We’ve all been there, the uncomfortable feeling when your ear is clogged and no amount of yawning and swallowing can make it feel better. You’ve tried opening your ear canal with your finger, popping your ear, and even chewing gum. Eventually, you might contemplate giving up and just keep your fingers crossed your ear unclogs by itself. But if you have drainage, soreness, or the symptoms of an ear infection, this would be an unwise idea.
Your Eustachian tube, a small passageway that connects your middle ear to the space behind your nose and regulates the air pressure level in your ears, can become plugged if it stays closed or open for longer than it should. You may hear a crackling or popping noise in your ears as this tube closes and opens when you swallow or yawn. A , virus or sinus infection could possibly cause the ear to remain closed, while hormonal changes can cause the ear to remain open. It might take your ears a little while to return to normal but both issues will go away over time.
Another cause of clogged ears is buildup of earwax. Ear treatment can eliminate this kind of blockage, depending on the seriousness, this can be at home or at the hearing professional. Here are a few recommendations when dealing with blocked ears:
You Can Try Dripping Hydrogen Peroxide Drops into Your Ear
Hydrogen peroxide, if properly employed, can dissolve earwax. Hearing experts suggest that you mix the solution with warm water making certain that the water is not too hot and then place a drop or two in your ear with a dropper. After you turn your ear upward and put the drops in, a few seconds should be enough to dissolve the wax clog. You may need to do this several times a day for a couple of days, but eventually, the blockage should clear up.
Never Clean Your Ear by Putting Something inside it
Seriously, this is worth restating: it will only make the predicament worse if you try to use a cotton swab to clear your ears. Cotton swabs actually push earwax deeper inside your ear canal, which can cause a total blockage. Even earplugs and hearing aids can, in fact, result in an earwax clog. In order to lessen earwax accumulation, you should use cotton swabs only on the outer ear.
Pay Attention to Your Allergies
Blocked ears are often made worse by allergies. Always take your allergy medicines and follow your doctor’s advice on how to treat it. Unneeded allergens should be avoided during allergy season specifically but also the rest of the year.
If a Remedy Sounds Odd, Stay Away From it
We probably shouldn’t need to tell you this, but you really should never put a lit candle into your ear in order to get rid of a clog caused by wax. Ear candling is an old method of pushing a hollow candle into your ear and lighting it which is extremely unscientific. The thought is that the heat of the flame creates a vacuum which forces the earwax into the hollow space in the candle. This does not work and you will most likely cause a lot more injury to your ears. Keep in mind, if it sounds strange you should ask a specialist. Arbitrarily trying things is a big danger to your hearing.
You should call us if your ears don’t clear up. Long lasting hearing loss or a ruptured eardrum are the kinds of consequences you could suffer from incorrect earwax removal.