How Can I Stop My Ear From Being Clogged?

When your ears are clogged or stopped up, you may experience a variety of symptoms, such as pain in or behind your ears, a sensation of fullness in the ear canal or ringing in your ears. Noises around you and even your own voice generally sound noticeably muffled or distant when your ears are clogged. There are a few simple tricks you can use to help unclog your ears. However, while you may be able to treat occasional episodes of clogged ears on your own, recurring ear problems are generally a sign that you need medical advice and treatment.

Instructions

• 1

  Identify possible causes of your clogged ears. If you've had a cold or allergy problems recently, for example, your eustachian tubes may be obstructed. Other possible causes include an ear infection or wax buildup, or a recent airplane ride may have caused pressure to build up in your inner ear.

• 2

  Try to clear your eustachian tubes if you have persisting ear pressure problems after a flight or if you've had a cold. After inhaling deeply, close your mouth tightly, pinch your nostrils together and attempt to blow the air out through the closed airways. A popping or vacuum sound indicates that you've successfully cleared the stopped-up tubes. Yawning or chewing gum may also help.

• 3

  Remove wax buildup from your ear canal. Avoid using cotton swabs, which can damage your ear drum or push wax further into your ear. Instead, try to soften ear wax with a few drops of baby oil, hydrogen peroxide, glycerin or over-the-counter ear drops.

• 4

  Talk with your doctor if the problem persists. An ongoing problem with clogged ears may indicate that you need treatment for an ear infection. Your doctor may also recommend nasal spray, a decongestant or, in severe cases, tubes.