Tea tree oil, oregano oil, basil oil, and garlic oil, in particular, are known to alleviate ear pain. Try mixing a couple of drops of essential oil with a few drops of olive oil and placing them directly inside the ear.
Do not use drops if you have a hole in your eardrum (a perforated eardrum).
Olive oil is thought to help break up hardened wax in the ear canal while hydrating the skin of the ear. Putting olive oil in the ear does not appear to be harmful, but there is little evidence that it can help treat earwax or ear infections.
If you need to clear earwax from your ear canal, a few drops of mineral oil or baby oil usually does the trick. Put a few drops in one ear, allow it to soak for about five minutes, then, tilt your head to remove the oil. Do the same on the other side, if necessary.
What oil is best? Use a cooking oil, such as olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, or rice bran oil. It's best not to use any oil with a fragrance (i.e. baby oil), as this can irritate sensitive skin in the ear canal.
Outer ear infections (infections of the tube connecting the outer ear and eardrum) and middle ear infections (infections of the parts of the ear behind the eardrum) are very common causes of earache.
Sleep position
How you sleep can affect ear pain. Rest with your head on two or more pillows, so your affected ear is higher than the rest of your body. Or if your left ear has an infection, sleep on your right side. Less pressure equals less ear pain.
How Long Do Ear Infections Last? Middle ear infections often go away on their own within 2 or 3 days, even without any specific treatment. Often, there's fluid in the middle ear even after an infection clears up. If it's there for longer than than 3 months, more treatment might be needed.
Put 2 or 3 drops of ordinary olive oil down the ear 2 or 3 times a day for 2-3 weeks. This softens the wax so that it then runs out of its own accord without harming the ear. You can continue for any length of time, but 3 weeks is usually enough. Surprisingly, you will not necessarily see wax come out.
Dry ear: A few drops of a vegetable oil such as olive oil every day or two may help keep the ear from getting too dry and also protect it from water. You can use cooking oil (such as olive oil), or you can buy "ear oil", such as "Wally's Ear Oil". Another brand name for olive oil is "Sweet oil".
If you experience ear pain that doesn't go away or gets worse within 24 to 48 hours you should call your doctor's office. Also call your doctor if you have severe pain that suddenly stops. This could be a sign that your eardrum has ruptured.
Ear pain often gets better in 2 or 3 days on its own or with home care. Often all you need to do is take a pain reliever and be alert for symptoms that get worse. That said, it's important to know when your discomfort might be a sign of something more serious.
However, when you're lying down at night, this makes it increasingly difficult for the air to pass through; and the tubes cannot drain and may become blocked. This can therefore explain why your ear pain may feel worse during nighttime compared to the ache felt during the day.
There are a number of signs and symptoms that can indicate a ruptured eardrum. They include some of the following: a sudden increase or decrease in pain, bloody discharge from the ear with pus, hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo or a spinning sensation, and nausea and vomiting from the vertigo.
A heating pad or hot cloth held against the ear for 20 minutes may be helpful for temporary pain relief. While cold temperatures can help numb pain and reduce inflammation, a heating pad may relax the muscles and help improve blood flow.
A healthy eardrum looks pinkish-gray. An infection of the middle ear, or an ear with otitis media, looks red, bulging, and there may be clear, yellow, or even greenish hued drainage.
What causes ear aches? Ear infections are a common cause of ear pain, especially in children. Other causes include allergies, sinus infections, tooth infections, earwax buildup, altitude changes, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome.
If your ears are plugged, try swallowing, yawning or chewing sugar-free gum to open your eustachian tubes. If this doesn't work, take a deep breath and try to blow out of your nose gently while pinching your nostrils closed and keeping your mouth shut. If you hear a popping noise, you know you have succeeded.
The body's immune system can often fight off middle ear infection on its own. Antibiotics are sometimes not needed for middle ear infections. However, severe middle ear infections or infections that last longer than 2–3 days need antibiotics right away.
Tea tree oil, oregano oil, basil oil, and garlic oil, in particular, are known to alleviate ear pain. Try mixing a couple of drops of essential oil with a few drops of olive oil and placing them directly inside the ear.
To do this, just gently massage the outside of the ear using circular movements. That way, the impaction will soften, which can help the earwax drain more easily. Once you've finished making these circular movements, pull your ear slightly backwards, from the lobe to the top of the auricle.
You can use warm water in the shower to do this. Tilt your head to one side and run some water in your ear canal, then tilt in the opposite direction so the water flows out. Avoid getting too close to the shower head – you don't want water to spray into your ear.
You may be tempted to ignore your aching ears simply because earaches are a common problem. But left untreated, earaches can become increasingly painful. More than that, earaches may be a sign of underlying medical conditions that could be serious.