Ear congestion often appears to be a simple condition, but it can reduce the quality of life and can also lead to serious illnesses if neglected. Ear congestion, which is common in different age and gender groups, is a temporary condition that can cause permanent damage from time to time. The main reason for the blockage, which usually occurs after bathing, is that the dirt is pushed more towards the inner ear while trying to clean the inside of the ear with an ear stick. However, after the ear is blocked, the person may try to open the ear blockage with their own efforts instead of consulting a physician, which may lead to worse conditions. Over time, the blocked ear may lose its hearing. If the ear pain lasts for more than a week, accompanied by dizziness, nasal bleeding, pain and discharge symptoms, it is useful to be examined by a physician.
What is Ear Congestion? What Causes Ear Congestion?
What is ear congestion, the cause of ear congestion is usually due to infection, but it can also occur due to exposure to instant pressure. There may be various alternative forms of treatment for people with ear congestion, as well as people can prevent these problems with simple methods they can apply at home.
Ear congestion is one of the problems that cause difficulty for the person and cause even more problems over time. Mostly people may think of the current problem as temporary at first. Temporary congestion can also be experienced, but this situation can also reach serious dimensions. This situation can be both painful and serious inflammation can occur in the area with congestion over time. In this case, the existing problem of ear congestion can become even more unbearable.
Ear congestion, which can also be defined as a temporary loss of hearing, is characterized by the closure of the ear canal for various reasons and the inability of the Eustachian tube to send equal air pressure to both sides of the eardrum at the same time. When the Eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear and the nasal passages and acts as a channel, fails to fulfill its function, sounds cannot be heard clearly. As a result of the prevention of normal hearing, congestion occurs with a fullness in the ear. In addition, congestion may occur due to an object getting into the ear. If the ear is blocked, the person may experience sensory loss over time.
To explain the causes of ear congestion in detail, the most common cause is the effect of pressure in the middle ear due to altitude change. In addition to this pressure change, which can be encountered by everyone, cleaning the ear with an ear stick is also among the causes of ear congestion. Other causes of ear congestion are as follows:
Bushing
Bushing, or earwax as it is known, is one of the most common causes of ear blockage. The yellow liquid in the ear canal called cerumen protects the eardrum from external factors by keeping dust and similar foreign substances away from the ear. In this way, the ear is protected against infections. Ear congestion occurs as a result of trying to clean the ear with an ear stick and pushing the bulb forward from the canal. Hearing problems may occur when the buşon, which is normally secreted in the outer part of the ear and does not reach the inner part, reaches the eardrum. Experts emphasize that the use of ear sticks is inconvenient and should not be used. At the same time, actions such as showering and swimming can cause swelling of the buds in the outer ear and blockage of the ear.
External Ear Inflammation
The cause of external otitis media, which is especially common in swimmers, is due to excessive contact of the ear with water. Water or moisture in the ear canal provides favorable conditions for the growth of bacteria. The most common causes of this condition are fungi and bacterial infections. Rarely, however, ear infections can be caused by allergies and dermatologic conditions. External otitis media is a disease that causes blockage of the outer ear, accompanied by a foul, smelly discharge in yellow and green colors. Measures such as protecting the ears while swimming and removing moisture from the ear with a cotton ball after bathing can prevent the disease.
Eustachian Tube Dysfunctions
The Eustachian tube balances the pressure inside the ear. A malfunction in this tube, which connects the nose, throat and middle ear, ensures that the air pressure in the middle ear and outside is balanced. A dysfunction in the Eustachian tube can damage the middle ear, causing ear congestion and ear pain. Colds, allergies and ear infections can cause the Eustachian tube to lose its function and cause swelling and inflammation.
Tumor formation in the nasopharynx
The nasopharynx, or upper pharynx, contains salivary glands and lymphoid tissues. Cell damage to these lymphoid tissues causes nasopharyngeal tumors. Symptoms of nasopharyngeal tumor can be explained as nasal congestion, ear buzzing and hearing loss. In rare cases, this may indicate ear congestion.
Eardrum Damage
Another condition that can cause eardrum blockage is perforation of the eardrum or damage to the eardrum by losing its elasticity.
Middle Ear Inflammation
Allergies, respiratory infections (flu, etc.), colds may result in otitis media. The air-filled part behind the eardrum, where the small bones that provide hearing are located, opens towards the nose and throat through the Eustachian tube. In case of infection, ear inflammation begins to develop rapidly when the fluid in the area cannot drain into the nasal passages. The main symptoms of this condition, which develops frequently especially in young children, can be explained as pain in the ear, congestion, discharge and loss of balance.
What are the Symptoms of Ear Congestion?
Symptoms of ear congestion will also vary according to the cause of the congestion. Symptoms can be listed as follows:
- Pressure in the ear
- Dizziness
- Hearing loss
- Pain in the ear
- Feeling of fullness in the ear
- Discharge from the ear
- Ringing in the ear
- Loss of balance
What is Ear Congestion Treatment?
Ear congestion can occur as a discomfort that every individual may encounter in their daily life or as a symptom of a disorder. Ear congestion may differ depending on the underlying problem. If we need to talk about the treatment method, it may be necessary to balance the pressure in the middle ear with the pressure of the external environment in order to prevent ear congestion. In other words, it will be sufficient to prevent the problem in the Eustachian tube. Sometimes mouth and jaw movements such as swallowing, drinking water, chewing gum, yawning can be a sufficient solution. In addition, breathing in from time to time and trying to exhale the breath by closing the nose and mouth can also be good for ear congestion. If you have a feeling of congestion and saturation in your ear that does not go away despite applying these methods, it is recommended that you consult a health institution as soon as possible.
What is good for ear congestion?
If ear congestion has not become a serious problem, the following methods can be tried. In any case, it is useful to consult a specialist doctor. You can apply the following solutions to prevent blocked ear or ear congestion.
- If ear congestion has not become a serious problem, the following methods can be tried. In any case, it is useful to consult a specialist doctor. You can use the following solutions to prevent blocked ears or ear congestion.
- How to relieve ear congestion, rinse the salt and water mouthwash in your mouth continuously for a while. This will help both relieve your ear pain and relieve your nasal congestion. The salt you will use is rock salt increases the effectiveness.
- Olive oil helps to open the clogged ears. If the cause of this congestion is earwax, it will cause that area to soften and relax. You can drip some olive oil into your ears with the drop method.
- How to relieve ear congestion, keep moving your jaw left and right continuously. This can continue until the pressure in your ear decreases.
- How to relieve ear congestion, wait a little after boiling mint, rock salt and water. You can put a towel or a small cover over you to get the vapor of the water more easily. Breathe this way for a while and you will feel that the pressure in your ears has reduced your ear congestion.
- How to relieve ear congestion, chewing gum is also good for ear congestion. Since chewing gum causes the pressure in the ear to decrease, it also benefits the pain of the person. The jaw movement while chewing gum is good for the ears and ear congestion.
- Pain and sensitivity in your ears can also occur due to water getting into your ears. After bathing with a towel, you should dry your ears by tilting your ears towards the side you cleaned, so that the excess water in your ear will come out and will help prevent the problem of ear congestion in this way. If you cannot remove excess water with a towel, you can dry the excess water in your ear by using the blow dryer on the lowest setting.