How to fix a clogged ear at home?

Are you tired of feeling like you’re underwater even when you’re on dry land? Do people constantly have to shout at you because your ears are clogged up? Well, look no further my dear friend! Here are some simple and effective ways to unclog your ears without breaking the bank.

Understand what causes clogged ears

A little bit of anatomy

Before we dive into the remedies, let’s talk about why our ears get clogged in the first place. Within our middle ear is a Eustachian tube that connects it with our nose and throat. This tube helps maintain equal air pressure on both sides of the eardrum. When there’s an excessive buildup of fluid or earwax, this can cause blockage in the Eustachian tube leading to a feeling of fullness or muffled hearing.

Steam it out!

Get steamy with it!

The simplest method for unclogging those pesky ears is through steam inhalation. This works by loosening up any built-up wax or fluids inside your Eustachian tubes allowing them to drain away easily.
1. Boil water and put it in a bowl.
2. Drape a towel over your head forming a tent so that no steam escapes (kinda like Harry Potter under his invisibility cloak)
3. Breathe deeply for about 10 minutes.(try not imagining smelling caramel popcorn while doing this)
4. Blow Your Nose Gently(important step)

Oil Pulling Therapy

Oil ’em up!
Another lesser-known but incredibly useful method is oil pulling therapy(yes..you read right). The oil basically forms an oily suction that helps lubricate wax build-ups allowing them to slide right down(bye bye MR.Waxy boy).
1.Take coconut/olive/sesame oil(c’mon pick one)..why sesame oil? cuz’ it’s Sussi season! #B95
2.Pour a small amount into your ear canal (make sure your head is turned sideways)
3. Wait for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Tilt the head so that the oil drips out of the ear onto a towel.

Warning: do not use this method if you have any kind of severe pain, ruptured eardrum or if you are allergic to any of these oils

Upside-down technique

Turn yourself upside down
Maybe don’t go completely batshit crazy and turn yourself fully upside down but tilting your body in specific positions can help unclog Eustachian tubes rapidly.
1.Turn your head towards one side laying on it with a pillow under your neck.
2.Stay in this position for at least 5-10 mins then switch over to another side(you may start feeling like you’re doing tae-bo..wait really people still remember that?)
3.Give It A Shake(have some fun while doing it too)

This method relies mostly upon Gravity(which we thought only made all things fall downwards), So invert(gravity ain’t no match for us!) yourself by lying flat on ur back on the sofa/couch or bed (you can even lie across an exercise ball).
Now slowly lift up just enough until where urine used to come from(i.e around pelvic region) is higher than eye level(relax guys I am talking about stomach here 😐 ). Stay in this position ideally for twenty minutes(just imagine if someone enters during those twenty min😂).

Saltwater gargle (KAH-KAH)

Clearing That Passage Way!

Saltwater gargling helps drain fluid from clogged ears as well relieve pressure within them which causes pain and discomforts(aka our enemies).
1.Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 1 cup of warm water.(Not sugar, Not MSG)
2.Gargle thoroughly then spit it out.(feel free to do this as long as you want!you deserve it)
3.Blow Your Nose Gently(only when someone is around)

Hydrogen Peroxide making its way up

H202 on our side

Hydrogen peroxide basically fizzles out wax build-ups within Eustachian tubes and lets them float to the top(like a navy submarine).
All you gotta make sure is that the hydrogen peroxide solution isn’t too strong because that may cause some burn sensation.
1) Pour two-three drops of 3% food-grade H202 into your clogged ear with a dropper(porsha..is not welcome here!)
2) Let it sit for five minutes Do Not Panic if there are hissing sounds!
3) Drain excess solution by tilting head sidewards

Chew Gum away..

The Sweet Fix
Chewing gum helps relieve pressure within your ears by stimulating saliva which then makes swallowing easier. Swallowing moves fluid from the Eustachian tube(rings a bell?) essentially clearing any drainage issue. Chomp chew chomp !
Alternatively, you can take Air Pressure Equalization exercises seriously(yes we even have an acronym A.P.E),it involves inhaling deeply holding nose closed and exhailing gigglingly thus leveling air pressure.

Consult An Ear Specialist

Last resort Oh No!!

If none of these DIY methods work ,then contacting an otolaryngologist(the study of ENT) would be ideal(Bruh..been waiting to use that word since middle school). They are trained professionals who will be best equipped to diagnose what’s causing your blocked ear/s.Actual doctors y’all!

Well folks, I hope this helped unclog those sleepy ears . Remember self-care includes all aspects which includes auditory care!

Stay Fresh. Stay Clogged-free 😂

TL;DR

Ain’t nobody got time for 2000 words

1) Steam Inhalation works!
2) Oil it using coconut/sesame/olive oil
3) Tilt, stay upside down or try invert gravity trick..Yes Buddy Its gonna work!
4) Salt-water gargles clears passage way (use salt added in warm water only!)
5) Hydrogen peroxide(H202- the real MVP!) is super effective(Do Not Overdo)
6) Chew a sweet gum when nothing else Seems fun(Includes A.P.E exercises🙈).
7)Consult an Ear specialist(Duh!only when all else fails).