Pressure in ears

[corgan115]

Hey folks,

Out of seemingly nowhere I'm having an issue that I believe is related my CPAP therapy. I have pressure in my ears that randomly flares up. Think of being on a plane, that feeling you get in your ears where you have to yawn... except yawning doesn't work. Or rather it relieves the pressure and then it comes right back. I have it throughout the day and but it is much worse when I turn on the CPAP. Sometimes to the point of considerable pain.

Has anyone else experienced this and possibly have any advice?

[Pugsy]

Try an oral decongestant of your choice and see if it helps or not.

[Janknitz]

I'm not sure this will work, but I've heard it might--try putting an ear plug (e.g. silicone type for loud noise environments) in ONE ear. It might help. Worth a try.

Oral decongestants have negative side effects, so I would try to resolve it without drugs first.

[thomasc1126]

I just started CPAP and had this the first night. Felt exactly like when my ears pop on an airplane. Normally I can pop them back by swallowing or opening my mouth up wide like a yawn but neither method worked. I tried with airpods and that didn’t work but maybe ear plugs could be better.

Second night I figured out a technique that worked pretty well for me. When my ears popped with the machine on I did a more drawn out exhale, followed by a quicker and bigger inhale. Nothing dramatic, but akin to how you take a breath before going underwater. Almost simultaneously as I start the inhale, I try to pop my ears back to normal. Still working on the timing but I noticed the closer the two actions are (inhale and yawn/swallow), the better the result.

[chunkyfrog]

. . .
Oral decongestants have negative side effects . . .

Only giving it a try can we decide which is worse.
Side effects need to be weighed against the benefits.
Usually, side effects do not affect everyone--sometimes they are rare.
Or the side effect is minor, compared to the benefit.

[OwenUK]

I need to use a nasal decongestant around 50% of the time. This seems to unblock my sinuses/nose enough to stop the pressure popping.

[corgan115]

Thank you all for the tips. Apparently I have seasonal allergies or something. I started taking Flonase and Allegra and that cleared the issue right up!

[ChicagoGranny]

Thank you all for the tips. Apparently I have seasonal allergies or something. I started taking Flonase and Allegra and that cleared the issue right up!

Try discontinuing Allegra and sticking with Flonase until allergy season is over. You can add Allegra back if the problem returns.

The side effects of Flonase are almost nonexistent. Allegra is a different story.