It’s been more than 24 hours. There’s still total blockage in your right ear. You haven’t been able to hear anything in that direction since yesterday morning. Your left ear is trying to compensate, of course, but only being able to hear from one direction is leaving you off-balance. It didn’t improve after a night’s sleep as you were hoping it would. So will your blocked ear improve soon?
Precisely how long your blockage will persist depends, not unexpectedly, on what the cause of the blockage is. Some blockages recede by themselves and rather quickly at that; others may linger and require medical treatment.
As a general rule, though, if your blockage persists, you may want to seek out some help.
When Does a Clogged Ear Become a Worry?
You will probably start contemplating the reason for your blockage after a day. You’ll most likely start thinking about what you’ve been doing over the last couple of days: for instance, did you somehow get water in your ear?
How about your state of health? Are you suffering from any symptoms of an ear infection? If that’s the case, you might want to make an appointment.
This line of questioning is only a starting point. There are plenty of potential causes for a blocked ear:
- Ear Infection: An ear infection can cause fluid buildup and inflammation that eventually obstructs your ears.
- Water trapped in the eustachian tube or ear canal: Sweat and water can become stuck in the little places inside your ear with surprising ease. (Temporary blockage can definitely occur if you sweat profusely).
- Sinus infection: Because your sinuses, ears and throat are all interconnected, a sinus infection can cause excess fluids to become stuck in your ears (causing a clog).
- Growths: Certain kinds of growths, lumps, and bulges can result in a blocked feeling in your ears (and even impact your hearing).
- Air pressure changes: If the pressure in the air changes suddenly, your eustachian tube can fail to adjust which can cause temporary blockage.
- Earwax Build-up: Earwax can cause blockages if it’s not properly draining or if it becomes compacted, hardening in place.
- Allergies: Various pollen allergies can trigger the body’s immune system response, which will then generate swelling and fluid.
- Irreversible loss of hearing: A clogged ear and some types of irreversible hearing loss can feel surprisingly similar. If your “blocked ear” is persisting longer than it should, you need to get it checked out.
The Fastest Way to Get Your Ears Back to Normal
Your ears will most likely go back to normal after a day if air pressure is causing your blockage. You might need to wait for your immune system to start working if your blockage is due to an ear infection (you might need an antibiotic to get faster relief). And that could take as much as a week or two. Sinus infections have been known to stick around even longer.
Bringing your ears back to normal as fast as possible, then, will normally involve some patience (counterintuitive though it may be), and you should be able to adjust your expectations according to your exact situation.
Not doing anything to worsen the situation is your most important first step. When you first start to feel like your ears are plugged, it may be tempting to attempt to use cotton swabs to clear them out. All sorts of problems, from ear infections to loss of hearing, can come from using cotton swabs so this can be a particularly dangerous approach. If you use a cotton swab, you’re more likely to make things worse.
If Your Ear is Still Clogged After a Week…it May be Hearing Loss
So you could be getting a bit antsy you still have no idea what could be causing your blockage. A day is normally enough time for your body to eliminate any blockage. But it might be, as a basic rule of thumb, a prudent decision to come see us if your blockage persists for more than a week.
That feeling of blocked ears can also be a sign of hearing loss. And you don’t want to ignore hearing loss because, as you’ve probably read in our other posts, it can cause a whole range of other health concerns.
Being careful not to worsen the problem will normally permit the body to take care of the situation on its own. But treatment may be needed when those natural means fail. Depending on the cause of your blockage, this could take a varying amount of time.
