It is possible to find out why the nose is stuffed up in the supine position, it is possible to general and local manifestations of pathology. A feeling of congestion most often occurs due to severe swelling of the mucous membrane in the upper respiratory tract. Irritating substances (dust, dry air), pathogens (fungal spores, protozoa, bacteria), as well as benign and malignant tumors can cause pathological reactions.
The article will consider the etiological factors leading to obstruction of the nasopharynx, as well as diseases accompanied by nasal congestion in a horizontal position.
What is a stuffy nose?
Nasal congestion is a condition caused by a blockage in the nasal passages. Swelling and swelling of the ciliated epithelium lining the nasal cavity is a key cause of impaired nasal breathing. Airway obstruction can be triggered by both infectious and non-infectious factors.
If nasal breathing does not recover within 2–3 weeks, swelling or chronic inflammation in the nasopharynx may be causing the problem.
It should be understood that difficulty in nasal breathing is only a symptom that may be a consequence of the development of rather serious pathologies. Infants breathe mainly through the nose, so obstruction of the nasal passages can provoke acute oxygen starvation. Disruption of gas exchange in the body is fraught with irreversible processes in the brain and, as a result, death.
Infectious causes
Many people ask themselves the question: why, when I go to bed, does one or the other of the nostril block? To answer this question, you need to understand how the nasal cavity works. It is divided by a septum into two parts, which end in the nasal passages. In the back of the nasopharynx, there are small openings (choanae) through which air enters the lower respiratory tract. Inflammation and edema of the ciliated epithelium, which is covered with the nasal cavity, leads to blockage of the choans, which entails a violation of nasal breathing.
With a sluggish inflammation in the respiratory organs, the likelihood of the formation of benign tumors in the nasal cavity increases by 35%.
The most common cause of a stuffy nose is a respiratory infection that develops in the airways. In the case of chronicity of pathological processes, rhinorrhea (severe rhinitis) may be absent. However, when a person takes a horizontal position, swelling in the mucous membrane increases, which leads to choanal obstruction.
Chronic rhinitis
Chronic rhinitis is a syndrome of sluggish bacterial or fungal inflammation in the nasal cavity. Most often, the disease is a consequence of rhinorrhea or the influence of unfavorable environmental factors on the respiratory system. Sluggish pathological processes in the mucous membrane eventually lead to hypertrophy (proliferation) of tissues, which becomes the reason for stuffing the nose in the supine position.
Chronic rhinitis can be recognized by the following clinical manifestations:
- thick nasal discharge;
- decreased sense of smell;
- crusting in the nasal passages;
- stuffing the nose while lying down.
With inadequate treatment of chronic rhinitis, the periosteum is involved in the inflammation, as a result of which periostitis develops.
Chronic maxillitis
Maxillitis (sinusitis) is a sluggish infectious inflammation of the maxillary sinuses, accompanied by impaired nasal breathing. If a person goes to bed and at the same time feels discomfort in the bridge of the nose and at the level of the cheeks, in most cases this indicates the development of sinusitis. The disease is often preceded by chronic rhinitis, bacterial sore throat, influenza, and other upper respiratory tract infections.
A small number of unicellular glands are concentrated in the paranasal sinuses, therefore, with maxillitis, the volume of nasal mucus increases slightly. But due to severe tissue edema, the viscous secretion is not evacuated from the respiratory tract, but stagnates in the nasopharynx. Nasal congestion is usually worse when lying down, when mucus fills the choanas.
Postnasal flow syndrome
Postnasal leakage syndrome is characterized by the drainage of nasal secretions along the back wall of the nasal cavity into the lower parts of the respiratory system. The disease most often develops against the background of an infectious or allergic inflammation. Pathological processes in soft tissues stimulate the activity of unicellular glands, which begin to secrete 3 times more muconasal secretion.
In the daytime, a person does not feel discomfort, since mucous secretions are automatically swallowed and do not stagnate in the nasopharynx.
When a person sleeps, fluid accumulates in the airways and blocks the choanal mouth. It is because of this that a feeling of congestion arises. Typical manifestations of postnasal syndrome include:
- nasal congestion;
- feeling of a mucous coma in the throat;
- burning sensation in the nasopharynx;
- unproductive cough;
- headache.
Symptoms of the disease are most pronounced in the morning hours, when mucus begins to flow down the walls of the pharynx into the respiratory tract.
Non-infectious causes
Why does a stuffy nose at night? Nasopharyngeal obstruction can be caused not only by infection, but also by allergies or neurovegetative disorders. A blockade of the nasal passages often appears with the formation of benign tumors in the airways. Delayed and inadequate treatment of pathologies is fraught with the development of side diseases, some of which are amenable only to surgical treatment.
Allergy
Allergic rhinitis is one of the most likely causes of a stuffy nose at night. Typically, allergies are triggered by household allergens, which include:
- dust mites;
- mold;
- washing powder;
- filler for pillows.
Inflammation in the respiratory tract leads to the development of angioedema, which contributes to a stuffy nose and difficulty breathing. To eliminate the manifestations of the disease, it is necessary to identify and eliminate causal allergens. To do this, it is advisable to replace woolen blankets and down pillows with hypoallergenic materials. Vasoconstrictor drugs and antihistamines - "Ebastin", "Cetirizine", "Clemastin", etc. will help to eliminate the obstruction in the nasopharynx.
Violation of vascular innervation
The inner surface of the nasopharynx is covered with ciliated (ciliated) epithelium, which is penetrated by a network of blood capillaries. In its thickness there are unicellular glands that produce nasal mucus. It plays the role of a filter that cleans the air from allergens, pathogens, dust particles, etc.
When a person takes a horizontal position, the blood supply to the vessels in the mucous membrane increases. In the event of a violation of the neuro-reflex mechanisms of the reaction, the elasticity of the capillaries decreases. In this regard, part of the blood plasma can leak into the intercellular space and provoke edema. Violation of the outflow of intercellular fluid entails a thickening of the mucous membrane in the nasal concha. This leads to obstruction of the nasal passages and, as a result, a stuffy nose.
The above pathology is called vasomotor rhinitis. It can proceed for no obvious reason as a reaction to:
- cold air;
- allergens;
- pungent odors;
- dust.
Chronic vasomotor rhinitis often leads to the development of pulmonary pathologies - bronchial asthma, pneumonia, etc. With vasomotor rhinitis, the nasal cavity is filled with a clear fluid, which clogs the choanas. In some patients, nasal congestion worsens at night while lying down. As a rule, it is not possible to eliminate an unpleasant symptom even with the help of vasoconstrictor drugs, since the disease is characterized by a violation of vascular innervation.
Polyp of the nose
Polyps are benign tumors that form when the mucous membranes grow in the nasal cavity or in the paranasal sinuses. Neoplasms most often occur as a result of chronic inflammation of the nasopharynx and a prolonged course of allergic rhinitis. The process of the growth of polyps is not accompanied by pain and discomfort, so a person for a long time may not even be aware of the development of pathology.
In the supine position, benign tumors stretch out slightly and therefore block the airways. This becomes the reason for the difficulty of nasal breathing exclusively at night. You can suspect the development of the disease by the following symptoms:
- decreased sense of smell;
- frequent relapses of inflammation in the nose;
- periodic stuffing of the nose.
In the early stages of development, tumors can be eliminated with the help of topical glucocorticosteroids and saline solutions for rinsing the nasopharynx. Large polyps are surgically removed using a laser or radio wave knife.
Conclusion
Stuffing the nose in a horizontal position is a pathological sign indicating obstruction of the nasopharynx. Disturbed nasal breathing is most often caused by infections, benign tumors, vasomotor and allergic rhinitis. Inflammation of the soft tissues leads to mucosal edema and, accordingly, choanal blockage.
Very often, nasal congestion occurs against the background of the development of postnasal syndrome. The mucus accumulating in the nasal cavity creates an obstacle to the passage of air through the choanae to the lower parts of the respiratory tract - the larynx, trachea, bronchi, etc.
To eliminate the unpleasant manifestations of the disease, it is necessary to identify and eliminate the underlying pathology that led to the obstruction of the nasal passages.
