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 opening your ear canal with your finger, popping your ears, and chewing gum. Hoping your ears will simply clear up on their own, eventually, you may just give up. But if you have discharge, pain, or the symptoms of an ear infection, this would be an unwise 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. You might notice a popping and crackling noise in your ears as this tube closes and opens when you yawn or swallow. A sinus infection, allergy or virus could cause the ear to stay closed, while hormonal changes can make the ear remain open. It could take your ears a while to return to normal but both problems will go away with time.
Another cause of clogged ears is buildup of earwax. Ear treatment can eliminate this type of clog, depending on the severity, this can be at home or at the hearing professional. Here are some recommendations when dealing with clogged ears:
Try Droplets of Hydrogen Peroxide Into Your Ear
Hydrogen peroxide can be utilized to dissolve earwax clogs, but it must be put in your ear properly. Mixing the peroxide with luke warm water and using a pipette to gradually put it in your ear is the specialist’s suggestion. After you tilt your ear upward and put the drops in, a few seconds should be sufficient to dissolve the wax clog. Ultimately, the blockage should clear up but you might have to repeat the process for several days.
putting Something in Your Ear is Not a Good Way to Clean it
This can’t be overstated: it will only make the situation worse if you try to use a cotton swab to clean your ears. Cotton swabs actually force earwax deeper into your ear canal, which can cause a total blockage. Actually, anything that gets inserted in your ears can easily cause an earwax block, including hearing aids and earplugs. Cotton swabs should only be used on your outer ear so that you can avoid causing blockage.
Your Allergies Need to be Managed
Blocked ears are often made worse by allergies. Follow your doctor’s advice concerning how to treat your allergies and don’t forget to take your treatment. Unneeded allergens should be limited during allergy season especially but also the rest of the year.
If a Remedy Sounds Strange, Stay Clear of it
We probably shouldn’t need to tell you this, but you certainly should not put a lit candle in your ear in order to clean out a clog caused by wax. Ear candling is an old and very pseudo-scientific technique of clearing earwax by putting a hollow candle into your ear and lighting it. In theory, earwax is pulled into the hollow space inside the candle when the heat of the flame creates a vacuum. This approach will most likely cause more injury and probably won’t help. Don’t forget, if it sounds wrong you should consult a specialist. Arbitrarily trying things is a massive danger to your hearing.
You should give us a call if your ears don’t clear up. Permanent loss of hearing or a burst eardrum are the sorts of repercussions you could suffer from inappropriate earwax removal.