Guest guest Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 answers below "spatialagent1 " wrote: > I have a REALLY basic question in all of this. I have noticed that my > sinuses/nasal passages have been more open that I ever remember them > being. But I also have always had a problem with equalizing my ears > underwater. And I honestly didn't make an connection until your post, > Dharam. My question, is it possible to have mucus affecting your ears > that you don't feel in your nose? Yes, the ear canals are a lot narrower with no big chambers like the nostrils. > Also, for me, I can't even swim to the bottom of a 6 ft deep swimming > pool and not feel pressure in my ears, sometimes uncomfortable > pressure. But I can also feel pressure on my lungs just sitting in > water. I notice a significant difference with the 'effort' required > to breathe there versus out of the water. Atmospheric pressure increases exponentially as we descend even a few feet under water. Take a full balloon into 15 feet of water and watch it shrink to half of it's size. (I haven't done this in years, so I don't the exact details) > We tried snorkeling on our honeymoon (many, many years ago), and I > had to resign myself to floating along the top of the ocean while I > watched my husband explore the bottom. Two reasons: 1) I couldn't > stand the pressure in my ears and 2) the fins, goggles and snorkle > were more bouyant than my body was dense and I couldn't keep myself > under water! (Hubby really thought that part was funny). You needed to equalize by closing your nostrils with your fingers and blowing gently as you descended until your ears popped. Opening widely and closing your mouth might also help. Additionally, chewing gum can be helpful. You needed a weight belt to counteract your buoyancy > Anyways, all of this to say that while I've always had issues with > equalizing my ears underwater, I've never had allergies or excessive > head colds. So are the two still possibly related do you think? > > Christa > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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