Using cpap with ear infection

Hi all,

Have had bronchitis and sinus infection for a week now. The ER docs told me to stay on the cpap. Now I just got back from my doctor and I also have an ear infection. I know this is not caused by the cpap but caused by my allergies to ragweed.

My question is does anyone know if it is safe to use the cpap with sinus infection and ear infection? These regular docs I don't think understand cpap too well.

I have no personal experience in using cpap with a sinus infection, but I've had plenty of sinus/ear infections. In my view, I think it should be perfectly safe. If it is safe to breathe when you don't have sinus difficulty, I don't see cpap as making it unsafe. Breathing can sometimes be difficult or painful when you have ear or sinus infections, therefore the same is true of sleeping with or without cpap.. but cpap should make it easier to breathe, and I suspect that is why the ER docs said to stay on cpap. If I'm wrong, someone will surely come along and say so.

If using the cpap causes increased pressure or discomfort in the ear then I wouldn't use it while the infection is full blown.
There's a small number of cpap users whose Eustachian tubes don't close off like they should and there's the potential for increased pain/pressure as the pressure sneaks into the inner ear for those people.

Your ears will tell you if they don't like the air pressure. If it hurts or hurts worse than without using cpap, don't do it.

When in doubt...always check with your primary doctor and if he can't answer your questions get a referral to an ENT doc if you don't have one established.

Thank you both for your replies. In the meantime my pulmonologist's nurse practitioner called me back. At first she said to stop using it for a couple days but I told her then I'll get no sleep. She said if my ears don't hurt then ok to try and use it which mine don't hurt they just feel funny.

I asked her is it dangerous for my ears to use it with the infection? She answered no that it would mainly be for my comfort if it was hurting. She also said to turn the humidity up for my sinus's.

So I guess I'll try using it because otherwise I honestly will not sleep without it.