Blocked ears and sinus is a common problem that you can develop due to causes such as accumulation of earwax, water in your ear, change of ear pressure, and infection. Learn more about how to unclog ears from wax, water, after flying or any other congestion that are making your ear stuffy.
How to Unclog Ears from Wax
how to unclog ears picture
The canal of your ear produces a thick oily substance known as cerumen or earwax. The main function of earwax is to protect the delicate skin inside the ear canal against dust particles, water, foreign materials and harmful microorganisms.
Naturally, a normal ear can allow the earwax to flow out through the ear canal slowly and find its way out of the ear opening. When the earwax is near the opening of your ear, it is possible to wash it way and allows the ear canal to remain open.
However, when your ear glands secrete excess earwax, this might be the start of ear problem. The excess earwax produced can accumulate in the ear canal and become dry or hard. The hard earwax can block your ears and interfere with the hearing abilities.
According to Mayo Clinic, they attribute that “never attempt to dig out excessive or hardened earwax with available items, such as a paper clip, a cotton swab or a hairpin.” The reason why it not recommended for you to dig out hard earwax with some items is that you can seriously damage the eardrum and loss you hearing completely.
Also, in the process of digging out hard earwax at home, you might push it further into the inner canal of your ear. This can result in serious blockage of the ear canal by the wax that can lead to ear problems such as congestion, stuffiness and ear pains.
Most health providers recommended that you can use the appropriate method to unclog your ear from wax without pushing the earwax deeper into the ear canals. Also, the method should be safe enough to avoid any damage to the ear canal and eardrum.
There are several safety procedures on how to unclog ears from wax. These procedures include the following:
- The use of Olive Oil
Olive oil is an effective home remedy that you can use to unclog ear canal that is blocked by hard earwax. The oil has the abilities to soften the earwax that can help you to remove it easily.
How to use:
- Get one teaspoon of the olive oil
- Warm the oil gently on the heat source
- Ensure the oil is not too hot by feeling it with your fingertip
- Fill a dropper with lukewarm olive oil
- Careful put few drops of the oil into your ear canal
- Allow the oil to stay in your ear for about 10 minutes by laying your head on sideways
- After 10 minutes, turn your head to upright position and use earbuds to remove the oil and the softened wax from the ear canal until your ear canal becomes clean and open
- Instead of olive oil, you can alternatively use other types of essential oils such as coconut oil, baby oil, castor oil and almond oil
- Hydrogen Peroxide Solution
You can use the diluted solution of Hydrogen peroxide as a home remedy to unclog ears that are blocked by the hard earwax. This reagent has the ability to dissolve the earwax that can help you to remove it.
How to use:
- Get one teaspoon of 3 % hydrogen peroxide solution and dilute it with equal volume of water
- fill the dropper with the diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide
- lay your head in a sideways position with the affected ear facing up
- put three drops of the diluted 3 % hydrogen peroxide in your ear
- you will hear the solution producing fizzing sound, stay calm for about 10 minutes until the fizzing sound stops
- raise your head and tilt it to drain out the solution and earwax
- after drained out, use the earbuds to clean your ear
- Apple cider vinegar
Have you heard of how to unclog ears with the Apple cider vinegar? This reagent has the ability to soften and dissolve hard earwax. It also has the antiseptic property that can help to destroy harmful pathogens in your ear that may cause congestion.
How to use:
- mix two teaspoons of the apple cider vinegar with equal amount of lukewarm water
- fill the dropper with the diluted solution of the apple cider vinegar
- lie down and position the opening of your ear to face upward
- use the dropper to place few drops of the solution of apple cider vinegar into your ear
- allow it to stay in your ear canal for about 10 minutes before removing it
- after 10 minutes raise your head and tilt it to drain the solution and earwax out of the ear
- use the earbuds to clean the excess wax and solution from your ear canal
- Doctors procedure
In case of a serious blockage of the ear by wax that may interfere with your hearing, you can also seek the help of your doctor on how to unclog ears. Your doctor can diagnose your ear by physical observation with the help of special equipment that produces light and magnifies the canal of the ear to determine the blockage ear canal by earwax.
Your doctor can treat your ear problem by using special equipment such as curette that can help to scoop out hard earwax. Your doctor may also flush out the excess earwax with the help of water pick or a syringe filled with water.
For the recurrent problem of the blocked ear by wax, your doctor might prescribe for you wax- removal drugs or eardrops such carbamide peroxide eardrops. You should use this medication strictly according to the prescription of your doctor to avoid the irritation of the ear canal.
How to Unclog Ears from Congestion
how to unclog congested ear
Stuffy or congested ear sinus is one of the problems that can make you feel disappointed. The congestion in the ear can also lead to a feeling of a discomfort in the inner ear that might be associated with dizziness, feeling of ear popping and reduction in hearing.
Also, you might feel that your ear canal has a package of fluids that makes strange sounds if you turn your head. Sometimes you can feel like there is a trapped air that rushes inside the middle of your ears similar to the sound of wind blowing through a tunnel.
There are several methods you can use to unclog the congested ears. You can try the following practices that include:
- Use of gravity
You can relieve ear congestion caused by trapped fluids in the Eustachian tube by the help of gravity force.
How to use:
- Simply tilt your head with the affected ear facing downward direction and shake your head gently. This can help to dislodge fluids in the canal of the ear.
- Alternatively, lie down on sideways with the affected ear facing down. Use a pillow to raise the head and rest for about an hour. This can allow the gravity force to help in the pulling of congested fluids out of the ear canal.
- Use of your finger
Do you know that you can use the index finger to unclog congested ear? You can use the index finger to create a vacuum in the ear canal that can help to drain out fluids from the ear.
How to use:
- Put the index finger inside the opening of the ear canal and try to move it upward while the opening of the ear should be tightly closed.
- Pull one the finger to create a suction force that can help to unclog the congested ear
- Yawning, chewing and swallowing
Yawing is an effective remedy that can help to open congested ears. You can force to open up your mouth wide and allow air to enter your mouth. This can help the inner tissue of the ear to relax and expand that can relieve ear congestion.
Chewing and swallowing also help the jaw muscles that lie adjacent to the ear canal to move and dislodge congested fluids in Eustachian tubes.
You can practice the Valsalva maneuver treatment. This practice can relieve the congested ear immediately.
How to use:
- Use your fingers to close your nostrils tightly and allow your mouth open but don’t breath through the mouth
- Blow the air gently through your nose to regulate air pressure until you hear popping sound inside the ear
- Use of herbal stream
The use of herbal stream treatment can help to facilitate the fluids in middle of the ear canal to flow out. Stream also moistens thick mucus in Eustachian ear tube to become lighter in order to flow out.
How to use:
- Boil water in a pot that has a lid
- Add herbals such as chamomile tea, ginger or cloves
- Cover your head with a towel and steam bath your ears carefully
- Alternatively, take hot shower that allows stream to circulate over your ear canals
- Warm compress
You can warm compress the affected ear. This method is effective to the congestion caused by an infection that may result in swollen tissue inside the ear canals.
How to use:
- Soak washcloth in warm water
- Place the soaked cloth below the earlobes
- Warm compress it for about 15 minutes
- Doctors procedure
In case the congestion in your ear ears is caused by a serious infection, you can see you the help of your doctor on how to unclog ears. Your doctor might use the following treatment methods that include:
- Prescription of antibiotic that can help to cure bacterial infection of the ear canals
- Prescription of the eardrops that can help to relieve ear pain and congestion
- Other treatment methods to unclog the ears from the congestion
You can use other treatment methods such as the use of diluted hydrogen peroxides, apple cider vinegar, and saline eardrops
Blocked Ears Causes
You can develop blocked ears due to some causes. Some of these causes can lead to either harmless or more serious ear problem. It is important for to know some of the causes that can make your ears to clog. This might help you to take the appropriate procedure on how to unclog ears in case it is blocked.
The common causes of blocked ears include the following:
- Accumulation of excess earwax that can dry and become hard to block Eustachian tube
- Water that can enter your ear during the time of bathing and swimming
- Allergic reaction that causes swollen ear canal that can block the tube
- Altitude and pressure change during the time of flying and hiking the mountain
- Ear and sinus infection due to bacterial and virus attack
- Sudden change of climate such as cold
- Very loud sound that leads to a serious shock and vibration in the inner ear
How to Unclog Ears from Water
It is possible for water to enter into your ears and stuck in the inner canals after swimming or having a shower. The presence of water in your ear can result in a tickling sensation that can reduce your hearing capacity.
In most occasions, this water in your ears can drain out its self without even you noticing. Sometimes, the water in your ears may fail to come out on its own. This can lead to ear infections that can result in pain, inflammation, redness, and tenderness.
Swimmer’s ear is a known bacterial infection that can affect the canals of the ear due to trapped water in the ears. Pseudomonas bacteria that live in water can enter the ear canal and cause a great external damage to the ear tissues.
Once you feel that water has entered into your ears, it is advisable to use the appropriate procure to drain it out. You should avoid the use of earplugs or cotton swabs because you might cause more complication by pushing the water deeper into the ear canals.
The appropriate methods you can use to unclog your ears from water include the following:
- Pulling of the earlobe and tilting of the head on sideways
You can help to drain out the water from your ear by using your finger to hold and pull the earlobe downwards as you tilt the head. This can allow the gravity force to pull out the water. You can shake the head or even jump up and down several times after swimming or bathing.
- Vacuum pull
You can create a vacuum pull that can help to suck the water out of the ears by using either the palm of your hand or the index finger. Simply cover your ear opening with your palm or index finger and push it inward and pull it suddenly to create vacuum suction force.
- Yawning, chewing, swallowing and blowing
The process of yawning, chewing, swallowing, and blowing can help the tubes of ear canals to expand, contract and relax to release trapped water.
You can also try Valsalva maneuver by closing your nostril tightly and blow the air to regulate the air pressure that can help to force trapped water in the ear to drain out.
- Use of hot steam
You can stream bath your ears by inhaling the steam from hot boiled water in a pot while covering the head with a towel. Inhaling the steam for 15 minutes can make the water inside the ears to evaporate. Alternatively, you can take a hot shower that has the same effect of making water to evaporate from ears.
- Hot compress
You can get warm water, soak the washcloth and hot compress the affected area. The high temperature from hot compression can help to facilitate the evaporation of water from the ear.
- Olive oil
Placing few drops of olive oil can help the trapped water from the ear to drain out. Use the dropper to put few drops of olive oil into your ear and tilt your head to allow water and olive oil to drain out of the ear canals.
- Apple cider vinegar
You can put few drops of diluted apple cider vinegar in your ear to facilitate the draining of water and excess earwax out of the ear. Apple cider vinegar has the ability to dissolve earwax that might trap water in the ear.
- Hydrogen peroxide solution
The diluted solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide can help to initiate the trapped water in the ears to drain out by dissolving the earwax that may trap water. Simple put few drops of the diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide into your ears by the help of a dropper. After 10minutes, tilt your head to drain water and earwax.
- Use of blow dryer
It is not easy to believe how to unclog ears from water by the use of a blow dryer. You can carefully use a blow dry to pass dry air over the ear to remove trapped water. Ensure the blow dryer has the lowest heat to avoid the burning of your skin.
How to Unclog Ears after Flying
how to unblock ear after flying
It’s natural to develop ear problem after flying due to change in altitude and pressure. You can make air traveling conformable by overcoming the problem of ear pains and temporary loss of hearing by learning how to equalize pressure in your ears after the flight.
There are several simple methods that you can use on how to make ears pop after the flying. The common ways to unclog ears after flight include swallowing, chewing, yawning and blowing your nose to unblock the sinus.
The process of chewing and swallowing can make the muscles that form the opening of the Eustachian tube to contract and relax. This can help to release the trapped air in the middle of the ear and equalize ear pressure to unclog the ear.
You can also unclog ears by getting something palatable and chew such as chewing gum or candies that can keep jaw moving as you fly and even after the fight. During the chewing process after the flight, ensure you accumulate a large volume of saliva in the mouth before you swallow. Swallowing large volume of saliva can help to pop the blocked ears.
Yawning and blowing is more effective to pop out and unblock the ears after the flight. You can open wide your mouth to allow air to rush into your lungs and release it. Alternatively, practice Valsalva maneuver by closing your nostril tightly by using the hand and blow air inside your nose to until you hear a pop sound.
Further References:
- how to unclog the ears from was: https://www.top10homeremedies.com/how-to/get-rid-clogged-ears.html
- how to unclog a blocked ear: https://www.wikihow.com/Unclog-a-Clogged-Ear
- how to unclog ear from congestion: http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/home-remedies-to-treat-ear-congestion/
- blocked ear causes: https://www.medicinenet.com/eustachian_tube_problems/article.htm
- how to unclog the ears from water: https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-get-water-out-of-your-ear
- how to unblock ears after the flying: http://www.entnet.org/content/ears-and-altitude
