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You know, I did experienced what seemed like "improved hearing" after starting treatment. But it wasn't unpleasant for me. In general (and as I wrote much earlier on this site), my experience after starting treatment was that I'd been driving around with a dirty windshield, not knowing it was dirty, and then someone cleaned it. EVERYTHING was brighter, closer and faster-moving than I was used to. It was disconcerting but also very exciting.

secret agent girl wrote:And what's next, seeing people's auras?!?

You mean you haven't seen those yet?

Your sinuses are attached to your ears, you are shoot air up your sinuses. Try to rinse them before and after and playing with your humidity levels. When my sinuses get inflamed my hearing gets dulled, you may just be experiencing clear hearing for the first time in years.

I had problems with ear pressure using CPAP during my titration sleep study. It wasn't very pleasant. I've felt it a few times since as well, but not like that first night. I think that I, unknowingly, had some fluid in my ears and the CPAP pressure cleared that. I had sinus and throat "issues" for years, but don't have that anymore. My guess is that the more acute hearing is something you will acclimate to very quickly.

I also had tingling in my head (frontal area) during the first week or so. I figured it was my brain finally getting more oxygen. That feeling went away.

I don't see auras (yet anyway ), but all my senses are definitely magnified. In a good way, as I feel more "alive". I view it as another piece of evidence that sleep apnea was affecting me in ways I didn't even realize. I'd had it for so many years that the dulled senses just seemed "normal" to me. The world definitely looks and feels different now. It takes a little time to get used to that.

~ DreamOn

Are you on any blood-pressure meds? Or any meds, for that matter. Sometimes dosages have to be changed once PAP starts solving the problems certain meds are aimed at. And anything very much out of the way should be discussed with your doc, of course.

But you may be describing your body/brain getting used to having O2 in the blood 24 hours a day, not having to make as much panic-juice (my term for it) to keep you alive at night, and lowering your blood pressure, which makes the head feel funny at first. Hormonal, blood-pressure, and O2 changes can feel weird. Don't stand up too quick or jump out of bed too quick for a while.

It sounds to me like you are describing many of the things I felt when I started treatment. That is not to say you may not be experiencing something completely different, though (is that a triple-negative sentence?)--so use your judgment about when to get a doc involved in what you experience.

Be glad you can't see me. I have a really ugly aura.

jeff

Funny thing is I feel like my hearing has worsened. I'm thinking of going to an ENT to see if the pressure in my ears or Eustachian tubes are too high. Besides the hearing, all my other senses are much more acute.

Oh and I am doing a test by cutting my BP med (Diovan HCT) in half since I think my BP was dipping too low. So far, my resting BP is perfectly fine! Oh, and I'm losing weight without really trying, which is nice.

tattooyu wrote:Funny thing is I feel like my hearing has worsened. I'm thinking of going to an ENT to see if the pressure in my ears or Eustachian tubes are too high. Besides the hearing, all my other senses are much more acute.

Oh and I am doing a test by cutting my BP med (Diovan HCT) in half since I think my BP was dipping too low. So far, my resting BP is perfectly fine! Oh, and I'm losing weight without really trying, which is nice.

Not a test I would do without a doc directly involved. So I hope one is, tattooyu. Right?

tattooyu wrote:Oh and I am doing a test by cutting my BP med (Diovan HCT) in half since I think my BP was dipping too low. So far, my resting BP is perfectly fine! Oh, and I'm losing weight without really trying, which is nice.

I'm on BP medication too. My blood pressure has come down since starting therapy, and I'm hoping to also cut my dose. I'm waiting for another month or two to discuss that with my doctor because I want to see what will happen just as a result of using CPAP.

Interesting about the weight loss. I thought that was happening to me in the first few weeks after starting CPAP, but now I'm not sure. Hard to say because there are a lot of tempting seasonal goodies right now too. It does seem that I'm slimmer around the waist, which makes sense because cortisol contributes to that weight pattern and we're not producing the excess cortisol at night now that the apneas are under control. It'll be interesting to see what the future holds in that regard!

~ DreamOn

Secret, all things with OSA slowly creep up on us and we don't even notice it. Sinus problems can do the same. When your sinuses are slightly swollen your hearing can be effected. Is it possibly that you have a slight hearing loss because of sinuses and wearing the cpap has help your sinuses?

It's a possibility

I have noticed many things that I didn't before.
Unfortunaly it hasn't helped my eyes. I didn't need glasses until two years ago. Now I can't read without reading glasses unless my arms begin to grow.

Gerry

I had something similar. I attributed it to the fact that every night my ears "pop" on the first or second breath of CPAP. I haven't noticed my hearing getting better, just louder.

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secret agent girl wrote:And I want everyone to know (now that I've got the hang of it) that Jeff's aura is not ugly, but y'all know that also, right?

It sounds like you may be developing some super powers there, secret agent girl, if you're able to read Jeff's aura through the internet! Maybe CPAP's doing you more good than you thought it would!

~ DreamOn

What makes her powers particularly amazing is that actually, oddly enough, I sent my aura off to be cleaned earlier this week and haven't got it back yet.

I'm experiencing the same thing but hadn't really made the connection until I just read your post. One of my friends is a pretty loud talker anyway, but lately I've noticed it is actually hurting my ears- other things too like thinking the tv is too loud when my husband says it's not, hearing a co-worker over the phone whom I could never hear before. Hmmm...very interesting.

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