Table of contents:
- What causes congestion?
- 1. Earwax builds up
- 2. Heard a loud voice
- 3. Middle ear infection (otitis media)
- 4. Meniere's disease
- 5. Signs of tinnitus
- 6. Acoustic neuroma
- 7. Flu
- 8. Being in a certain place
- 9. Ear enter a foreign object
- How to deal with ear congestion?
- 1. Compress the ear with warm water
- 2. Take decongestants
- 3. Drip baby oil or essential oil into the ear
- 4. Tilt your head or use hair dryer
- 5. Perform the Valsalva maneuver or passive technique
Ear congestion is a disorder of the ears that can be caused by various things, such as taking in water to being in a certain place. This condition can also be a sign of ear disease. So, what are the causes of ear congestion and how to deal with it? Check out the explanation below.
What causes congestion?
In addition to hearing difficulties, ear congestion or bindeng can cause buzzing, pain, dizziness, fullness in the ears, and balance disorders. These symptoms can appear slowly or suddenly.
Some of the conditions that cause ear bindeng, namely:
1. Earwax builds up
The most common cause of ear bindeng is accumulated earwax. In fact, earwax (cerumen) which forms from wax in the ear helps protect the ear from infection. When you chew, talk, or yawn, the wax will move from the inner ear to the outer ear. This makes the wax dry and flaky.
Clean the ears using a cotton bud, will usually push the highlight deeper into the ear. This habit can cause buildup and is more difficult to clean. Over time, the buildup of wax can clog your ears and make your ears muffled.
2. Heard a loud voice
Muffling ears can also be caused by loud noises. This can happen when you hear a passing sound earphones, go to a concert, hear factory noises, or hear explosions.
3. Middle ear infection (otitis media)
Apart from the accumulation of dirt, otitis media is also a common cause of ear congestion, usually in children and babies. This condition causes the middle ear to become inflamed due to a buildup of fluid or an infection.
4. Meniere's disease
Meniere's disease is an ear disorder that can cause permanent damage. Symptoms include impaired hearing, ringing in the ears, vertigo, and the ears feel full due to pressure.
5. Signs of tinnitus
When you feel congested ears accompanied by ringing (hissing, whistling, clicking, whistling, buzzing) in the ears, this could be a symptom of tinnitus. This occurs because the ear hears loud noises to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
6. Acoustic neuroma
Acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that develops on the cranial nerves that lead from the ear into the brain. These tumors are usually slow growing and small in size.
However, over time these tumors can become large and will put pressure on the inner ear nerves. This pressure can later make the ears feel clogged, the hearing decreases, and the ears feel buzzing.
7. Flu
Normally, mucus is made by membrane cells that flow from the nose to the lungs to keep moisture and filter out waste when you inhale. However, when the flu, there is a change in the mucus. The influenza virus infects the ear and can cause a buildup of fluid, mucus, and pressure in the ear.
This excess fluid and mucus clogs the eustachian tube that connects the middle ear to the throat. Fluid and mucus that should flow down the throat actually gets trapped in the middle ear and plugs the ear.
8. Being in a certain place
Ear congestion can also be caused by changes in environmental pressure that occur rapidly, as a result, affecting the closure of the eustachian tube, known as barotrauma.
When this pressure difference occurs, the body will try to adapt. Together with the ear drum, the eustachian tube helps equalize external pressure with the middle ear and outer ear. It is this adjustment that results in the eustachian tube having to close, as a result of which people feel clogged in their ears.
9. Ear enter a foreign object
A foreign object that gets into the ear can also cause the ear to feel clogged. This condition can occur in young children who put things in their ears out of curiosity or dare to follow what they see.
How to deal with ear congestion?
Before trying various ways to treat a blocked ear, you should first need to know what causes it. This condition is easy to treat yourself at home, but some of the causes can only be treated with medication if it is related to certain medical problems.
Here are some options for treating ear congestion:
1. Compress the ear with warm water
Warm temperatures can thin the mucus that builds up in the ears and dilate blood vessels. As a result, blood flow and oxygen supply can more easily reach parts of the body that are sick. This helps the muscles relax and reduce pain.
Here's how you can follow:
- Soak a clean washcloth in lukewarm (40-50 degrees Celsius) water
- Wring it out until it's damp
- Hold it in the ear for 5-10 minutes
The warm compress should not be used for more than 20 minutes at a time, and do not place it on the ear if it looks swollen.
2. Take decongestants
In addition to hot compresses, ear congestion due to flu or colds can also be relieved by decongestant drugs. This medication is able to reduce the constriction of blood vessels in the nose while reducing swelling of the mucous membranes and pressure on the ears.
Apart from being sick, this medicine can be taken to prevent blockage of the ears during long flights. It is best to take this medicine one hour before a flight and after a flight.
3. Drip baby oil or essential oil into the ear
source: healthline.com
Drying and accumulating earwax can clog your ears and cause itching. If this happens, you can get rid of the congestion by shedding it baby oil, olive oil, or glycerin in your ears.
Here's how you can do it:
- Heat the oil on a spoon
- Once warm enough, transfer the oil to the dropper
- Tilt your head and drop the oil from the dropper into your ear
- Hold the posture for 10 to 15 seconds
- Do this several times over the course of five days, until the clogged ear is relieved.
4. Tilt your head or use hair dryer
After swimming, your ears often get drenched in water. This condition makes the ears wet and sometimes becomes blocked. Wet ears can be the best nest for bacteria. To prevent infection, you should dry your ears quickly.
You can tilt your head for a while. Changing the direction of your head can bring clogged water out of the ears.
If that does not work, position your body to lie down. Then, place your ear on the towel (side sleeping position). Do this for a while until the water comes out of your ear.
If you don't have time to lie down, you can use a blow dryer. Air and heat from hair dryer can dry out the water so that the ears are not wet or clogged again.
5. Perform the Valsalva maneuver or passive technique
Another way to treat ear congestion is the Valsalva maneuver. First, take a deep breath while pinching your nostrils with your fingers. Gently exhale the air from your mouth.
Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, you can also practice passive techniques, namely, by chewing gum or drinking water. Passive techniques can help the blocked eustachian tube open, thereby reducing pressure on the blocked ear.
