Ear Popping?

ZBQ · Post by **ZBQ** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:45 am

Just curious if anyone has problems with their ears popping (air pushing through the estation (sp?) tube) while on CPAP.

I have it occasionally and wondered if this was normal?

SelfSeeker · Post by **SelfSeeker** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:49 am

Hi ZBQ,

Until you start get some responses, I would suggest you do a search. I do remember seeing similar post. I do not remember much about them, but I do them.

jjposey · Post by **jjposey** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:11 pm

I've only had my CPAP since February, but I do have ear popping pretty frequently, especially just after I put the mask on. It usually eases up after awhile.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:10 pm

Yeah, it happens to me every now and again. It seems like some fluid gets caught back there and forced into the eustachian tube. When it happens I just turn the CPAP off for a couple of minutes, shake my head and the problem resolves.

Regards,
Bill

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:17 pm

My ears don't pop, they get plugged with pressure (like when flying). Ultimately they start hurting like an ear infection.

I have to run my pressure one setting below my sweet spot -- which allows a few more HIs, but my ears are more comfortable.

rotoplooker · Post by **rotoplooker** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 3:48 pm

If you have air pressure running into your nose or mouth it's gonna end up affecting your ears at some point, as I'm sure you all know...the mouth, nose, eyes and ears are all pretty close and interconnected.

Some are more sensitive to it than others. I'm not surprised CPAP does this to ears, I'm not a Doc but I would suggest it is totally harmless and normal. I also think it might be any changes in air pressure as opposed to a steady stream that can really cause the popping.

Roto

ZBQ · Post by **ZBQ** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:23 pm

Thanks guys!

Glad to hear I'm not the only one. It doesn't happen very often and I can just swallow and everything equalizes and is fine from then on.

lawdognellie · Post by **lawdognellie** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:34 pm

This happens to me every night, but like others it is more of airplane thing. I got an APAP machine so the pressure increases AFTER I'm asleep so I don't feel it. I did see a ENT doc once, who said it was common and wouldn't cause hearing damage. Might consider trying the scuba trick where you plug your nose and blow out of it hard to try to pop your ears...sometimes, once you pop them once, they don't get as annoyed by the pressure.

Sarah

whatrdreamsmadeof · Post by **whatrdreamsmadeof** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:39 pm

I've not had the ear thing going on, but I do have whistling and bubbling tear ducts sometimes. Much less now with the Breeze Dreamseal as oppose to the nasal masks.
......Good luck, if your ears start to make noise, we can start a new scat band..........Ellen:roll:

RichCMH · Post by **RichCMH** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:40 pm

My ears pop from the cpap air pressure only when I yawn or swallow. So... I don't yawn or swallow.

Brian Hinther · Post by **Brian Hinther** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:13 pm

I have this problem and it's the only reason I use "Ramp." I start at one-half pressure (8 cm) and have it take 20 minutes to bring the pressure up to a rip-roaring 16. The gradual pressure increase seems to help keep my ears from plugging.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:57 am

Very common. Happens to me every night. Is probably harmless.

The good ol' E. tubes are for equalizing pressure on both sides of the eardrum. Nature figures your mouth is often open, so a tube connecting the middle ear to the mouth should equalize pressure nicely, because whenever your mouth is open (which is fairly often), it's exposed to the exact same air/atmospheric pressure that the outside of your eardrum is subject to. That produces perfect pressure equalization on both sides of the eardrum.

Unless, of course, you use CPAP which applies higher pressure to the mouth (and/or nose) only, but not to the ear. Now you have lower pressure outside the eardrum (around the ear) and higher pressure in the mouth. Once the E. tubes happen to open (yawn, swallow, etc.), the higher pressure in the mouth (from CPAP) flows up into the middle ear, and you have a pressure imbalance (low pressure outside the eardrum, higher pressure behind it).

It doesn't bother me, when it occurs. I just go to sleep and forget it.

sleepngo · Post by **sleepngo** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:01 pm

It happens to me once in a while and when it does, it usually means it is time for me to flush out my sinus cavities, that usually eliminates the problem. My ENT tells me to flush on a regular bases and use a nasal spray to keep the sinus passages open, good advice, but I don't always follow it.

Dan

Sleepy-eyes · Post by **Sleepy-eyes** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 8:55 pm

The first time I swallow after turning on the machine while wearing the mask, my ears stop up. Sometime during the night they unplug, and the pressure in my body seems to equalize and I can swallow all I want with no problem. It's just irritating when I first go to sleep.

Mask

Ear Popping?

Ear Popping?

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