CPAP Improves Hearing

[Chilimon]

But only momentarily.

I'll start out by saying I am nearly deaf without my hearing aids in, I take them out and put them in a hearing aid dehumidifier when I go to bed.

I put my nasal pillow on, turn my machine on, lay back and relax, 10 minutes later, I'm asleep. Sometime during the night I wake up to noise, the noise is the air from the CPAP and me breathing, the central air running or anything else running in the house, my hearing is very very sensitive at this point, if there would be a fly walking across the ceiling, I swear I would hear it. Normally it is a silent world once I take my aids out for the night.

The other day I saw my ENT for my 6 month checkup so I mentioned it to him. He made some notes and said that is very interesting to say the least. He did say what is probably happening, the air from the CPAP is forcing out any fluid or anything else behind my ear making my ear drum more sensitive to sound. It only happens to my left ear.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this ?

[chunkyfrog]

Who did your original hearing test?
A proper audiology exam would have uncovered that long ago!
Never let the guy at Sears do your test!

[Chilimon]

Who did your original hearing test?
A proper audiology exam would have uncovered that long ago!
Never let the guy at Sears do your test!

No a proper test would not have uncovered that long ago, it is not just a hearing problem, there are multiple issues there that even surgery did not fix on my left ear. I have had multiple tests from multiple audiologists since I was about 8 years old, 60 now, been seeing my current ENT 10 years, especially every 6 months now since my head & brain injury 3 years ago when damage was done to the inside of my right ear to the Cochlea and Auditory Nerves , only a professional would have picked this up, the hospital did not even have it on their report. I do not and will never go to a second hand Dr for even a band aid. What makes you think I would have a test at Sears

[SleepyonMagnoliaSt]

I'm HOH and I'm not on CPAP but if I end up on it I'll report any findings. It would be interesting to know if this happened to more than one person.

[Chilimon]

I'm HOH and I'm not on CPAP but if I end up on it I'll report any findings. It would be interesting to know if this happened to more than one person.

Thanks, yes it would be interesting to say the least. I'm sure my ENT is going to talk to some of his colleagues as well to see if they ever came across anything like it.

[Denial Dave]

About 30 days into my cpap therapy, my tinninitus was dramatically improved. But my wife still says I have selective hearing.

[GayleM]

I have a 50% hearing loss in both ears from birth. Have not noticed any improvements in my hearing, even momentarily. It sure would be nice, though!!

[Chilimon]

But my wife still says I have selective hearing.

Funny, my wife says the same thing

[Chilimon]

I have a 50% hearing loss in both ears from birth. Have not noticed any improvements in my hearing, even momentarily. It sure would be nice, though!!

The first night I heard it, I thought I was dreaming, one of those moments, this cannot be happening. I never knew what normal hearing was but if that is close, all I can say is WOW

[avi123]

The sound of the air in tube and the sound from the air pump inside the S9 Elite are quite load, especially if you use EPR. Many users complain about these noises as annoying. So why are you comparing those annoying sounds to mosquito walking on the ceilings?

As to Tinnitus, I been CPAPING for three years and my Tinnitus got worse.

[Captain_Midnight]

Chilimon writes, re doc's analysis... He did say what is probably happening, the air from the CPAP is forcing out any fluid or anything else behind my ear making my ear drum more sensitive to sound. It only happens to my left ear.

Possible, of course. Also possible is that the xPAP therapy is reducing local and systemic inflammation, and this is restoring (albeit momentarily for now) some nerve function.

Of the many remarkable improvements that I have noticed along my 7-year xPAP cruise was that my typing speed increased, and my handwriting speed and clarity improved. My guess is (same as guess for you) that the xPAP-related reduction in inflammation gave me a neurological boost, and a boost that I didn't even know I needed.

Good luck for continued, and durable success.

.

[Triadz]

I'm glad you brought that up because I had a similar experience. After the first six weeks or so of treatment it seemed that I was hearing all things better than before. The theory about the pressure helping to clear the ears makes sense to me. Or maybe it's oxygen related. I don't know.
I don't have hearing aids but I probably need them . I didn't make it through the 70's and 80's with my hearing fully intact

[Chilimon]

Chilimon writes, re doc's analysis... He did say what is probably happening, the air from the CPAP is forcing out any fluid or anything else behind my ear making my ear drum more sensitive to sound. It only happens to my left ear.

Possible, of course. Also possible is that the xPAP therapy is reducing local and systemic inflammation, and this is restoring (albeit momentarily for now) some nerve function.

Of the many remarkable improvements that I have noticed along my 7-year xPAP cruise was that my typing speed increased, and my handwriting speed and clarity improved. My guess is (same as guess for you) that the xPAP-related reduction in inflammation gave me a neurological boost, and a boost that I didn't even know I needed.

Good luck for continued, and durable success.

.

In another 6 months he is going to update me and we are doing another hearing test to see if there were any changes, I hope there was but I am not counting any eggs before they are hatched.

I'm glad you brought that up because I had a similar experience. After the first six weeks or so of treatment it seemed that I was hearing all things better than before. The theory about the pressure helping to clear the ears makes sense to me. Or maybe it's oxygen related. I don't know.
I don't have hearing aids but I probably need them . I didn't make it through the 70's and 80's with my hearing fully intact

Over the years my hearing kept getting gradually worse until I said that's enough. I could no longer hear the sermon or lyrics to hymns in church, hear birds singing or many many other things. I had tears in my eyes when I first heard so many wonderful sounds that I have been missing. You'll know when its time to get aids and you'll be happy you did.

[nanwilson]

I have no hearing on my right ear due to an infection in my brain 9 years ago. I have not noticed any change in hearing since going on cpap 3+ years ago. I shelled out mega bucks for one hearing aid about 7 years ago and all that did was make muffled noise louder... alas still no voice recognition : : consequently I have one hearing aid that is useless to me and am out of pocket $$$$ due to an audiologist that needed my cash more than he really needed to give me back my hearing . Gee, that sounds just like our money grabbing DMEs

[chunkyfrog]

I experienced very gradual hearing loss (40 years+) on the right side after an ear infection at about 8.
Several years ago, I developed tinnitus in the wonky ear, and have worn a hearing aid ever since.
I buy the best I can afford, to best match the normal hearing on my left.
I've had my hearing tested every other year for about 11 years, and cpap does not seem to have an effect
on my hearing--just everything else! I'll take whatever I can get!