Has your sleep been disrupted by your deviated septum?
A deviated septum can create several health problems, such as trouble breathing caused by obstructed airflow, headaches, sleep apnea, etc.
And while there are more immediate solutions for it, such as surgery depending on the severity of your deviated septum, there are many natural ways to alleviate your symptoms.
Here I’ll be sharing with you the signs of suffering from a deviated septum, how it may affect your health, and the best sleeping position for a deviated septum.
Contents
What is a deviated septum?
A deviated septum is a severe irregularity of your nose cartilage.
The septum is the bone tissue in the nose that divides the nostrils, and in most cases, it’s placed evenly as it separates both nostrils.
However, in some people, this isn’t the case leaving one nostril bigger than the other.
A deviated septum can implicate health complications and some annoyance, especially at night while trying to sleep.
What causes a deviated septum?
Deviated septum tends to be a congenital condition in the majority of cases.
This implies that most people are born with it.
However, it can also result from damage to the nose.
Very often, those injuries happen during fights, collisions, or even car accidents.
Unfortunately, this condition also can worsen with age.
Can a Deviated Septum Cause Snoring?
Yes, a deviated septum can cause breathing difficulties, so snoring would be one of the things that someone with a deviated septum might experience.
Because the septum is placed in an irregular place, you may experience some breathing difficulties, yet your body will consume the same amount of oxygen that you need, and that will cause you to make some sounds (known as snoring) to keep up with your breathing needs.
Aside from snoring, a deviated septum can also induce sleep apnea, which is a condition that causes your body to stop breathing periodically during the night.
When this occurs, both the body and the brain are unable to receive sufficient oxygen.
This could then lead to several serious health problems.
How Does a Deviated Septum Impact My Life?
Incredibly enough, most of us don’t have a perfectly balanced nose, with experts believing that approximately 80% of people do have some type of misalignment in their nose.[1]
And while a big part of that number doesn’t seem to experience major symptoms, which can leave the condition unnoticed, some can face serious impacts in their life.
Here are a few of symptoms caused by a deviated septum that can impact your life:
Trouble Breathing
Experiencing difficulties breathing through your nose is one of the most usual symptoms caused by a deviated septum.
Having trouble breathing can be a challenge when trying to perform some of your daily activities that require a little more effort.
For example, trying to exercise when having a deviated septum can also limit you to some extent.
In addition, if you are experiencing any breathing illnesses such as a cold or flu, your symptoms can significantly worsen.
Trouble Sleeping
Having a deviated septum can disturb your night’s sleep and even cause a bad night’s sleep for others around you.
This happens because you are likely to experience nasal congestion, making it hard for you to fall asleep and impact your sleep quality.
But a deviated septum can cause more than just trouble in falling asleep.
It can also influence mouth breathing, snoring, and in some cases, that can lead to sleep apnea.
Chronic Sinus Infections
A deviated septum blocks your nasal passage.
This can lead to infections.
Depending on how blocked your airway is, the higher chances you will have to develop sinus infections, as bacteria tend to grow on areas with more mucus.
Chronic Pain & Headaches
As mentioned before, a deviated septum might cause sinus infections, leading to headaches and even migraines caused many times by the sinus pressure.
Those types of headaches tend to feel like an annoying pressure pain on both sides of your face.
However, it can also happen on the side of your head when the deviation of the septum is more accentuated.
Recurrent Stuffy Nose
Because air cannot move as easily with a deviated septum, it can cause your nose to feel blocked.
Another implication is how a deviated septum can also block your sinus drainage pathway, increasing the chances of developing post-nasal drip.
This condition is more common for those who suffer from allergies or are currently experiencing a cold or flu.
Regular Nosebleeds
A deviated septum causes the airflow to be limited, and this can impact the thin membranes on your nose.
Due to this, the dedicated membranes on your nose can become very dry, increasing your chances of developing nosebleeds.
How is Your Deviated Septum is Affecting Your Sleep?
If you have been facing night challenges, leading you to lose some sleep or waking up exhausted, then correcting your position in bed can make a huge difference.
Not only on your sleep quality but also on decrease snoring.
Best Sleeping Position for Deviated Septum
Many people will recommend sleeping on your side for many reasons.
And this carries a lot of truth because laying on your side can massively enable you to have a better rest and a more consistent and long sleep.
This is even more important when you are experiencing symptoms of a deviated septum.
Your sleep position can impact your health in more ways than one.
It can help improve back pain, sleep deprivation, snoring, and your breathing.
Sleeping On Your Left Side
As we all probably know, sleeping on the side has many benefits.
It’s also the best position to avoid any digestive issues.
But did you know that sleeping on your left side is incredibly beneficial for improving your sleep quality? Laying on your left side as you sleep can improve the blood flow and your breathing at night.
Sleeping on your left side is fairly helpful for someone living with a deviated septum due to the limitations of your airflow.
If you lay to rest on your left side, you have a better chance to reduce many of the issues that a deviated septum causes, such as reducing snoring.
Take into account that sleeping on your side can create pressure on the skin of your face, which might result in wrinkles and/or acne.
Therefore, it is recommended to use a pillow that alleviates pressure on your face, such as YourFacePillow.
Sleeping on Your Right Side
Sleeping on your right side is usually the best option when you are unable to sleep on your left side.
This is common for people who suffer from specific health conditions or certain pain on the left side.
Sleeping on your right side will help open the airways and improve airflow, reducing snoring.
Even if the cause of the sleep disturbance can’t be healed completely, sleeping on your side can improve your symptoms significantly.
In case you face the issue of switching to back sleeping during the night, you can try the stop snoring T-Shirt.
It has a tennis ball glued to the back, so you won’t be able to sleep on your back.
Sleeping with Your Head Elevated
Sleeping with your head elevated has been proved to produce many health advantages, as well as the potential of alleviating the symptoms of several common problems.
The benefits of sleeping with a raised head can include decrease snoring, increasing airflow, nasal drip prevention, etc.
In case you can’t afford an adjustable bed, you can use a wedge pillow.
This pillow can help you with additional issues, such as:
- Acid Reflux
- Heartburn
- Snooring
So What’s The Best Sleeping Position for Deviated Septum?
If you are experiencing snoring and sleep difficulties, sleeping on your left side can improve your sleep significantly as well as reducing snoring.
Besides your sleeping position, trying some yoga or eating honey before bed can also promote your airways to open up and help you have a better night.
Important adjustments for side sleeping are:
- Fill the gap between your waist and the mattress to prevent your spine from curving downroad.
2. Put a pillow between your legs to prevent rotation in the hip. The pillow should cover the whole part from the knees to the ankles.
3. Hug a pillow to prevent internal rotation in the shoulder which may lead to bad posture and injuries.
7 Signs You Have a Deviated Septum
The majority of the people who experience a deviated septum have minor symptoms of the condition.
This can make it hard to understand if they have a deviated septum.
Even though they are experiencing some common symptoms, it isn’t always obvious that you have a deviated septum, especially if you have been born with it.
Here are some of the most common symptoms of a deviated septum:
- Trouble Breathing, Particularly Throughout the Nose
- Being Able to Breathe Better by Only One Side of Your Nose
- Frequent Nosebleeds
- Recurrent Sinus Infections
- Dry Nostril (usually just one of the sides)
- Snoring or Loud Breathing Noises During Sleep
- Nasal Pressure and Congestion
A severe deviation septum can be followed by pain on your face.
And you should consult your doctor if you are experiencing recurrent nosebleeds and experience frequent sinus infections.
While having a deviated septum doesn’t always require medical attention when not severe, you should see your doctor if your breathing issues affect the quality of your life.
How is a Deviated Septum Diagnosed?
To diagnose a deviated septum, your doctor will usually perform a physical exam, by examining your nostrils through a nasal spectrum.
In this exam, your doctor will have the chance to check the placement of your septum and the size of your nostrils.
Your doctor will also most likely ask you a few simple questions regarding your sleep, breathing, and if you experience any issues with snoring and sinus infections or nose bleeds.
The healthcare may recommend some intervention if necessary.
However, you can also improve your sleep and snoring by following a few changes in how you lay down and sleep at night.
What Can Be Done to Relieve a Deviated Septum?
A septum is a wall made of bone and cartilage that separates your nasal passages aligned with mucous membranes on each side.
When the septum is severely bent to one of the sides, this results in a deviated septum.
If you are wondering if you have a deviated septum, you can look at yourself in the mirror, and if you notice that one of your nostrils is larger than the other one, you may have a deviated septum.
Some people can live with it without any issues, especially if it isn’t a severe case.
But in the case your deviated septum is significantly accentuated, you may be experiencing breathing difficulties, headaches, snoring, sleep apnea, etc.
Surgery can be an option in severe cases, as this is the only way to fix a deviated septum completely.
Other natural and less intrusive options can also improve your quality of life and alleviate your symptoms.
Considering that surgery can be expensive, not to mention the risks involved and recovery, trying natural treatment methods might be a good option to start with to improve your symptoms.
Here are some of the many natural treatments available that can help to improve a deviated septum:
- Nasal Steroids
- Allergy Remedies
- Nasal Bands
- Nasal Dilators
- Nasal Valve Support
- Vaporizer/Humidifier
- Hot Shower
- Natural Treatment Therapy
- Adjusting Your Sleeping Position
Final Thoughts
A deviated septum is very often a condition that you will have to live with, but by adopting the best sleeping position for a deviated septum, you will not only grant yourself a better night’s sleep but also improve your quality of life.
Surgery is usually only recommended in severe cases.
Even though surgery can be the only solution in some cases, in many other cases, it is not the only way to get better and experience the best that life has to offer.
You don’t have to let your nose rule your life.
