Question

emilyrose's avatar

How do I un-clog my ear?

Asked by emilyrose (906 points) | asked January 25th, 2008 | 10 responses | “Great Question” (0 points) | Flag as…

I have been kind of sick and I don’t know if it’s a cold, allergies, or whatever, but my right ear is clogged and now there is an annoying cracking sound when I eat. How do I unclog it? I tried sudafed and kind of overdosed on it already… i also already took a bunch of homeopathics

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Answers

PupnTaco's avatar

Homeopathics will do nothing, save your money. They’re simply placebos.

Unless you’re in pain, indicating infection, I’d just let gravity do its work. Rest with the ear pointing down; if it’s obstructed, it’ll clear.

Maverick's avatar

If its caused by water, you can tilt your head to the side that is clogged and hop on the opposite foot while shaking the other leg. I know, it sounds silly, but it always works. Of course, if its some type of blockage or caused by your sickness then all bets are off.

GD_Kimble's avatar

pour a tiny bit of hydrogen peroxide in your ear, and lay on your side for a little while. always works for my stuffy ears when my allergies/sinuses/cold symptoms flair up, rubbing alcohol works too.

skfinkel's avatar

If water gets in the ear, a swab of rubbing alcohol on a q-tip works well. Otherwise, for clogged ears from planes, I have found that Time, as in so many cases, cures the pain.

Zaku's avatar

Be careful about sticking any solid into your ear, even q-tips. Can be done safely, but you really don’t want to accidentally hurt your inner ear.

hearkat's avatar

Hi. I’m an Audiologist. I hope you have resolved this by now; but if not the best thing is to go to your Doctor.

Your problem may be a blockage of ear wax (which is what I suspect from your description), or it could be a build-up of pressure and/or fluid behind the eardrum (which is also possible if you have had nasal/sinus congestion). The only way to know for sure is to have someone look in there.

There are also other problems that can occur in the inner ear or along the auditory nerve that give the perception/sensation of fullness in the ear. If your Doctor does not find anything wrong with your outer or middle ear, then a comprehensive audiological evaluation should be ordered to properly assess the functioning of your ears.

kawaii_ninja's avatar

@GD Kimble – at first i thought you said pour acid or something into your ear…and i was like….WTF?!?!!? WOULDN’T THAT MAKE IT WORSE?!?!

But then i read your answer again and felt really stupid!

skeh0138's avatar

visit a physician, if it’s just blockage- it’s a simple procedeure, kind of link having a garden hose turned on inside your head but painless.

8lightminutesaway's avatar

i had the same thing you did a month or 2 ago. I went to see a doctor and they recommended some ear drops from cvs, and I went back a week later for a flu checkup. I had gotten the ear drops but they didn’t do anything for me. So they squirted warm water in my ear until this chunk of something came out. Felt really weird. someone had told me about the peroxide or rubbing alcohol thing but I was reluctant to try that.

Salty's avatar

I use hydrogen peroxide. Works every time. It dissolves wax, If it is really bad, it might take a few days to get it cleared. Also good to use for a head cold. Leave in ear for about 10 minutes on each side.

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