Ear “popping” as if on aeroplane

[BobbieM]

Thanks Dave. You’re right about balancing settings. I think I will readjust the max upwards by one every few nights till 16 and see how it goes. My nightly average is around 10 but I’ve read that Dreamstation auto tends to revert to settings lower than is optimal to fix/pre-empt apnea. So I don’t want to set the max too low. Thanks again.

[SarcasticDave94]

You're welcome. Keep us updated on the progress.

[Hydrangea]

I haven't read the answers to this thread yet, but I've posted and also replied to several threads about ear issues with CPAP here in this forum. Maybe click on my name and see posts I've replied to with ears mentioned in the title.

I, too, have the DreamStation, which I'm very happy with.  But I also got ear issues from it, some of which are what you mentioned (popping).  

For me, I found it went away when I got rid of the exhale support.  When I turned that completely off, the ear issues went away.  I had many ear infections as a child, and my ears have always been sensitive to altitude changes. I understand altitude effects change in pressure. And basically with each inhale and then exhale on the CPAP, my ears experience a change in pressure, and my ears don't like that.

To be clear, my ears don't have a problem with my auto CPAP adjusting pressure as needed to avoid or deter apnea. It's the breath by breath constant change (that exhale support provides) that my ears don't like.

[Hydrangea]

Now that I've read the whole thread, I realize your issue seems to be more in the realm of aerophagia. I've experienced that quite prolifically. And I've also commented (and started) some threads here on that subject, and have resolved that issue which had been severe for me. So click on my name and look for those posts too.

You mentioned trying to keep your max as low as possible. But keeping your min pressure as low as necessary is even more important for avoiding aerophagia. That has helped me a lot, as well as positional therapy (keeping my head & shoulders elevated above my lungs, and sleeping on one specific side which I forget which side that is).

[SarcasticDave94]

For me, combating aerophagia and GERD means I mostly side sleep left down. And due to GERD and back issues, I have the head area elevated with my adjustable hospital bed.

[BobbieM]

I thought conventional wisdom is to have pressure settings two notches above the 90% average for max and two notches below for minimum.

[SarcasticDave94]

I'm not too sure there's any conventional wisdom when PAP and Apnea are concerned. Each of us are individuals and have to set the machine according to personal requirements. I'd set Min and Max wherever you must for proper treatment. I've seen this mentioned before, basically it works out to be a pressure support of 4. It's fine if it works for you but don't feel obligated to make it work if your body wants some other pressure set. Since we're each individuals needing personalized pressure sets that's why default PAP settings never work.

[hegel]

I have eustachian tube issues and when I put on my cpap, most often my tubes 'pop' and my hearing improves. For me it's not painful. I do wonder if my issues might improve if I didn't use cpap--or turned off Exhale Support, as suggested. I have a Resmed auto sense 10--I wonder how to do that?

Actually I always presumed that the popping was opening my eustachian tubes, and this was a good thing. My issue is with blocked eustachian tubes.

On another note: very infrequently I will run my machine to dry out my tube or rid it of ozone smell after cleaning. the machine will automatically turn off after 30 seconds or so. Even less frequently, that will cause the machine to then blow extraordinarily hard when I turn it on again. I wonder if the OP had soemthing like this occur.