We’ve all experienced this, the unpleasant feeling when your ear is clogged and no amount of swallowing and yawning can help it. You’ve attempted opening your ear canal with your finger, popping your ears, and chewing gum. Eventually, you may contemplate giving up and just keep your fingers crossed your ear clears up on its own. But if you have discharge, soreness, or the signs of an ear infection, this would be a bad idea.
Your Eustachian tube, a little passageway that connects your middle ear to the space behind your nose and regulates the air pressure in your ears, can get clogged if it stays open or closed for longer than it should. The tube normally closes and opens as you yawn or swallow, which you might notice by a crackling noise or pop in your ears. A sinus infection, allergy or virus could possibly cause the ear to remain closed, while hormonal changes can make the ear stay open. It could take your ears a little while to return to normal but both problems will recede over time.
Plugged ears can also be caused by a buildup of earwax. Ear treatment can eliminate this kind of blockage, depending on the severity, this can be at home or at the hearing specialist. When managing plugged ears, here are some tips:
Try Droplets of Hydrogen Peroxide Into Your Ear
Hydrogen peroxide, if correctly employed, can dissolve earwax. Hearing specialists suggest that you mix the solution with warm water making certain that the water isn’t too hot and then putting a drop or two in your ear with a dropper. After you tilt your ear upward and put the drops in, a few seconds should be sufficient to break up the wax clog. Ultimately, the clog should clear but you might need to repeat the process for several days.
Sticking Something in Your Ear is Not The Right Way to Clean it
This can’t be overstated: don’t use a cotton swab to try and unclog your ear, because you will only cause things to get worse. Cotton swabs actually force earwax deeper into your ear canal, which can cause a total blockage. As a matter of fact, anything that gets inserted in your ears can possibly result in an earwax blockage, and that includes earplugs and hearing aids. In order to lessen earwax buildup, you should use cotton swabs only on the outer ear.
Your Allergies Need to be Treated
Blocked ears are often made worse by allergies. Always take your allergy treatments and follow your doctor’s advice on how to treat it. Steer clear of any unneeded allergens, particularly during allergy season.
If a Remedy Sounds Strange, Stay Clear of it
You should not stick a lit candle in your ear which should go without saying. Ear candling is an old practice of inserting a hollow candle in your ear and lighting it which is extremely unscientific. The thought is that the heat from the flame causes a vacuum which draws the earwax into the hollow space in the candle. This technique will probably cause more harm and probably won’t help. Keep in mind, if it sounds wrong you should ask a specialist. Arbitrarily trying things is a big danger to your hearing.
If you don’t find any other solution, you should get in touch with us. Incorrect wax removal can cause significant problems in your ears, like a burst eardrum or irreversible loss of hearing.