How to Get Rid of a Stuffy Ear

A stuffy ear can be painful and annoying. It affects your ability to hear and your comfort level. The cause behind a stuffy ear could be earwax buildup. It could be the result of a cold. If you are in an airplane when it happens, it could be the result of the high altitude. Here are some ways to get rid of a stuffy ear.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• ENT Doctor
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Olive Oil

1. Take medicine. If your stuffed ear is due to a cold, you might want to try a decongestant. A decongestant, such as Sudafed, can be found over the counter. It treats a stuffy nose, but a stuffy nose might also be causing your ears to be stuffy. Also, over-the-counter medicines that treat allergies might be helpful. Ask your doctor or friends, or look online for some medications that can relieve allergy symptoms.

2. If you suspect the stuffy ears to be caused by earwax, use olive oil. Warm up the olive oil to a little above the body temperature and pour a few drops in the ear. The olive oil will dissolve the wax that has built up inside your ear. Afterward, tilt your head to let the olive oil come out. Then wash out your ear using warm water.

3. Use hydrogen peroxide. Put a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ear using an eardrop. Then wash out your ear with warm water. This should also wash out the earwax. Make sure you do not have an infection in your ear before you complete this step. Hydrogen peroxide will make the infection worse.

4. Try ear-candling. This is an old method of clearing earwax out of the ear. Get an ear-candle at a health store or on the Internet at earcandles.net. With ear-candling one end of the cone is placed near the inside of the ear, while the other end is lighted. The cone acts like a vacuum and pretty much sucks out all of the wax and debris in your ear. This gives a relief from the stuffy ear.

5. If none of the other remedies work, see an eye, nose and throat (ENT) doctor to find out what is causing your ears to be stuffy. He could also prescribe the right treatment for you.

Tips & Warnings

• Others have said that putting vinegar or baby oil in their ears have also worked to relieve symptoms of stuffy ears.
• If you feel uncomfortable doing any of the following treatments, get an expert to do it for you or go to the doctor immediately for treatment.
• There are some potential risks involved in ear candling that include burns to the ear, skin, and hair from the hot wax. There may also be obstruction of the ear canal due to wax dripping into the ear. Use caution when conducting the ear-candling.

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