Stuffy nose at end of dive

[Spg01]

I have seached around a little and have not really found anything yet.

Basically what happens is that when I start a dive my head and nose are clear and I have no problems going down. I can make the whole dive with no problems until but the Iusually get a pretty stuffy nose on the way towards the surface. Which for most dives is no problem because of the surface interval my nose clears up and everything is fine for the next dive.

But every now and then there is some reason to surface in the middle or towards the end of a dive. For example last night I was diving with someone who wanted to practice deploying their SMB, which was fine until I hit the surface with a stuffy nose. I have tried to ease my way back down before and as you would expect it does not go well at all. Sometimes if I wait at the surface I can clear up and continue, but that can take 10 minutes or so. So I had a decent surface kick back to the beach while my two buddies had a nice little dive back to the beach.

So I am wondering why the stuffy nose at the end of the dive? And if there is any way to prevent it, besides the obvious advice of staying under the water until I am ready to end the dive.

 

[DandyDon]

Interesting. Every ascent huh? Something with the way your body reacts to reduced pressure on your sinuses? Does it happen on planes?

Blowing your nose under or on the water is pretty easy as long as you are careful about not losing your mask while it's off and don't inhale thru your nose. Taking pseudoephedrine decongestants while diving is controversial, but many do.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I'm going to assume that the issue is not associated with any type of upper respiratory infection.

Does the stuffiness affect your nose only...or also the sinuses?

I'd want to rule out allergies as a contributing factor to your stuffy-nose-during-ascent issue. If you find out that you have mild allergies, there are several options available: Neti-pot, antihistamines, etc.

The post-dive nasal stuffiness may be caused by minor trauma/irritation to the nasal passages due to your ear equalization technique. It's possible that the trauma/irritation is exacerbated when the ambient pressure decreases (during ascent), leading to inflammation of the tissue. What method do you use to equalize your ears? If it's the Valsalva-pinch-the-nose-and-blow method, you may want to experiment with another method that doesn't entail manipulating the nose and subjecting the nasopharynx to increased pressure. Try any of the "passive" equalization techniques out there. If this doesn't help, it might make sense to schedule a visit with a health care professional who can take a closer look at your nasal passages. An ENT would be a good choice. Some people may have certain anatomical indiosyncrasies that predispose to nasal stuffiness.

 

[Spg01]

It seems like every time for the last few months or so I get the stuffy nose. I guess I should have said it does not happen until I get to the surface, so I don't need to blow my nose underwater. Although last night at around 30' where two buddies were doing valve drills/smb deployment I could kind of notice my head getting stuffy. I guess I could try a decongestant on the next dive and see what happens.

---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 PM ----------

Does the stuffiness affect your nose only...or also the sinuses?

I am going to guess the sinuses as well. I say that because I have felt the pain into my upper teeth. It is also hard to breath through my nose until it clears up. I have been diving for over 3 years, thats why I was a little surprised when this started happening.

During my ascent I usually do not have to do anything to equalize. During my descent I use the nose pinch.

---------- Post added at 01:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:56 PM ----------

Wow, a tricky new feature that groups posts....

 

[Bubbletrubble]

The fact that the stuffy nose has been occurring quite regularly only for the past few months increases the likelihood of seasonal allergies playing some role. Allergies can also affect the sinuses.
It might be worth a shot to try a course of over-the-counter antihistamines. Dose according to recommendations on the bottle for a few days beforehand (in order to keep the circulating med in your system at an efficacious steady-state level). Then go for a dive. See if you experience the same sort of nasal stuffiness.

 

[Spg01]

That sounds like a good test to try. I also changed my post before to mention that I do not have to do anything really to equalize while ascending, just on the descent.