Tips to Help You Sleep Better with an Ear Infection Since the eustachian tubes in the infected ears can only drain into the throat, try keeping the infected ear elevated by sleeping on the opposite side of the one infected. This way the tube will be above the throat, and the ear will most certainly drain sooner.
If you're an adult with a middle ear infection, elevating the affected ear makes it easier for the infection to drain out. So, sleep on your other side or tuck a few extra pillows under your head if sleeping on your back. If you have an outer ear infection, keep blankets and hair away from your ear.
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.
Clogged ears from a mild ear infection usually last one or two weeks. If the problems are in the inner ear, this could last longer.
Sleep position
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. It could be effective, though a few inches may not make a big difference in pressure measurement.
Your ears will most likely return to normal after a couple of days if air pressure is causing your blockage. If an ear infection is to blame for your clogged ears, you might have to wait until your body fights off the virus or bacteria at work (and, if it's the latter, antibiotics can really help).
This can happen for brief periods during air travel, but also due to allergies, sinus or ear infections, or other respiratory viruses (including COVID-19). Sudden onset of muffled hearing in one ear may signal an urgent problem requiring prompt treatment to prevent or reduce possible hearing loss.
Muffled Hearing in One Ear
When the condition occurs in one ear, it's likely a sign of a single-sided ear infection, a clogged ear or earwax buildup.
Tips to Help You Sleep Better with an Ear Infection
Since the eustachian tubes in the infected ears can only drain into the throat, try keeping the infected ear elevated by sleeping on the opposite side of the one infected. This way the tube will be above the throat, and the ear will most certainly drain sooner.
Common causes of clogged ears include changes in altitude or atmospheric pressure, eustachian tube dysfunction, ear infections, and fluid, foreign objects, or ear wax blocking the eustachian tube. Most of the time, these problems are easily diagnosed and treated.
Blocked eustachian tubes
The most common cause of a blocked eustachian tube is a stuffy nose, such as from a head cold or sinus infection. When the nose is stuffed or clogged, it can prevent the eustachian tubes from draining or filling with air properly.
Eustachian tube massage
Using firm, steady pressure, slide your finger down until you feel a groove between your ear lobe and jaw. Trace that groove all the way down your neck to your collarbone using the same firm pressure. Repeat this process three times on each side, three times a day.
Untreated earwax buildup can lead to hearing loss, irritation, pain in your ear, dizziness, ringing in your ears and other issues.
Eustachian tube dysfunction occurs when the Eustachian tube — which connects the middle ear to the back of the throat — doesn't open and close properly. When the Eustachian tube doesn't open and close properly, it can cause that clogged-up feeling.
While some causes of ear congestion do not require medical intervention, people should contact a doctor if their symptoms persist or if they experience symptoms of a severe ear infection, such as: fever. fluid drainage. severe ear pain.
Many symptoms ease as soon as your eustachian tubes can manage air or water pressure changes. In some cases, you may need medication to manage congestion or inflammation. In that case, it may be a few days before your ears feel normal.
If the feeling of fullness in your ear is persistent, you should see a healthcare provider, especially when it is accompanied by other symptoms such as: Ear pain. Dizziness. Loss of balance.
Your health care provider can remove excess wax by using a small, curved tool called a curet or by using suction techniques. Your provider can also flush out the wax using a syringe filled with warm water and saline or diluted hydrogen peroxide.
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.
a ringing or buzzing sound in your ear (tinnitus) earache or ear pain. itching in your ear. clear fluid, blood or pus leaking from your ear.
If the eardrum is ruptured, the doctor will see an opening in it. The bones of the middle ear may also be visible. Pus draining from the ear may make it harder for the doctor to see the eardrum. If pus is present and blocking the view of the eardrum, the doctor may need to suction the ear to clear the pus.