Hi guys, I'll be really straightforward in my explanation so it would be easier to understand

I've been having problems staying asleep for 7 years now. I would wake up middle of the night (more frequent during the start, nowadays average once or twice) literally every night. Thought it was stuff like insomnia due to my general Google searches of "can't sleep" but after more searching nowadays found out it could be due to sinus or some other complications in the ENT department. Would love if anyone who had similar case can guide me on how to find solutions to my problem or if you have any idea whats going on please share your opinion too. If you need further elaboration on things please ask!

My symptoms:
1. I have double layer eyebags, I don't have a terrible sleep schedule so I found out maybe it could be related to sinus issues.
2. Wake up in the middle of the night mouth dry sometimes eyes also maybe something to do with apnea? Or because stuffed nose for me to breath through mouth?
3. Wake up later in the morning still feel sleepy throughout the day, like didn't have a good sleep everyday. Also symptoms of apnea but heard of tonsil and adenoid might cause it too.
4. My nose gets blocked easily and most of the time can only breath through one nostril

Additional backstory:
1. Used to breath through my mouth a lot as a kid
2. Some time before my sleep started having problems I had a period of time where I had this real killer headaches, thank god no more! Was it cause of sinus?

Btw, I was 13 when it all started, poor me suffered a lot of tiredness especially when switched to morning session X_X

My thoughts now is I'm thinking it's either sinus cause of the eyebags and nose block issues but at the same time might be tonsils or apnea @_@ Also heard thyroid can be causing it, so many things can be causing it.

I plan to visit an ENT specialist in Puchong/Subang Area. I'm aware of Dr Megat and Dr Koay Cheng Eng from another thread but its kinda old. I found Dr. S. Subramaniam as well. Who should I visit especially if sleep problems are included. And does anyone know the average fee for consultation nowadays? Will covid-19 make it harder to secure an appointment and treatment?

Can try nose strips to help open up the nostrils for better airflow. It helps my case. So no need go ENT yet. 🙏🏻

Breathing with only one nostril at a time is perfectly normal. But since you were a mouth breather, your sleep apnea could be due to your mouth breather jaw. So yeah, you should definitely tell your doctor about this. Just my 2 cents, couldn't give any more suggestion...

This post has been edited by Yenactiet: Jun 6 2020, 12:53 PM

Hmm I guess I'll try and see how it goes, any brand or type in particular u recommend?

Hmmmm interesting I googled about the mouth breather jaw and found a site that explain that airway may be obstructed due to it. Which leads to the brain forcing us to a lighter stage of sleep so that the muscles are able to grind and clench to push the jaw forward to reopen a collapsed airway. Also mentions it maybe a lead to sleep apnea

No wonder my mom says she can hear me grinding my teeth when im sleeping, this might be a lead for me now thank you bro!

You're welcome. Your symptom #1 and #3 are linked together and could be due to sleep apnea and your symptom #2 might be due to mouth breathing for the dry mouth part, not sure about the dry eyes. These are the reasons why I say your sleep apnea could be caused by your mouth breathing habit when you were young as it affects the growth of your jaw.

You should take note of the headache though, if it ever comes back, seek for medical help immediately. You should ask your doctor whether your headache is caused by your jaw too, provided your jaw structure is influenced by your mouth breathing habit.

My wife bought them for me at Daiso. So far it helps me alot when i sleep. Cheap solution time being.

Interesting topic.

I'm a mouth breather too. I tried nose breathing and I can only do it when I'm not laying down. Tried those U like silicone hook from Daiso and it didnt help. The only one that helps was a nose plug (Nose plug) but it was so painful the next day. Tried breathing through one nostril and I found that one was really smooth but the other one was almost blocked.

I heard about some people who went through operation to cut some meat off the inner nostril that was too small for smooth breathing. I had no problem breathing with mouth at all except for dry mouth when sleeping in air-cond room.

This post has been edited by andrekua2: Jun 7 2020, 10:56 AM

Have you tried breathing with your nose whilst lying down in the side-lying position? Is your pillow big enough to lift your head up a bit? And do you mean you breathe through two nostrils? What you've discovered about the smooth/blocked part is quite normal I'd say because we should only breathe through one nostril at a time, so that the other nostril can moisturise back after the long contact with air. Anyway, if this doesn't cause any discomfort to you, I don't see the need to care about it. However, please take note that dry mouth can lead to dental problems, etc. This is because your saliva gets dried out and couldn't protect your gums from germs, not to mention dry mouth can cause bad breath.

Are you a doctor?

Just like you said, I think I do have some gum problem but I was not sure what caused it. I think my gum shrink and showed more of my teeth in the last few years. As for nose breathing when lying down in horizontal position, I am a side sleeper but I dont think it helps with that. I'm not sure why I can breathe with just my nose in standing or sitting position. However I do gasp for air once in a while though. When doing intensive work, I do breathe through mouth most of the time.

No, I'm not a doctor, I'm just happened to know these things... About the gum recession, it is possible that dry mouth could be a factor contributing to it, the other common factor is brushing teeth with too much pressure. The way dry mouth affects it is that lack of saliva leads to weaker resistance against the bacteria in the mouth and when your gum is infected by them, this is called gingivitis, it will cause gum recession.

Sidelying position does help to open your airways which is why it is part of the procedure of CPR. The thickness of your pillow will affect it too as the way to open airways is by lying in sidelying position with face lifted up for a bit.

It's perfectly fine to breath with mouth while you're doing heavy jobs as it is the best method to inhale as much oxygen as possible. It only turns bad when it literally becomes your breathing method.