LPT Request: how to unblock your ear/keep them unblocked

Submitted by Eorlingas9 t3_118d44h in LifeProTips

Long story short, I've had a thing where I'll wake up and my right ear will be more waxy than normal for a while now. Usually it's very infrequent, is easily cleared in the shower, and goes away in a day or two.

Last week I went swimming for the first time in forever, and the next day it was blocked and wouldn't clear. Been using otex for four days now and have refrained from sticking anything in my ear but it really doesn't seem to be getting any better. Would really like to avoid having it syringed.

Anyone else suffer from this, or have any tips for keeping ears unblocked (especially after swimming)?

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TheMonsterWithinYou t1_j9gguq0 wrote

Go to a doctors office and just have them clean your ears with a ear lavage.

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amnotreallyjb t1_j9h1n6k wrote

You can buy the ones the doctors will use on Amazon for less than the doctors visit. I had an ear clog once and blue cross blue shield said it wasn't medically necessary to have it cleared by nurse so had to pay out of pocket.

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FoghornLegday t1_j9i1ljy wrote

Will they do it for you? I had a doctor who suggested I buy an ear thingy to do it myself but it’s too gross so I haven’t yet lol

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monksarehunks t1_j9gnevi wrote

I periodically get clogged ears due to inflammation in my jaw (I grind my teeth at night) that is worsened by wax buildup. First, try building up pressure in your ears by holding your nose & closing your mouth while breathing out. Build up the pressure slowly and only do enough to clear the blockage.

If that doesn’t work, try mixing warm water and hydrogen peroxide in a 50:50 solution. Lay down on your side and put about a teaspoon of the solution into the exposed ear. Wait for at least 3 minutes, then flip over and repeat on the other side. The trick is letting the warm water/peroxide loosen up the wax for a few minutes before draining it out.

Edit: These are solutions to two different problems. See comment below for details.

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nerdsonarope t1_j9i071l wrote

These are solutions to two completely different problems. The valsalva maneuver (holding your nose while blowing out from your nose) can equalize the air pressure in your middle ear, which is behind the ear drum. The warm water/peroxide helps with was build up in the outer ear, outside of the ear drum. There's no reason why both would be used for a single issue since they are unrelated problems and only one of these has any relevance to each problem.

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looj87 t1_j9gg08q wrote

Buy an ear syringe, fill with warm water and blast your ear with it every other week. My husband has this issue and the syringe keeps his wax down and ears clean.

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PrisonerV t1_j9ggvrp wrote

On Amazon they sell these squirt bottles so you have a lot of water to blast. I use one of those.

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rpmerf t1_j9giwl4 wrote

Just got one of those a couple weeks ago. Works a lot better than the syringe. So much easier, and a lot more water per blast.

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Embarrassed_Subject t1_j9gkvg5 wrote

Clinical pearl from a family doc I rotated with is using a couple drops of castor oil in your ear before you sleep. Place a towel over your pillow case to catch the mess. You can also try debrox which is found at most convenience stores

If you use earphones, make sure they are clean before using. But also avoid if possible. Same goes for Q tips. Most importantly though, see your primary doctor! You never know when something else could be going on. Way safer than trusting internet advice with your health

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Pac_Eddy t1_j9gjrr5 wrote

Buy a bottle of Debrox. You put some drops in your ear, let it sit for five minutes, then rinse out with a water squirter while in the shower.

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Polybutadiene t1_j9gn6p9 wrote

you can go to the doctor and they can flush your ear. its both incredibly refreshing and violating at the same time but its worth it.

and then just like flush your ears with diluted hydrogen peroxide once every few weeks to keep them fairly cleaned out.

i have to do that because i also have waxy ears. mine is softer and seems to compact a fair amount though. your results may vary

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rpmerf t1_j9gt3p9 wrote

Something that might help is an otoscope - an ear inspection camera. They have ones on Amazon for about $20 that will connect to your phone.

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IamNotTheMama t1_j9h0vzk wrote

I use a baby nose clearing syringe, squirt into each ear a few times, go back and squirt again alternating ears and poof the wax comes out!

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birtybots t1_j9kzw0s wrote

Pull down and back on your ear in a kinda circular motion, it's a massage/chiropractic trick, it'll help break the seal, also laying on the side that's blocked to let gravity do it's job.

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[deleted] t1_j9l02b7 wrote

Eat spicy food. I eat indian food anytime my stuff starts tp feel clogged. Tbh if i sneeze my first tbought is tikka masala. Should loosen that stuff up and allow it to drain better.

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Klin24 t1_j9gqe7r wrote

I'd go get them checked out by a doctor.

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Paladimathoz t1_j9gsfdx wrote

Do not flush your own ears you can perforate your ear drum. Look up microsuction, put olive oil in your ear two drops once a day for a week then go. They'll take out the excess wax and give you advice on how to avoid repeating it.

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IamNotTheMama t1_j9h126i wrote

I received exactly the opposite instructions from my Dr, flushing is great

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tardigrade-munch t1_j9gfy9p wrote

Olive oil. You buy it small bottles to drip into your ear and it will break down excess wax build up. Takes a while though

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