You try to swallow hard and yawn but it’s no use, your ears are clogged and you can’t do anything about it. You’ve tried chewing gum, popping your ears, and opening your ear canal with your finger. Hoping your ears will simply clear up on their own, at some point you might just give up. But if you have discharge, soreness, or the signs of an ear infection, this would be a bad idea.
A little passageway that connects the middle ear to the place behind the nose and regulates the pressure that goes the ears, called the eustachian tube, will become blocked if it stays closed or open for overly 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. A virus, allergy or sinus infection could possibly cause the ear to remain closed, while hormonal changes can cause the ear to stay open. Both issues will clear up with time, but it might take quite a long time for your ears to return to normal.
Another cause of plugged ears is buildup of earwax. This type of ear blockage can be eliminated with treatments, depending on the seriousness, this can be at home or at the hearing professional. Here are some guidelines when dealing with plugged ears:
Try Droplets of Hydrogen Peroxide in Your Ear
Hydrogen peroxide, if properly applied, can break up earwax. Mixing the peroxide with luke warm water and using a dropper to slowly put it in your ear is the expert’s suggestion. After you tilt your ear upward and put the drops in, a few seconds should be sufficient to break up the wax blockage. You could have to do this a few times a day for a couple of days, but eventually, the blockage should clear up.
Don’t Stick Anything Inside Your Ear to Clean it
This can’t be overstated: it will only make the predicament worse if you try to use a cotton swab to clear your ears. Cotton swabs can cause total blockage by forcing the earwax into the eardrum. As a matter of fact, anything that is inserted in your ears can easily result in an earwax block, including hearing aids and earplugs. To avoid earwax accumulation, you should use cotton swabs only on your outer ear.
Your Allergies Need to be Dealt With
Plugged ears are commonly made worse by allergies. Take your allergy medicines and follow your doctor’s guidelines on how to treat it. Unnecessary allergens should be definitely avoided during allergy season especially but also the rest of the year.
Be Hesitant of Home Remedies That Sound Strange
You shouldn’t stick a lit candle in your ear which should go without saying. Ear candling is an old and very pseudo-scientific method of clearing earwax by sticking a hollow candle into your ear and lighting it. The theory is that earwax is pulled into the hollow space inside the candle when the heat of the flame causes a vacuum. This technique will likely cause more damage and probably won’t help at all. If something doesn’t sound correct, it most likely isn’t and it’s best to contact a specialist. Arbitrarily trying things is a massive risk to your hearing.
You should contact us if all else fails. Long lasting hearing loss or a ruptured eardrum are the kinds of repercussions you could experience from improper earwax removal.
