Trouble breathing through your nose at night

A blocked nose may feel worse when you lie down because mucus and swollen tissue can limit airflow. Dry air, smoke, dust, a cold, nasal polyps or a deviated nasal septum can also contribute. Mouth breathing may leave your throat dry and affect sleep quality.

Note whether one or both nostrils feel blocked, whether symptoms follow dust or pets, and whether there is sneezing, itching, facial pressure, reduced smell, discharge or snoring. A clinician may examine the nose and throat and ask about medicines, sleep and daytime tiredness.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea presents with repeated pauses in breathing during sleep, loud snoring, gasping or morning headaches in some people. Nasal blockage can make sleep breathing harder, but nasal symptoms alone do not establish this condition.

Reflux symptoms, anxiety, low mood or disrupted body-clock patterns can disturb sleep without being the direct cause of nasal blockage. Acid Reflux, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Depression and Jet Lag may be relevant to the wider sleep picture when their own symptoms are present.

Keep the bedroom free of smoke and reduce known irritants. Saline nasal spray or a gentle saline rinse may loosen mucus; use only clean, prepared water for a rinse and follow the product directions. Raise your head slightly and keep a note of triggers and accompanying symptoms.

Ask a pharmacist or clinician before using a decongestant spray, especially if you have high blood pressure, glaucoma, are pregnant or take other medicines. Using some sprays for too long can make congestion return. Arrange a medical review if the problem persists, keeps returning or disrupts sleep.

Get urgent help for severe difficulty breathing, blue or grey lips, confusion, fainting, swelling of the face or throat, or a rapidly worsening allergic reaction. Seek prompt assessment for a high fever with severe facial pain, swelling around an eye, or a severe headache with neck stiffness.

Arrange an appointment if blockage is persistent on one side, there is repeated nosebleeding, loss of smell, unexplained weight loss, or loud snoring with witnessed pauses in breathing. These features need an examination rather than continued self-treatment.

Ask whether allergies, sinus inflammation, a nasal polyp or a structural blockage could explain the pattern; whether a medicine is contributing; and whether snoring, gasping or daytime sleepiness means you need a sleep assessment.