clogged ears becoming a real problem.. any advice

I love my cpap, but the first few minutes when I go to bed are filled with my ears painfully clogged. I lift my mask and clear my ears and do that till I fall asleep. It's getting worse now that its actually getting cold here in the north east

Yes my sinus's are a problem, but I keep them moist and mostly clear....

any thoughts or ideas?
thanks

if your not seeing an ent specialist already then you probably should ,ask about having tubes put in your ears ,they will clear up the painful popping and i actually feel that i can hear better now then i ever have before. only 2 down sides you have to be careful to not get any water in your ears and they only last about a year before you have to have replaced.no big deal they do the procedure in office,takes only but a couple minutes and is no more painful then getting a shot in the arm

I have done the tubes in ears thing. It was not sucessful. I appreciate the idea. Thanks...

Are you using your ramp feature? I know for me I have to use my ramp even if it is only 5-10 min otherwise my ears do that. My dr told me I need to be on allergy meds all year even if my sinuses feel clear, and between that and using the ramp it seems to be better. I hope you find something that works.

I wouldn't think that pressure from your xPAP could cause a differential great enough to force air into your eustachian tubes (which it sounds like you may be describing?) Usually that takes a lot more "oomph" than what your xPAP has to offer. Divers frequently use the "valsalva" maneuver where they pinch their nose closed and blow really hard to equalize pressure outside of their tympannic membrane with pressure in the inner ear. This maneuver forces air up through the eustachian tubes into the inner ear, which, again, sounds like what you're describing and I really would not think and xPAP could cause this. Your mention that it gets worse with the colder weather indicates that it could be a circulatory system isssue. There are lots of blood vessels inside the tympannic membrane which could be constricting or maybe it has something to do with the nerves that the mask straps are pressing on... it's just a matter of troubleshooting and isolating the problem. If the problem goes away when you take your mask off, try switching off the xPAP and then strapping the mask back on and see if it's just that. Is there any difference when you breathe through your mouth with the mask on? You might do like Jenmary suggested and try using the ramp feature. When you do that if you notice the problem has it's onset with increasing pressure- that gives you more information to report to your doctor.

Talk it over with your physician or see if you can get a referral to an ENT. It might be more than just the mask.

thanks for the advice. i ramp from a start of 4 and I can't dive (as in I can't clear my ears this way/) I don't want to have surgery on my eustachion tubes,,,,, so looking for other ways

Hey Canyongirl... I know what you mean... I've experienced the same thing if I don't use the ramp... It feels like my ear drums will blow out. I also tried to learn to dive and was unable to equalize the pressure in my ears.... it also make flying incredibly painful if I don't take a sinus decongestant, use the ear plugs, AND chew gum the entire time..... but at least with the cpap I can ramp and it GREATLY decreases the problem..I was having a problem with vertigo when awoke in the morning when using cpap, but I have learned to use a Neti pot which removes a lot of the congestion and that problem has gone away. I hope you are able to find the solution that will help you.

I had 2 sinus surgeries about 10 years ago. Ever since then I use a homemade nasal spray several times a day and it keeps my sinuses healthy and my ears open. A few years ago, I started having my right eustachian tube close off alot, especially in winter. Mucinex helped, as did drinking lots of water.......but there were still times it would close off.
I saw an ENT a few months ago who was a dizziness expert. He told me about something that the astronauts use to keep their tubes open. Its called "Ponaris", I believe. It's OTC, but they keep it behind the counter...so you have to ask for it. Its about $16 a bottle. And I hate the smell of it. But what's funny is I used it once and haven't had any problems since!
You might want to give these drops a try.
I think some of us are just built with smaller eustachian tubes.
I would still wonder about the state of your sinuses too.
Good luck!

I think you're right about the Eustachian tubes..... I flew for the first time when I was 18 (QUITE a few years ago) and thought I would die before we landed.... and could barely hear anything for a couple of days after that. I will DEFINITELY check on the Ponaris. Thank you so much for the info !!!