How Long Does a Blocked Ear Last?

Most of us have experienced a blocked ear at some point in our life. From getting out of the water and having “swimmer’s ear” to feeling a strange blockage after working out, most people are familiar with this situation.

A blocked ear (or, in some cases, blocked ears) can be frustrating, as well as a source of health risks. Blocked ears reduce the sound you hear, making it more difficult to recognize your surroundings.

If your ears become blocked, you may experience pain, itching, or dizziness in addition to irritation. When you find that your ears are blocked, especially if it seems unexpected, you may wonder what caused it.

What Causes Blocked Ears?

Unexpectedly, it’s not always due to ear wax buildup that causes a blocked ear. There are a wide variety of reasons why your ears can get blocked. And knowing the cause is the most crucial factor in being able to solve the problem.

If you didn’t know already, the single most significant predictor of how long your ear blockage will persist is the reason for the blockage. Most blockages may work themselves out and, in some cases, quite quickly. Others might continue and need medical attention.

If you find that the blockage lasts more than a few days, it may be time to seek professional help. If you’ve had your blockage for more than two days, you might want to think about why it happened.

It may be a good idea to examine what you have been doing lately. Have you done something that may have caused water to get trapped? How are you feeling?

There are many possible causes for a blocked ear, so you may want to schedule a visit with your audiologist.

Sweat

If you tend to sweat excessively, you may temporarily experience blocked ears due to water and sweat becoming trapped.

Ear Infection

An ear infection may cause swelling and obstruct your ear if the condition is not adequately treated. When it is not properly draining, earwax can become compacted and hardened, causing blockages.

Sinus Infection

Due to the close relationship surrounding your sinuses and your ears, having an infection may cause liquid to accumulate in your ears (causing a blockage). Growths and bulges in your ears can also cause obstruction and may hamper your hearing.

Air Pressure or Allergies

Your Eustachian tube occasionally fails to correct properly to swift fluctuations in air pressure, resulting in temporary blockage symptoms. Pollen allergies trigger the body’s immune system reaction, causing swelling and fluid to accumulate in the body.

How Can Blocked Ears be Fixed?

If air pressure is to blame, your ears should fix themselves quickly. If your blocked ears result from an ear infection, you may have to play the waiting game until you get rid of the virus or bacteria (and when it comes to the latter, antibiotics are sure to help).

Even so, there is no set timeframe for getting back to normal. Sinus infections and ear infections can last for weeks. Getting your ears back to normal as soon as possible usually requires a bit of patience (despite what you may think) and realistic expectations.

Whenever you feel your ears are blocked, you might feel tempted to grab the old cotton swab and try manually clearing things out. Your first and most important task is not to make things worse.

If you use cotton swabs, you are more likely to cause more harm. Cotton swabs have been shown to cause infection and hearing damage.

If you still have a blocked ear on day two and can’t figure out why it’s happening, you may be irritated. But usually, your ear blockage will go away on its own after a few days.

When to See a Hearing Professional

If you have been blocked up for more than a few days, you might want to talk to your doctor. The feeling of that blockage could also signify that you may have hearing loss.

Doing no harm will give your body a chance to naturally heal and clear the blockage away without causing further damage, as you probably know from previous posts. However, interventions may be necessary when natural methods fail. The amount of time it takes to resolve the problem will depend on what caused it in the first place.

If you are experiencing a blocked ear or other hearing-related problems, it may be prudent to contact an audiologist to see if they can help. If you are located in the Las Vegas area, consider visiting Hearing Associates of Las Vegas for all of your hearing-related needs.

Something as simple as a quick, 20-minute hearing examination could be the difference between your hearing deteriorating further or getting back on the track towards healthy hearing. Stop into our offices or visit our website today to learn more.