I am a cigarette smoker. Using an electric fan at night makes my congestion go away. Why?
Question:
Answers:
Just be happy for the unexpected gift. Enjoy your sleep and enjoy your cigarettes!
Other Answers:
The fan is circulating air at a faster rate so you take in more oxygen Waking up during the night short of breath is something you should consult your Doctor for. Sleeping in a semi upright position with more pillows helps your lungs expand therefore taking in more oxygen and you will sleep more comfortably. But please take care of your body and seek ways to stop smoking
My husband also smokes a lot and I notice that in the summer he always has the ceiling fan going, whether it's real hot or not real hot, so evidently it helps him breath too. He has lots of congestion and yet he seems comfortable with the fan on probably because it removes the smoke faster. He loves it so much that he sleeps under the fan which is in our living room all the time. He says he can't breath in bed. He wakes up in the morning chocking. He seems to have the same thing you have. I'm glad he's better and I'm glad you are better too.
i don't think it has anything to do with the fan.
when you are smoking cigarettes -- nicotine has a paralyzing effect. when a person coughs, the cilia ("hair" in the respiratory tract) moves upwards -- in order to mobilize the secretions out of the airway -- some of them we cough out, some of them we swallow -- don't be surprised, we do it everyday.
now when you are smoking -- those cilias are paralyzed, so you don't cough them out. so it feels like the "congestion" or the "coughs" are not as frequent and you think you feel better, but in reality it will actually make you worse. if those secretions are not expectorated or coughed out, they stay in your lungs and become a breeding ground for bacteria which will result in pneumonia. in the hospital, we actually encourage "coughing" among patients with purulent secretions. coughing is uncomfortable for them, but we'd rather sacrifice discomfort for pneumonia.
about the "shortness of breath" between the hours 1 to 4 -- there IS a certain time at night (around this time --- especially at 3 am) that the allergens in our environment or in the sky -- allergens caused by pollens, pollution and everything -- at this time of the night when everything is calmer, they go DOWN -- which triggers asthma attacks in most people. among people having a hard time breathing, it's called P (p. something) nocturnal (night) dyspnea (trouble breathing). whew! kinda forgot the first term. it's not paradoxical, i think paradoxsyl if im not mistaken. but that is a fact. now, it seems like it helps when you use the electric fan during that time because of all those allergens that irritate your respiratory tract -- so i guess it DOES help.
you mentioned that you've been having congestion problems even before you started smoking, well smoking WILL make it worse to tell you the truth. how long have you been smoking? look at your fingerTIPS -- are they larger than usual and more rounded, do they look like golf clubs? if yes, quit smoking if you want to live a couple of more years longer.
" I awaken between 1 and 4 in the morning, unable to breathe. However, I have recently discovered that when I use an electric fan at night, the problem goes away, and I sleep comfortably."
I've noticed the same thing. So have a lot of the people in the lung disease websites I am member of. Have you been checked for sleep apnea? Lung disease?
you probally have sleep apena and its generally easier to breathe cool air with asthma
Low oxygen levels. The air circulation is insuring that you are getting at least the 21% that is naturally in the environment. If you are having troubles breathing w/o the fan, that is your body telling you to quit smoking. Nobody that smokes is going to get by without having problems. When the smoke in inhaled into the lungs, the smoke clogs off and kills things called "alveoli" in your lungs. Alveoli are resonsible for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide. With every cigarette you smoke, the more alveoli you eliminate (causing less oxygen absorption into your blood). You cannot get these alveoli back! Your only hope would be to recruit the damaged alveoli back before they are dead. (with positive pressure devices). You need to quit now, before it gets worse.
Source(s):
I am a Respiratory Therapist
if you smoke in your bedroom before you slip the electric fan will clean the air.Stop smoking is not to lait
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