier, too many minerals, that white dust that gets all over the place, or like you said, try and find one with a very fine filter.

Distilled water is good, but sometimes it's difficult to boil (that's why you have to add salt, or you can buy little packages of humidifer additive that will help the water boil properly, and also help keep the humidifer clean and sanitary).

Try and find one that will properly humidify the square footage of your room. Those little 14 dollar humidifiers you get at CVS or RiteAid aren't very effective.

And also mind the cleaning instructions of hot mist humidifiers, if they're not kept clean they don't boil the water very well.

just my 2 cents

Yeah, it blows regular air (not oxygen) in thru your nostrils. Most people use them to stop snoring. My problem is that when I lay flat on my back the muscles in my neck relax and the opening to my throat collapses. Every few minutes I stop breathing completely for 15-20 seconds and then I gulp in air all at once and snort really loud when I do. I don't even know I'm doing it but it drove my wife crazy. Not just the noise but wondering if I was going to start breathing again. I slept in a recliner in a sitting position for almost a year before I talked to my doctor about it and went thru the testing.

The bad thing is you can't just go buy a machine, you have to spend a night in the hospital being tested to see if you have sleep apnea and then another night for them to see what setting you need on the machine. It's a racket really.

My machine has a built in humidifier and temperature control and I haven't had any sinus problem since I started using it. I was almost at the point where I was going to start the shots. The problem is they won't prescribe it for sinus problems.

Well, I guess that would be a big chunk of change for just the sinuses. Besides, I don't have trouble sleeping, I'm just always stopped-dup. And drippy.

Just got the call today that I go to my first ENT doctor in Jan. My hubby snores. I wonder if the humidifier would help a little with that. Although, I can't sleep without his snoring.

I have a cool mist humidifier that I bought at Lowes last winter. I remember they had both warm & cool mist on display and ran anywhere between 25-$80.00.

I also have a CPAP, but just couldn't get used to it. The moist air was wonderful for my sinuses, but the mask & hose attached to my face...ugh! I'd end up ripping it off in the middle of the night!

I had the same problem. When I had my test they had to try several different masks and the one I ended up with is what they call an air pillow. It was much smaller than the others. I can't go without it now, it's amazing how it has improved my life. Even my carpal tunnel is much better.

WoW! I guess because your body is getting air and the rest that it needs, and thats why other stuff is improving?

I do have more energy but the CT problems were either caused or being aggravated by the fact that I'd toss and turn and end up in the fetal position with my hands bent inwards putting pressure on the tunnel in the wrist where the nerves pass thru. Now I lay flat on my back with my arms straight down at my sides all night long. I used to have days where I'd get up in the morning and couldn't make a fist enough to grip a tooth brush. That's gone completely.

I also used to get up at least twice and sometimes 3 or 4 times a night to go to the bathroom, even though I didn't have to go that much, which is a sign of diabetes or prostate problems in men. But my sugar and PSA tests were fine. Turns out I just wasn't getting into a REM sleep. Now I rarely ever get up.

This machine has really changed my life. I never thought about how important sleeping was I guess.

man. sounds great. I have high blood pressure, so I take 2 water pills for it, so I'm always up. geesh! you'd think I was preggers or something. I have to be completely exhusted to sleep all night thru. I never knew so many folks had such trouble with their breathing and sinuses. huh.

Sleep apnea is no joke to mess with. It puts a ton of stress on your body and can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

If I had it to do over knowing what I know now I wouldn't have been tested for it, I would have just designed and built my own machine. It's so simple, an air pump and some rubber hoses. Unfortunately you can't buy these machines without a doctor's prescription and once you've been diagnosed with sleep apnea no health insurance company, at least none that I know of, will write you an individual policy. I didn't realize that before I got tested. There's still so little known about it and there are so many types of it. The nurse who tested me said that rarely does anyone get tested for it and not get diagnosed with it.


Sorry for hijacking your thread dragon.

no problem ppfftt. I ain't worried about it.