You try swallowing hard and yawning but it’s no use, your ears are clogged and you can’t do anything about it. You’ve attempted opening your ear canal with your finger, popping your ears, and chewing gum. Hoping your ears will simply unclog by themselves, eventually, you might just give up. And truthfully, you wouldn’t be incorrect to try waiting a little bit to see if the problem clears up by itself unless, of course, you have discomfort, drainage, or other signs of an infection.
A small passageway that connects the middle ear to the place behind the nose and controls the pressure to the ears, called the eustachian tube, will get blocked if it remains open or closed for overly long. The tube normally opens and closes as you yawn or swallow, which you may notice by a crackling noise or pop in your ears. A sinus infection, allergy or virus might cause the ear to remain closed, while hormonal changes can make the ear remain open. It may take your ears a while to go back to normal but both issues will go away over time.
Clogged ears can also be caused by a buildup of earwax. Ear treatment can eliminate this kind of clog, depending on the severity, this can be at home or at the hearing professional. Here are a few recommendations when dealing with blocked ears:
Try Droplets of Hydrogen Peroxide Into Your Ear
Hydrogen peroxide can be used to dissolve earwax clogs, but it must be placed in your ear correctly. Mixing the peroxide with luke warm water and using a dropper to carefully put it in your ear is the specialist’s recommendation. Your ear should be tipped upward while you place the drops into your ear and you should keep it that way for several seconds to allow the hydrogen peroxide to break down the earwax clog. Eventually, the clog should clear up but you might need to repeat the process for several days.
Putting Something in Your Ear is Never The Right 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 clear your ears. Cotton swabs actually force earwax deeper into your ear canal, which can cause a complete blockage. Even hearing aids and earplugs can, in fact, cause an earwax clog. To prevent earwax buildup, you should only use cotton swabs on your outer ear.
Manage Your Allergies
Blocked ears are often made worse by allergies. Follow your doctor’s directions concerning treating your allergies and never forget to take your treatment. Unnecessary allergens should be limited during allergy season specifically but also the rest of the year.
Be Leery of Home Remedies That Sound Odd
You should not put a lit candle in your ear which should go without saying. Ear candling is an old and very unscientific way of clearing earwax by putting a hollow candle into your ear and lighting it. In theory, earwax is pulled into the hollow space in the candle when the heat of the flame creates a vacuum. This approach will probably cause more injury and probably won’t do any good. Don’t forget, if it sounds strange you should consult a professional. Arbitrarily trying anything is a big danger to your hearing.
You should give us a call if all else fails. Irreversible loss of hearing or a ruptured eardrum are the sorts of consequences you could experience from inappropriate earwax removal.