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.
A few drops of mineral oil, baby oil, glycerin, or hydrogen peroxide in your ear can soften the wax and help clear it out. If that doesn't work, see your doctor. They may use a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water to try to flush it out or use special tools to remove the wax and improve your hearing.
Allergies, head colds, pregnancy, and air pressure are some common reasons it may feel like your ears are full. Typically, plugged ears settle after a few days. Decongestants and nasal sprays are the best treatment for plugged ears that allergies and head colds cause.
Muffled hearing can occur in one or both ears. When the condition occurs in one ear, it's likely a sign of a single-sided ear infection, a clogged ear or earwax buildup. Muffled hearing due to sinus infections or changes in pressure while flying or changing altitudes typically occurs in both ears.
In many cases, a muffled ear will go away on its own. This is especially true for conditions like airplane ear, or sickness-related hearing loss. Even certain ear infections will resolve themselves if given time, but there are some instances where you should not wait to seek medical treatment.
“It's important to see a doctor if muffled hearing persists and doesn't improve after a few days,” confirms Dr. Treseder.
A loss of hearing in one ear can occur at any point during anyone's lifetime. This could be a result of a medical condition, an infection, a ruptured ear drum, inner ear blockage, or other underlying issues. A loss of hearing in one ear can occur suddenly or gradually over time.
the left is that you favor sleeping with the right side of your head against the pillow. Air keeps the left ear dry and gives wax a chance to dry up and disappear; moisture and heat created with your ear against the pillow favor a wax buildup in your right ear canal.
Normally caused by allergies, colds or infections, Eustachian tube dysfunction is a relatively common condition that occurs when the Eustachian tubes, the small tubes that connect your upper throat to your ears, get 'plugged' or blocked.
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.
Common causes of blocked or plugged up ears
Why is sound muffled when there doesn't appear to be anything inside your ear canal? The causes can range from the earwax to allergies to infections (yes, including COVID) to more insidious conditions like an anxiety disorder or Meniere's disease.
Soften and loosen the earwax with warm mineral oil. You also can try hydrogen peroxide mixed with an equal amount of room temperature water. Place 2 drops of the fluid, warmed to body temperature, in the ear two times a day for up to 5 days.
Symptoms of earwax build-up
hearing loss. earache or a feeling that your ears are blocked. ringing or buzzing in your ears (tinnitus) vertigo (feeling dizzy and sick)
Impacted earwax symptoms may include: A feeling of fullness in your ear. Pain in your ear (earache). Hearing loss, which may worsen over time.
If you have earwax buildup, certain ear drops can soften and loosen your earwax for easier removal. There are three types of softening drops for earwax: water-based, non-water-based and oil-based. If you have impacted earwax, a healthcare provider may recommend ear drops containing: Carbamide peroxide.
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.
Sleeping upright is a great help when it comes to resting with ear infection symptoms. Sleeping sitting up can allow fluid in your ear to drain easier, as well as easing pressure and pain in your middle ear – the likely source of the infection itself.
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. Mild ear infections clear up by themselves, and you can alleviate the pain with painkillers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, ear drops, or simply by applying a warm cloth to your ear.
For most people, blocked ears are a temporary condition that will clear up when the pressure in the ears returns to normal. However, if this doesn't happen a visit to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) professional may be helpful.
Summary. If your ears won't pop, it can lead to a lot of discomfort. The sensation of having clogged ears happens when your body can't equalize the pressure in your ears because your eustachian (auditory) tubes are blocked. Some of the best ways to pop your ears are yawning, swallowing, or chewing.