my ears feel stuffed what can i do??!
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Hello:
This answer is in response to your question posted concerned your ears feeling stuffed up.
There is a finite number of things that can cause this feeling. The answer is a lot easier if the feeling is on both sides. 95 percent of cases of "stuffy ears" come from two things. Either congestion behind your eardrum coming from either allergies, a cold or other similar virus or impacted ear wax.
Because your throat and sinuses are connected to the back of your ear by the eustachian tube, sometimes congestion or mucous from your throat or sinuses can travel up the eustachian tube and because the ear drum is in the way, the fluid backs up behind the ear drum causing a feeling of stuffiness. Some of my patients say it feels like "being under water". A simple decongestant, like sudafed or actifed can alleviate the problem, however be careful with these over the counter drugs. They can raise your blood pressure if you have hypertension and they can either cause drowsines or sedation and sometimes hyperactivity. If you have sinus problems, getting rid of the sinus problems will usually get rid of the stuffiness behind your eardrums.
The second, is ear wax buildup in front of the eardrum. Some people are more likely to build up wax very quickly and this can cause the stuffy feeling you are experiencing. Only a physican can look inside your ear to see which of the two is occuring. If it is ear wax buildup, you will need to get your ear canals flushed out with warm water(never, never, never, ever cold water unless you want to pass out) with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide. The doctor will squirt the solution into the ear at high velocity. It is not painful but rather a really weird feeling and the best way to get the wax out is to put over the counter ear wax drops in your ears every night before going to bed and putting cotton in them to keep the solution in over night. If you do this for 3-4 days before your doctor appointment, then when he/she goes to flush it out, it will come right out on the first or second attempt, otherwise you will be getting flushed several times.
A good way to keep the wax from building back up if you are a wax producer, is when you are in the shower in the morning, pull your ear up and back which straightens out the ear canal and let the warm water hit you in the ear for about thirty seconds on each side. Doing this every day will help the wax from building up.
I hope this helped answer your question and alleviated some of your concerns.
Regards,
Warren B. Shaffer, M.D.
Other Answers:
Un stuff them.
chew gum or
put alcohol in them and soak then drain out after 30 seconds good luck!
It may be congestion in your middle ear, take a decongestant, that might help.
It's most likely swimmer's ear. You can buy ear drops for that.
Stop feeding them!______Don't use alcohol as was suggested. At least not by itself, it will dry your ears way too much. Mix 1 part alcohol, 1 part vinegar and 1 part peroxide and drop a few drops in each ear. This is essentially the same ingredients in store bought drops for swimmers ear. I was told this by a doctor many years ago and have used it ever since. It works great.
Terry
If you are having sinus issues, i.e., a cold, you just have to wait it out. Otherwise, you can go to an Urgent Care place and request an ear irrigation. Another option is getting some ear candles, which you can find at Whole Foods, Wild Oats and places like that. The ear irrigation works best, though.
When this happens to me I simply pinch my nostrils together and make as though I'm blowing my nose, with my mouth closed. this releases what feels like an air-pocket in the ear,and the sensation is relieved.
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