fan,

I just remembered I had a problem where my inner ear, throat and the rest was all messed up and inflamed. The ENT scoped my sinuses and the upper part of my esophagus. He diagnosed acid reflux. When I slept, acid would reflux up to my Eustachian tubes (connect the sinuses to the ears) and sinuses. They would become inflamed and not drain properly. Once I dealt with the acid reflux, the problem went away.

For me, the reflux was caused by a lactose intolerance. Late night milk products would cause the acid reflux.