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How to Improve Circulation to the Inner Ear

The inner ear aids your body with hearing and balance functions. A labyrinth of semi-circular tubes filled with fluid and nerve endings—connecting to your brain—make up the inner ear. Both ears have an inner ear, each provides hearing on that side of your body and balance instructions for each side of your body. Hearing loss, ringing in the ears and dizziness, are the most common medical conditions of the inner ear. Less common conditions include growths—inner ear tumors—and viral or bacterial inner ear infections.

Improved circulation may help enhance the effectiveness of other medical treatments for inner ear conditions.

Things You'll Need

  • Hearing protection
  • Wash cloth
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Instructions

  1. Get Your Blood Flowing

    • 1

      Limit your use of tobacco, alcohol, recreational drugs and certain prescription drugs. All of these substances can cause blood vessel restriction, blood pressure problems and irregular heartbeat conditions. Using tobacco, alcohol and recreational drugs also weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to viruses and infections that could settle in your inner ear.

    • 2

      Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight puts you at risk for heart disease, which decreases circulation to your entire body, and also puts you at risk for diabetes, which destroys tiny blood vessels like the ones in your ears.

    • 3

      Get regular exercise. Exercise increases blood flow to your extremities and reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke.

      Some people who suffer a stroke will develop stroke-related tinnitus and hearing loss.

    • 4

      Wear hearing protection when you're exposed to loud noise. Loud noises damage the tiny nerve endings of the inner ear. Damaged nerve endings will slowly die, lessening the amount of blood flow to your inner ears. By protecting your hearing nerves you'll also protect the circulation reaching your inner ears.

    • 5

      Use warm compresses on the back of your ears. Your inner ear is deep in the skull behind your ear. By placing a warm moist wash cloth behind your ear and holding it there until cooled, you will stimulate circulation to that area. Heat relaxes your muscles, blood vessels and tissues. Make sure the water you're using is warm—not too hot—and do this as often as you like.

    • 6

      Practice relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation. Stress restricts circulation and weakens your immune system. When under a lot of stress you may notice you don't hear as well or feel off balance. Reducing stress in your life or learning how to release and cope with stress, can increase circulation to your ears.

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