Head down Equalisation

[Apnea_Addict]

Hi,

is somebody out there who can explain why it seems to be harder (for some people) to equalize in a head-down position.

I read something about tissues swelling due to raised blood pressure.

Help would be appreciated.

Holger

 

[merio]

Hi.
The air 'wants' to come up, just like the air in a submerged baloon would.
That means that when you are equalizing head-down, you should push the air against its ambition to go up to the surface, and that'll be harder.

 

[tahoeblue]

Pushing air down, as a cause, is an interesting hypothesis. However, I have one ear that almost self equalizes the other very difficultly, especially in the head down position. The increased presser necessary to equalize head down is way more than would be necessary to push a small bubble down hill. On a bad day it would require enough pressure that it would make me see stars. (Of course I don't do that.) Also if were a matter of pushing air down instead of up, there wouldn't be good days and bad days, the difficulty only varying with differences of gravity. I am wondering if the problem is vascular in nature, gravity causing the swelling of veins, or causing intertissue swelling. Any thoughts?
Richard

 

[Apnea_Addict]

Yes thahoeblue,

I´ve experienced the same - my left ear needs much less work than the right one, in any position. But head down it usually closes up completly. Although a lot seems to depend on how relaxed I am.

best regards
Holger

 

[immerlustig]

in a head down position pressure on your chest is lower than pressure on your ears, so a valsalve eq, for example, would require a lot greater effort. a frenzel eq produces a lot more pressure, uses less muscles and is therefore a lot easier and quicker to perform.

if you do deep dives and have to switch to mouthfill eq, then bringing up air into your cheeks requires a great effort again (diaphragm and chest muscles)because of the pressure difference. doing that head up would be a lot easier because the pressure difference would be favorable.

problems with unequal eq could also result from uneven tubes or mucus production.

cheers,

roland

 

[SEDATE]

I agree with you roland

 

[tahoeblue]

I think those may be good ideas yet they don't really gel with my experience. I have to agree that there are differences in tubes, or they would respond similarly. IF I take an antihistamine fro mucus it tends to backfire. The last time I took one I couldn't even clear on land. I concluded that it dried the mucus our a little and turned it into a sticky mass and my tube was glued shut.

Concerning turning upside down. When out of the water, I have hung over the back of the couch (not when my kids have friends over to the house). I can stimulate the same difficulty in clearing. It may be like snoring. When my weight is under 180 I don't snore. Being over 180 I only snore in the position of sleeping on my back. And so I think the clearing difficulty has more to do with a shift in body tissue with the head down. Maybe I should get back under 180 to see if there is less tissue pressing on the tubes.

 

[jon71]

I had my first outdoor freedive last weekend and had a problem with equalising head down after about 13m. If I turned the right way up I equalised no problems. In the end I sorted it out by almost looking at my toes
(dropping my chin down to my chest) It then equalised no problem and I didn't need to turn the right way up. Having said that, I only went to 20m so I might have problems going deeper.