A feeling of fullness in one or both ears can be caused by a variety of problems. Most often, the cause of this problem is sharp drop pressure, water getting into the ears or the formation of wax plugs. Another common cause of this problem is a viral runny nose that occurs during a cold. In this case, in addition to such troubles as fever, cough, runny nose and sore throat, noise and a feeling of congestion in the ears are added. It often happens that this happened. and how to treat these symptoms, read on.
A symptom called “stuffy ear” occurs due to swelling eustachian tube. This common problem, since all ENT organs (nose, ears and throat) are located quite close to each other, especially in young children. The Eustachian tube serves as a kind of “connecting link” between the nasal cavity and the middle ear. When the infection spreads to the auditory tube, the pressure between the nose and ear is equalized, which leads to a feeling of discomfort.
Ear congestion that occurs during a cold is a problem that requires timely treatment. Without this, it is possible to develop such unpleasant complication, like otitis media.
This symptom may be accompanied by additional problems such as:
As night approaches, mild pain and fever may develop. This problem will not go away on its own even after other symptoms of the disease disappear. This means that you need to determine the cause of the problem as soon as possible and begin treatment. To do this, you need to contact an otolaryngologist, since such ear problems can lead to hearing impairment in the future.
The cause of the symptom or viral infection It’s not just swelling of the auditory tube. Often additional reasons become a wax plug in the ear or mucus from the nose into the auditory tube. Another, more serious cause is inflammation of the facial nerve. The pain can “migrate”, creating an additional feeling of discomfort and congestion in the ears.
A deviated nasal septum provokes a tendency to “blocked” ears with each seasonal cold.
The main reasons causing this problem may be:
Only an otolaryngologist can determine the exact cause of ear congestion after a comprehensive diagnosis. First of all, you need to eliminate the underlying problem, which in this case becomes a viral or bacterial infection.
A comprehensive diagnosis for a feeling of congestion in the ears necessarily includes examination with an otoscope. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe additional tests, including an audiogram and tympanometry. This allows you to assess the condition of the eardrum, excluding its perforation or scarring.
Treatment should be started as early as possible to prevent complications such as otitis media or the development of hearing loss.
If the feeling of stuffiness is caused by cerumen, the doctor will perform a special rinse to help remove it quickly and painlessly. If water gets into your ears, you can carefully remove it using cotton swabs. If your ears often become blocked during a cold due to a congenital or acquired deviated nasal septum, you may need surgical correction this defect. In addition, if you are prone to ear congestion, you should additionally use earplugs before traveling on an airplane.
To relieve this symptom, you first need to use drugs that eliminate nasal congestion, primarily intended to reduce swelling. To do this, use 2 groups of simple and safe drugs, which can be used even by small children. These should be:
It is important to remember that vasoconstrictor drops for ear congestion should be instilled into the nose. In combination with saline solutions for rinsing the nose, this helps relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa and remove mucus.
Vasoconstrictor drops should not be used for longer than 5–7 days to avoid “withdrawal syndrome.”
If this is not enough to eliminate the feeling of discomfort in the ears, the doctor may prescribe:
Additionally, the doctor may prescribe the use of warm compresses. This is done in order to protect the auricle from hypothermia and accidental injury. But compresses can be used only if there is no purulent discharge from the ear.
Folk remedies help get rid of, which can be an addition to drug treatment prescribed by an otolaryngologist. But you should definitely consult a doctor. This is especially important when it comes to putting something in the ears or rinsing the outer ear.
Any ear warming can be done only if there is no high temperature or purulent discharge.
The most effective methods that can be used at home can be:
There are many simple and effective exercises that can relieve the feeling of stuffiness in the ears. For example it could be:
Such simple gymnastics, which help to quickly cope with unpleasant sensations, should be done several times a day. But it is important not to “overdo it,” as this may lead to ear pain instead of the desired relief.
- this is a sign that inflammation or swelling of the nasal mucosa during a runny nose has spread to the inner ear, or more precisely to the cavity of the auditory tube. To get rid of it, you must restore normal nasal breathing. Simply put, you can cure the feeling of stuffiness in the ear during a cold only at the same time as a runny nose.
Carefully follow all doctor's orders in combination with special exercises, performed at home, will help you quickly get rid of discomfort and speed up recovery.
Perhaps every person has felt stuffy ears at least once. This phenomenon very often occurs during pressure changes, during movement in transport, when immersed in water, ascent or descent from a certain height.
Of course, such ear congestion does not entail dangerous consequences and does not pose a risk to human health. This is rather a natural reaction of the body to changes in pressure. This unpleasant sensation usually goes away on its own in just a few minutes. However, there are situations where ear congestion is a sign of a serious illness.
Very often this feeling occurs not only against the background of a certain illness, but also as a result negative impact some external factors. That is why it is important to first seek advice from specialists, and only then use unconventional methods therapy.
Before you begin treating ear congestion, you need to understand why this phenomenon occurs and what exactly this condition is expressed in. It is worth noting that similar phenomenon not considered uncommon in medical practice. With congestion, other symptoms may occur, such as noise, ringing, a feeling of heaviness in the head, and in some cases, pain.
When the ears are clogged, sounds may be perceived with some difficulty, but own voice begins to sound like someone else's. There are situations when ear congestion causes deafness for a certain period of time. If this phenomenon arose as a result of the development of pathology, then it is necessary to direct therapy to eliminate the underlying disease. IN in this case means may also be appropriate alternative medicine.
If discomfort are accompanied by discharge from the ear canal and pain, you should immediately contact a specialist. In this case, there is a risk that congestion arose as a result of the development of an inflammatory process. A similar condition is very often observed or rhinitis.
Ear congestion often occurs as a result of some substance or foreign body entering the ear canal. In addition, stuffy ears can be a sign of dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint. It is worth noting that this type of pathology can be successfully treated with various medical supplies, but only if you contact specialists in a timely manner.
In this article we will present some methods of alternative medicine that allow you to get rid of ear congestion, but only in cases where such a phenomenon does not pose a danger and is not considered one of the signs of any pathology.
1. The first way to deal with congestion is very simple. You can try to yawn or swallow saliva. As a result, congestion should go away almost immediately. If this method does not help, then you can resort to a more complex one.
2. 
Infections or severe colds can block the Eustachian tubes. A warm compress on the affected ear helps open blocked ear canals. Immerse a thick face towel in a bowl of warm water. Now press excess water and fold the towel several times until it forms a tight ball. Place warm compress behind the blocked ear and hold for several minutes. Repeat the process until you get relief.
3. A cold can cause catarrh, or thick mucus that accumulates in the eustachian tubes. Steam inhalations will help thin thick mucus and clear clogged ear canals. Place a saucepan containing about half a liter of hot water on the table. Add three drops eucalyptus oil V hot water. Lower your head 30 cm from the surface of the solution, cover with a large towel to retain steam. Inhale the healing vapors deeply through your nose. After each session steam inhalations Blow your nose thoroughly to clear congestion.
4. Drip warm olive oil into the affected ear with an eye dropper, this is an inexpensive way to remove wax and open blocked ear canals. Use a cotton swab to gently remove softened exudate or earwax.
5. Accumulation of earwax deep in the ear canal can lead to excruciating pain and swelling. Rinsing the inner ear canal with warm water helps soften the earwax, thereby allowing it to be easily removed. Heat half a cup of water in a saucepan. Pour warm water into a bowl. Use a sterile syringe (after removing the needle) to draw up 3-4 ml warm water. Tilt your head and insert the tip of the syringe into the hole in your ear. Now pour warm water into the ear canal. Let the warm water remain in your ear for five minutes. Tilt your head in the opposite direction so that the water and earwax gently flowed out of the ear canal.
6. Dissolve one and a half teaspoons table salt in a glass of warm water and gargle. The expected effect is relief of nasal passages and ear congestion.
7. Drink hot liquids. Drinking plenty of warm liquids can help loosen thick mucus inside the ear canal and also provide relief from nasal congestion. Hot drinks such as broths, herbal teas and hot milk can help relieve clogged ears. Ideally, you should drink hot drinks every few hours to reduce swelling and pain in the ear canal due to mucus buildup.
8. Oil tea tree famous for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, especially . To relieve sinusitis, which can lead to ear complications, a few drops of tea tree oil can help relieve the ear canal. Gently heat two teaspoons of coconut oil. Add three drops of pure tea tree oil to warm Coconut oil. Use a dropper to place a few drops of this medicated oil into your ear canal. Leave the tea tree oil mixture inside the outer ear canal for a few minutes. Remove excess oil using a clean ear stick.
This therapy will require anise seeds. The seed should be ground into powder and poured into a small container. A bottle or vial is perfect for these purposes. It should be borne in mind that anise seed powder should fill 1/4 of the total volume. The remaining volume must be filled with rosehip oil. After this, the container should be tightly closed and left to infuse for three weeks. In this case, the tincture should be shaken periodically.
The finished medicine should be used according to the following scheme: in the evening, before going to bed, you need to drip a few drops of the drug into each ear canal.
Often, ear congestion occurs in a person who has recently suffered purulent inflammation middle ear. This is not a sign of bad therapy. Not at all. Even after successful treatment similar disease may arise residual effects, which is usually expressed by ear congestion. In this case, it will help to cope with unpleasant sensations next drug alternative medicine.
To prepare it, you need 30 grams of propolis and 100 milliliters of 70% alcohol. Propolis must be thoroughly crushed with a knife and then placed in a small container. Alcohol should also be poured into the same container. The container with the tincture should be tightly closed and left to infuse in a dark but warm place for about 7 days. The preparation should be shaken regularly.
When the medicine is ready, it must be strained. Before using propolis tincture, experts recommend cleaning the ear canals. You should moisten a piece of gauze in the finished product, and then insert such a swab into your ear. This procedure must be carried out twice a day for several weeks.
If ear congestion occurs as a result of a foreign body entering the ear canal, then you can resort to the following trick. Of course, some objects are very difficult to get, and a similar phenomenon more often occurs with children who strive to stick small toys into their nose or ear. Therefore apply this method should be done with extreme caution. If you are not sure about own strength, then you should consult a doctor.
To take out foreign body from the ear canal, you can pour warm oil into the ear. For these purposes it is usually suitable sunflower oil, but you can also use propolis. After this, you need to douche with a stream of warm water. In this case, the water jet should not be very strong, and the water should not be too hot. If the foreign body is of organic origin, for example, an insect, then a few drops of warm oil will be enough, and it will come to the surface on its own. During the procedure, the patient must take horizontal position, while access to the ear being treated must be open.
If ear congestion is accompanied by slight inflammation, but without the release of pus, then geranium will help get rid of the unpleasant sensation. Simply roll up a leaf of this plant and carefully insert it into your ear. Experts recommend lightly mashing geranium greens before use.
If ear congestion occurs as a result of otitis media, then the following alternative medicine can be used. To prepare it, you need to take fresh onions and squeeze the juice out of them. After this, it should be diluted with vodka. In this case, the following proportions must be observed: into four parts onion juice You only need one part of vodka. The finished product can be used to instill ears several times a day: a few drops in the morning and evening. In addition, you can put a cotton wool with onion pulp wrapped in it in the ear canal. However, the data medicines strictly prohibited for purulent otitis media.
If you feel stuffy ears, then do not rush to self-medicate. After all, such an unpleasant sensation may be a sign of one of serious illnesses, for the treatment of which not only correct therapy is important, but also timeliness. If you have ear congestion, it is better to consult a doctor. This will avoid many unpleasant consequences.
The onset of a cold often contributes to the occurrence of unpleasant consequences in the body, such as ear congestion. The reason for this is considered to be a runny nose that appears in the body. Due to ear congestion, a person experiences some discomfort and some inconvenience. How to get rid of such unpleasant manifestations of a cold?
If you study carefully anatomical structure the human nasal cavity, you can see that it is closely connected with the auditory system. The existing Eustachian tube is precisely such a connecting link between the cavity of the middle ear and the pharynx.
Thanks to it, the pressure is equalized between the two different systems. When a person has a runny nose, the middle ear cavity also suffers.
Ear congestion can be caused by for various reasons. For example, this may be due to inflammation lymph nodes, during development in humans. These nodes are located in the nasopharynx area, filling its volume during inflammation by greatly enlarging it.
As a result of these changes, characteristic swelling is formed, which is the cause of ear congestion. Since there is some narrowing of the Eustachian tube leading to the cavity of the middle ear.
As a result of the resulting edema, pressure in the ear and nasopharynx does not normalize, due to which eardrum slightly changes its shape, bending inward. These changes create a feeling of congestion in the ears.
With the onset of a cold, the body weakens significantly the immune system, protecting the body from various pathogenic particles. As a result, the ear canals may become overcrowded with secretions. sulfur secretion playing a protective role. Excess wax secretions lead to the formation of wax plugs in the ear canals, which can lead to the development of ear swelling and ear congestion.
Congestion ear canals may cause the body to develop more than affecting an organ hearing and accompanied by purulent formations:
Congestion of the ear canals can also be caused by the penetration of viral particles into the body, leading to excessive production of mucus in the nasal cavity. Excess mucus produced leads to a runny nose and filling of the ear canals. At the same time, there is no proper air circulation through the ear canals and, as a result, congestion in the ears occurs.
As it develops, some congestion in the ears may also be felt:
Due to the existing close connection between the nasopharynx and ear canal, the resulting ear congestion requires an integrated approach to treatment. Among the great variety therapeutic techniques, used to get rid of ear congestion, the most common is the use of medications.
Modern pharmacy chains sell the following types of medicines in a wide range:
All of the above remedies should be used only after consulting a doctor, since many of them may have some side effect on the body.
The use of special compresses that can relieve the body of congestion in the ears is effective in most cases and has a long-term healing effect on the body.
Alcohol compresses prescribed by attending physicians are very popular. Such procedures help relieve congestion and restore the functioning of the hearing organ.
Preparing such a compress is quite simple:
Usage ear drops also beneficial in the treatment of ear congestion:
The use of these drugs in accordance with the prescribed doctor’s recommendations leads to a decrease in swelling in the nasopharynx and middle ear, as well as relief of the patient from. You should not get carried away with taking these drops after the onset of treatment, as this may contribute to the appearance of symptoms of addiction to them.
More information about treating ear congestion can be found in the video.
To cope with nasal congestion due to a runny nose, following special complex exercises. The simplest of these exercises is the following: gently pinch both nostrils with your fingers and try to exhale through your nose in this position. For this exercise to be effective, it should be repeated several times. Due to the pressure equalization that occurs, a person experiences a feeling of lack of congestion in the ear.
It helps relieve the feeling of congestion in the ears, which has a vasoconstrictor effect. The most popular of them are Naphthyzin and Sanorin. The action of these drops is based on the relief of emerging unpleasant symptoms nasal congestion and, as a consequence, leading to congestion of the ear itself.
You can cope with ear congestion at home. For example, the use of special massage exercises helps quick deliverance from this illness.
To do this, use your fingertips to gently massage your nose and ears for fifteen minutes. Then you should tilt your head slightly in different directions. At the end of this massage procedure, you need to inhale deeply through your mouth and hold your breath for a while, swallowing the air in your mouth. This massage is effective and easy for anyone to do.
Can be used to relieve congestion chewing gum, which should be chewed for a while or toffee. Inflating a balloon also relieves ear congestion. The integrated use of these exercises will promote recovery and restoration of hearing.
The human ear is a delicate instrument. The slightest deviation from normal operation there should be a healthy fear of this organ. Pain, discharge, congestion. If these factors occur simultaneously, you should immediately consult a doctor.
But sometimes the ear stops hearing, but there is no pain. How to treat ear congestion at home? With great care.
Ear blockage is not always due to illness or infection. It could be:
For each of these cases, invented traditional methods deliverance. Some are absurd, others work. In general, it would be better to go to the clinic. After all, any careless intervention can only bring harm.
Sometimes it is not possible to immediately get help from a specialist, but this happens. So we turn to the people's councils. Only instead of blindly following, we think logically and make adjustments for our own body.
Ear congestion occurs when wax plugs block the ear canal. Most people immediately run to cotton swabs and start picking inside, thereby only sealing the plug. This is absolutely forbidden to do! And even more so, it is forbidden to try to get rid of it by inserting matches or other sharp objects inside.
The procedure for safely removing any wax plug yourself:
You cannot inject peroxide from a syringe with pressure. Only careful instillation.
If you don’t have peroxide on hand, they do a great job with the problem. ear candles. They cost little and are sold in almost every pharmacy. We purchase, use strictly according to the instructions, and observe fire safety measures!
Traditional healers recommend pouring heated vegetable oil into the ear canal. Doctors view such executions with caution. Sulfur softens, but for a very long time. Yes, and then removing the resulting mixture is problematic. Who would like to have dirty oil leaking out of their ear from time to time? It’s aesthetically unpleasant, clothes and skin get dirty... Complete disadvantages.
If you have a mistrust of hydrogen peroxide, you should purchase a special solution at the pharmacy to soften sulfur. Sold without a prescription, does not cause complications, acts quickly and efficiently.
If all attempts to remove wax plugs yourself at home are futile, then only a trip to an otolaryngologist will help.
Advice. It is advisable to choose good specialist. There have been cases where, through negligence, a doctor damaged a patient’s eardrum with strong pressure from a syringe. Deafness does not occur, but chronic otitis media guaranteed for the rest of your life.
If water gets inside the ear canal, the ear can become blocked. It's painless, but not very pleasant. Sometimes jumping on one leg, with the head tilted towards the congestion, helps.
If there is no improvement, then carefully remove the remaining water with a cotton swab. Only from the edge. Then place a preheated cotton cloth on the pillow and lay the affected side on it for 30 minutes. Or small cotton pads are inserted into the ear canal. Excess moisture will be absorbed and congestion will disappear.
Advice. It is recommended to give your ear a good slap while jumping. Supposedly this way the liquid will pour out faster. Why waste time on trifles? Hit from the opposite side with all your heart - the water will fly out instantly! Just think, you are deaf and there is a ringing, but your ear will be dry.
Of course, no popping. This may damage the eardrum. Subsequently, in order to avoid such troubles, you should swim and dive with caution. You can use special earplugs.
It turns out that this is not just a common expression. Any small insect can accidentally crawl or fly into your ear. Small children can put a bead or button inside. What to do if there is a foreign object in the ear canal?
You will need a bright flashlight and long, thin tweezers with blunt tips. We shine a light in the ear, find an obstacle, and carefully pull it out.
It happens that an insect tries to hide from tweezers. This may cause pain. To avoid trouble, carefully pour 5 drops of any heated vegetable oil into the ear. You can also use any alcohol-free antiseptic. Miramistin has proven itself to be excellent. After 15 minutes, the insect will either crawl out on its own or suffocate. Then you can get it painlessly and quickly.
Advice. Cotton swabs are not originally intended for cleaning ears. A piece of fiber may remain inside, causing congestion or inflammation.
Ear congestion often occurs among those who like to travel or go to rock concerts. It would seem, from what? It's simple. The reason is a pressure drop or shock of sensory cells when loud sounds. Occurs when:
Even during a normal descent into the subway or ascent to a high bridge, sensitive people experience a similar problem.
How to treat ear congestion in this case? You can chew gum. The pressure should normalize. Regular yawning also helps.
But the most interesting method is shown to young artillery officers and railway school students. The method is a little surprising, but works great. It helps with gunfire from nearby and railroad workers (it's very noisy near trains). You need to open your mouth as wide as possible, move it forward a little lower jaw and try to move her. The congestion goes away almost instantly. And if you just open your mouth a little in advance, it won’t come at all.
For pressure changes, the actions are the same. If everything is done correctly, then characteristic quiet clicks will be heard in your head, similar to the gurgling of liquid.
Advice. You need to do the exercise carefully, move your mouth without fanaticism. Otherwise, you can get a dislocated jaw. It will be funny and awkward in front of the doctor who will correct this matter.
With a classic runny nose, ear congestion almost always occurs. There is no pain, but audibility suffers. What is the reason? In complete interconnection of the entire ear-nose-throat system. A runny nose causes swelling of the mucous membrane, which consequently compresses the Eustachian tube, which is designed to connect the nasopharynx with the middle ear. To release it, you need to relieve the swelling of the mucous membrane.
Nasal drops help, but not for long. There are several effective methods, which save very well in this case. Even regular warming of the nasal sinuses relieves swelling and relieves ear congestion.
Advice. Before pouring and spraying everything into your nose at home, stop and think - what will the result be? Maybe it would be safer to go to a therapist?
In world wide web there are many people's councils and any recommendations on how to treat ear congestion at home. What's not there! Boric alcohol, horseradish, radish, put a hot brick on the ear... The most popular advice is to bury it.
Is the ear a toilet? Is it really possible to thoughtlessly pour in everything that catches your eye or your hands? It won't take long for you to go deaf. And burn it delicate skin or damaging your eardrum is as easy as shelling pears.
What do people think when they splash a strong solution of potassium permanganate into the ear canal? Moreover, under strong pressure from a syringe. This can only be done when new ears are available. And this is from the category of fantasy.
Blow the balloons through a thin straw, so at least no harm will happen. But the congestion may go away. Or are your hands really itching to stuff something into your ear canal the old fashioned way? Limit yourself to small things: rub a fresh geranium leaf with your fingers, carefully place it in your ear and cover it with a piece of cotton wool.
Sometimes with increased or decreased blood pressure dull noise in the ears occurs. Many people think that this is a pawning. And it's very easy to distinguish. Almost always, such pseudo-disease is accompanied by spots before the eyes, dizziness, and weakness. Have you found these signs in yourself? Do not touch the ear canals, measure your own pressure.
If the eardrum was previously damaged, then there is a hole left in it. Through this canal, so much “good” from the prescriptions of home-grown otolaryngologists can get into the middle ear that you will then jump on the wall in pain. And a real ENT doctor will write out dozens of prescriptions, trying to ease your fate.
Most perform any actions in the ear canal cotton swabs. Although the packaging clearly states: not intended for ears. It's hard to argue, they are very convenient for hygiene. It is preferable to choose sticks with limiters. Then it will be difficult to harm yourself.
If you have an irresistible desire to experiment on the organs of hearing, try the most harmless of them. It’s better to go to the doctor for medicine than to choose the right hearing aid later.
A cold can unsettle even the most resistant person for several days, but if it also causes a stuffy ear due to a runny nose, the onset of recovery is delayed indefinitely. And the patient’s condition leaves much to be desired.
People often complain not only about ear congestion, but also about the appearance acute pain or even deafness. All these are signs of otitis media, a disease that should not be joked with.
What causes ear congestion during a runny nose: causes All ENT organs are interconnected. The Eustachian tube, which is part of the ear, opens into the nasopharynx.
Normally, air constantly circulates in it and the same level of pressure is maintained in all parts of the hearing aid.
But with a runny nose, air circulation in the Eustachian tube becomes difficult and a pressure difference arises between the inner and outer ear.
This is explained by the spread of swelling from the nasal mucosa to the ear canals, which as a result narrow, which reduces their capacity.
The situation is aggravated when inflammation of the nasal mucosa occurs; under the influence of certain factors, mucus formed in large quantities can be drawn into the Eustachian tube.
Its accumulation in it, as well as retraction into the eardrum, causes a feeling of stuffiness in the ears, sometimes with dizziness, nausea and darkness in the eyes. More often this happens when nose blowing hygiene is violated.
If the patient tries to blow both nostrils at the same time, making great efforts to do this, due to high pressure mucus infected with microorganisms can penetrate the Eustachian tube and provoke the onset of an inflammatory process in it.
To avoid such consequences, you should learn to blow your nose correctly:
press one nostril to the nasal septum with a finger; Blow your nose through the free nostril with medium force.
These rules should be followed even if only one nostril is blocked. Besides, in similar cases snot often does not clear well due to swelling of the mucous membrane.
To make it easier to blow your nose, you can lie on your side for a short time before the procedure, so that the clogged nostril is on top. This will help remove mucus from the swollen nasal passage, making it easier to blow your nose later.
If you still have a runny nose and stuffy ears, you need to start treatment as soon as possible while the inflammation is in initial stage. Subsequently, it can develop into full-fledged otitis or tubo-otitis.
IN similar situations patients will be annoyed by:
constant or “shooting” pain in the ears, interfering with normal sleep; irritability; hearing impairment; increased body temperature, which often leads to headaches; purulent discharge from the ears (in severe cases).
It is possible to determine whether otitis has developed quite simply; to do this, press your finger on the tragus (the protrusion on the auricle above the opening of the ear canal, adjacent to the face).
If such actions provoke increased pain, this is considered sure sign otitis
Interestingly, ear congestion can be caused not only by viral or bacterial rhinitis and sinusitis, but also by a runny nose of an allergic nature.
Also, discomfort of this kind is often observed when the throat hurts, but the cough cannot be the cause of ear congestion.
This is explained by the fact that if you have a sore throat sore tonsils significantly increase in volume and can provoke swelling of surrounding tissues. All this can lead to difficulty in the passage of air through the Eustachian tube.
In children, such problems arise much more often than in adults, because a child’s ear canals are much wider than an adult’s.
And given that children are more susceptible to all sorts of colds, there are more reasons for the contents of the nasal cavity infected with microbes to be thrown into the hearing organs.
What to do if your ears are blocked due to a runny nose?
If your ear is blocked due to a runny nose, the first thing to do is consult a doctor - therapist or otolaryngologist.
This is necessary, since otitis media can provoke the development of deafness, which, in the absence of timely treatment, can persist for the rest of life.
It is especially important to ask for medical care if hearing loss is initially observed. Will it be right ear, left ear or both – the question is not fundamental.
IN different situations the doctor prescribes various drugs, but the list of what you should not do if your ears are very blocked is the same in all cases. So, it is strictly prohibited:
use any sharp objects to try to clean the ear; use salt or soda solutions to rinse the ear canal; visit the bathhouse, sauna and other similar places with elevated temperature air; perform any warming procedures as part of self-medication, especially in the presence of purulent discharge.
If your ears are blocked due to a runny nose: how to treat?
How to treat otitis media depends on the causes of its occurrence. Most often it is a consequence of bacterial rhinitis.
In such situations, the doctor may prescribe:
Ear drops with antibiotics (Otipax, Sofradex, Otinum, Garazon, A-Cerum, etc.). Some of them contain lidocaine, that is, an anesthetic component that helps eliminate pain and relax peacefully.
But they are contraindicated if the integrity of the eardrum is damaged, so only a doctor can prescribe such drugs after an examination.
Vasoconstrictors (Naphthyzin, Galazolin, Xylometazoline, Nazol, Noxprey, Otrivin, etc.). Such drugs are intended for direct administration into the nose.
They help eliminate swelling of the nasal mucosa, which facilitates the process of removing mucus.
Therefore, it is less likely to penetrate the Eustachian tube and provoke worsening inflammation in it.
After introduction vasoconstrictor drops patients usually note relief of their condition due to equalization of pressure in the ENT organs. But you can use them no longer than 5–7 days.
Rinsing the nose with saline solutions (Marimer, Aquamaris, Physiomer, No-salt, saline, Dolphin, Humer, etc.). Similar procedures help cleanse nasal cavity from excess mucus and soften dry crusts, which also leads to equalization of pressure in the ears and nose.
If the disease occurs in a child preschool age, then you should not experiment with rinsing, since violation of the rules for their implementation can contribute to the spread of infection from the nose to the ears.
Therefore, it is better for children to instill saline solutions into the nasal passages, 2-3 drops several times a day.
But even if ear congestion is a consequence allergic rhinitis, simply removing the allergen is not enough. This will only be enough to eliminate a runny nose, but will not affect inflammation in the middle ear in any way, so in such cases you should also use medications to eliminate it.
If the problem arose during pregnancy, contacting an otolaryngologist is mandatory. The doctor will select the most safe medicines that will not harm the developing fetus.
Treatment is often supplemented by the use of physiotherapeutic methods:
warming up with a Minin reflector, aka “ Blue lamp"; exposure to microcurrents; electrophoresis; UHF therapy; pneumomassage of the eardrums, etc. If otitis has not yet manifested itself, but congestion is present, it will be sufficient to rinse the nasal passages with saline solutions and use vasoconstrictors. These procedures are described above. The use of folk remedies
There are many recipes traditional medicine, promising rapid relief and recovery from otitis media. But many of them are at least useless, while others are dangerous.
Here are some of the most secure and effective ways home treatments:
Alcohol bath. The person lies down on the healthy ear so that the diseased one is on top. 6 drops of warm alcohol (approximately 37°C), previously diluted with water in equal proportions, are instilled into it.
This position should be maintained for 20 minutes, after which you should allow the alcohol to flow freely from the ear, bending in the opposite direction, and cover the ear canal with cotton wool.
Tincture of calendula. You can buy it at the pharmacy or prepare it yourself at home from 2 tbsp. l. dried calendula flowers and 500 ml of alcohol or vodka. The mixture is infused for 2 weeks in a dark place.
The tincture is used for instillation of 2 drops into the ear canal. twice a day or soaking compresses.
The bandage is folded several times, soaked in the product and placed on the ear overnight. Cover the top of the compress with film and a towel or something similar.
How to quickly relieve ear congestion during a runny nose?
Often, when there is a change in pressure, for example, while flying on an airplane or when sharply descending down a mountain, the ears become blocked. To normalize the pressure in the Eustachian tube, you can try:
breathe in more air; hold your nose with your hand, but not too much; Blow air carefully, without much effort.
The same should be done when there is a runny nose and stuffy ears. But you can’t blow too hard, as this will make the situation worse.
Chewing gum helps many people because it increases air circulation in the eustachian tube. Also, to normalize the condition, you can try to open your mouth wide, or better yet, yawn.
However, these methods can only be regarded as emergency funds to eliminate discomfort.
If, after using them, the problem soon returns, this is a reason to contact a specialist to determine the exact cause of the violation.
If your ears are blocked after a runny nose: what to do?
Sometimes it happens that rhinitis has already passed, but discomfort in the ears still persists. This is explained by the fact that it takes slightly longer to restore the outer membranes of the Eustachian tube than to fight a runny nose.
To cope with the situation and eliminate discomfort, you can get a massage. To do this, gently massage the wings of the nose and the area behind the ears for a quarter of an hour.
Sometimes what clogged the ear after suffering an acute respiratory infection can be a sign of the formation of cerumen, since in some people, especially against the background of decreased immunity, sulfur is formed in increased quantities.
In such situations, you should contact an ENT specialist; the doctor will quickly and painlessly rinse the ear canal using a special device, and the discomfort will disappear.
Otherwise, the problem threatens to develop into otitis media, and then purulent otitis media, which can cause:
inflammation trigeminal nerve; acute and chronic eustacheitis; partial or total loss hearing
Thus, ear congestion is quite unpleasant phenomenon, requiring attention. If it occurs against the background of a runny nose and does not go away within a few days, you should definitely consult a doctor.
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The onset of a cold often contributes to the occurrence of unpleasant consequences in the body, such as ear congestion. The reason for this is considered to be a runny nose that appears in the body. Due to ear congestion, a person experiences some discomfort and some inconvenience. How to get rid of such unpleasant manifestations of a cold?
Causes of stuffy ears
If you carefully study the anatomical structure of the human nasal cavity, you can see that it is closely connected with the auditory system. The existing Eustachian tube is precisely such a connecting link between the cavity of the middle ear and the pharynx.
Thanks to it, the pressure between two such different systems is equalized. When a person has a runny nose, the middle ear cavity also suffers.
Ear congestion can be caused by various reasons. For example, this may be due to inflammation of the lymph nodes, when a person develops acute respiratory diseases. These nodes are located in the nasopharynx area, filling its volume during inflammation by greatly enlarging it.
As a result of these changes, characteristic swelling is formed, which is the cause of ear congestion. Since there is some narrowing of the Eustachian tube leading to the cavity of the middle ear.
As a result of the resulting edema, the pressure in the ear and nasopharynx does not normalize, due to which the eardrum slightly changes its shape, bending inward. These changes create a feeling of congestion in the ears.
With the onset of a cold, the body's immune system, which protects the body from various pathogenic particles, is significantly weakened. As a result, the ear canals can be overcrowded with wax secretion, which plays a protective role. Excess wax secretions lead to the formation of wax plugs in the ear canals, which can lead to the development of ear swelling and ear congestion.
Congestion in the ear canals can cause the body to develop more dangerous disease, like otitis, affecting the organ of hearing and accompanied by purulent formations:
With the further spread of this disease, the most irreversible consequences for the body may occur. Therefore, it is very important to promptly identify the development of otitis media in the body and prescribe the correct treatment. The occurrence of otitis is accompanied by pulsating manifestations of pain felt in the ear cavity. A characteristic feature of these pain sensations is their gradual increase in the evening and night hours. All this can be accompanied by a sharp increase in body temperature, loss of appetite, dizziness, ear congestion, and even a decrease in hearing sensations. It is important not to start the development of the disease when these symptoms are detected in a person, but to immediately contact a medical institution for help.
Congestion of the ear canals can also be caused by the penetration of viral particles into the body, leading to excessive production of mucus in the nasal cavity. Excess mucus produced leads to a runny nose and filling of the ear canals. At the same time, there is no proper air circulation through the ear canals and, as a result, congestion in the ears occurs.
During development inflammatory processes on facial nerve, you may also feel some congestion in the ears:
Most often, a person feels this symptom on the side where the nerve is inflamed. The resulting congestion may be accompanied by a feeling of ear pain penetrating into the temporal area, cheeks and even chin. A person may feel numbness in some areas of the face. All of the above symptoms require immediate seeking help from medical institutions.
Treatment of ear congestion due to a runny nose
Due to the existing close connection between the nasopharynx and the ear canal, the resulting ear congestion requires an integrated approach to treatment. Among the wide variety of treatment methods used to relieve ear congestion, the most common is the use of medications.
Modern pharmacy chains sell the following types of medicines in a wide range:
Compresses Ear drops Complex exercises leading to pressure equalization Vasoconstrictor nasal medications Inhalers
All of the above remedies should be used only after consulting a doctor, since many of them may have some side effects on the body.
The use of special compresses that can relieve the body of congestion in the ears is effective in most cases and has a long-term healing effect on the body.
Alcohol compresses prescribed by attending physicians are very popular. Such procedures help relieve congestion and restore the functioning of the hearing organ.
Preparing such a compress is quite simple:
You need to take a certain amount of ethyl alcohol and distilled water. Then you need to mix both components of the compress together in equal quantities. Moisten a piece of gauze in the resulting alcohol solution and apply it to the sore ear. In this case, the auricle should be free. You should hold this compress for some time to realize its therapeutic effect in the ear. In order to enhance the effectiveness of the alcohol compress on the sore ear, you can cover the gauze with cotton wool or a plastic bag. It’s good if a person spends the night in this state, then restoration of his hearing is definitely guaranteed.
The use of ear drops is also beneficial in the treatment of ear congestion:
Otium drops, which are available for sale in many pharmacies, have an excellent therapeutic effect. They come with detailed instructions for use. The use of Sulfacyl sodium solution also helps relieve a person from nasal congestion. Its complex action can quickly kill pathogenic microorganisms that have entered the body. To eliminate ear congestion, doctors recommend using a solution of Rivanol or Risorcin, which leads to a decrease in inflammation of the mucous membrane. These ear drops have a comprehensive effect not only on the emerging symptoms of the disease, but also on the cause of their appearance - pathogenic particles.
The use of these drugs in accordance with the prescribed recommendations of a doctor leads to a reduction in swelling in the nasopharynx and middle ear, as well as relieving the patient of nasal congestion. You should not get carried away with taking these drops after the onset of treatment, as this may contribute to the appearance of symptoms of addiction to them.
More information about treating ear congestion can be found in the video.
Performing special complex exercises will help to cope with nasal congestion due to a runny nose. The simplest of these exercises is the following: gently pinch both nostrils with your fingers and try to exhale through your nose in this position. For this exercise to be effective, it should be repeated several times. Due to the pressure equalization that occurs, a person experiences a feeling of lack of congestion in the ear.
The use of special nasal drops that have a vasoconstrictor effect helps relieve the feeling of congestion in the ears. The most popular of them are Naphthyzin and Sanorin. The action of these drops is based on relieving the unpleasant symptoms of nasal congestion and, as a consequence, leading to congestion in the ear itself.
You can cope with ear congestion at home. For example, the use of special massage exercises helps to quickly get rid of this disease.
To do this, use your fingertips to gently massage your nose and ears for fifteen minutes. Then you should tilt your head slightly in different directions. At the end of this massage procedure, you need to inhale deeply through your mouth and hold your breath for a while, swallowing the air in your mouth. This massage is effective and easy for anyone to do.
You can use chewing gum, which should be chewed for a while, or toffee to relieve congestion. Inflating a balloon also relieves ear congestion. The integrated use of these exercises will promote recovery and restoration of hearing.
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