You try to swallow hard and yawn but it’s no use, your ears are clogged and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’ve attempted chewing gum, popping your ears, and opening your ear canal with your finger. Sooner or later, you might think about giving up and just keep your fingers crossed your ear unclogs by itself. And honestly, you wouldn’t be wrong to try waiting a little bit to see if the situation clears up on its own unless, of course, you have pain, discharge, or other signs of an infection.
Your Eustachian tube, a little passageway that links your middle ear to the space behind your nose and controls the air pressure in your ears, can get plugged if it stays open or closed for too long. The tube naturally closes and opens as you yawn or swallow, which you might notice by a crackling noise or pop in your ears. Typical hormonal changes cause the ear to stay open and viruses or ear infections will cause the ear to remain closed. Both issues will clear up over time, but it might take quite a long time for your ears to return to normal.
Another cause of clogged ears is buildup of earwax. This type of ear clog can be cleared with treatments, either at home or at a hearing specialist depending on its seriousness. When managing blocked ears, here are some suggestions:
Try Drops of Hydrogen Peroxide Into Your Ear
Hydrogen peroxide can be utilized to dissolve earwax clogs, but it must be put in your ear properly. Hearing experts recommend 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 pipette. After you tilt your ear upward and put the drops in, a few seconds should be sufficient to dissolve the wax clog. Eventually, the blockage should clear but you might need to repeat the process for a few days.
Don’t Put Anything in Your Ear to Clean it
Seriously, this is worth repeating: never use a cotton swab to try and clean your ear, because you will only make things worse. Cotton swabs can cause total blockage by pushing the earwax into the eardrum. Actually, anything that gets inserted in your ears can easily cause an earwax obstruction, including earplugs and hearing aids. To prevent earwax buildup, you should use cotton swabs only on the outer ear.
Your Allergies Need to be Dealt With
If you have allergies, it can cause a clogged ear to get worse. Always take your allergy medicines and follow your doctor’s instructions on how to manage it. Stay away from any unneeded allergens, specifically during allergy season.
If a Remedy Sounds Strange, Stay Away From it
You should not put a lit candle in your ear which should go without saying. Ear candling is an old practice of sticking a hollow candle into your ear and lighting it which is very unscientific. Theoretically, earwax is pulled into the hollow space inside the candle when the heat of the flame creates a vacuum. This doesn’t work and you will likely cause a lot more damage to your ears. If something doesn’t seem correct, it probably isn’t and it’s best to contact an expert. Randomly trying anything is a massive danger to your hearing.
When all else fails, you should give us a call. Incorrect wax removal can cause significant issues in your ears, like a burst eardrum or long-term loss of hearing.
