Water can get trapped in your ears by any exposure to moisture, such as bathing, swimming, or sweating from wearing earbuds for too long. Generally, water drains out of the ears naturally. But if it doesn’t get out of your ear, you need to know how to get water out of your ear because it can even lead to an infection called a swimmer’s ear.
But how would you know that you have water trapped in your ears?
To get water out of your ears, you should know that water is trapped in your ears. Right? Don’t worry! Some symptoms can help indicate that there is water trapped in the ear.
Six symptoms you have water stuck in your ears:
Feeling a strange fullness in the ear.
I hear muffled sounds.
I am feeling pain in the ear.
Sore throat and runny nose.
Ringing or tickling sensation in the ear.
Problem with hearing.
Ten things you can do at home to get water out of your ears:
If you are going through any of the above-written symptoms, you can try these things at home to get water out of your ears.
1.Use a soft towel to get water out of your ears:
Use a cloth or soft towel to dry your outer ear.
Please do not put the cloth into the ear canal, for it can lead to water going deep into the ears.
2.Pull your earlobes:
Move your head toward your shoulder.
Pull your earlobes.
This will flatten the ear canal, and water will flow straight out of the ear.
3.Lie on a side:
Lie on the side of your affected ear.
Put a towel beneath your head.
Gravity will flow the water straight to the towel.
The Towel will absorb the water drained out of the ear.
4.Expose your ear to a vacuum get water out of your ears:
Create a cup of your palm and rest your head on it.
Move your hand back and forth rapidly towards your ear.
Flatten it when you push and cup it when you pull.
Allow the water to get out by moving your head downward.
5.Use a Blow Dryer:
Turn on a blow dryer.
Could you set it to the lowest setting?
Hold it at least a foot away from your ears.
Let the warm ear blow towards your ear.
Warm air will evaporate the water from your ear.
6.Use a solution of alcohol and vinegar:
Mix alcohol and vinegar in equal proportion.
Pour three to four drops of the mixture into each ear with a sterile dropper.
Softly rub the outsides of your ear.
Keep the solution in the ears for 30 seconds.
Move your head sideway to let it drain out.
Don’t try this,
if you have a condition of eardrum tubes, middle ear infection, or perforated eardrum.
7.Try Hydrogen Peroxide ear drops:
Sometimes water gets trapped in your ears due to debris or earwax. Hydrogen peroxide ear drops can help in clearing it.
Don’t try this
if you have a condition of
eardrum tubes, middle ear infection, or perforated eardrum.
Signs of injuries or illnesses.
8.Fill your ear with water:
This technique is like killing poison with poison.
Lie down on the side of your unaffected ear.
Fill the problematic ear with water using a dropper.
Wait a few seconds.
Turn over to let all the water get out of your affected ear.
9.Use Olive oil:
Olive oil can help in repelling water out of the ear and also prevent your ear from infection.
Warm olive oil a bit.
Check the temperature with your finger so that it may not burn your skin.
Pour some oil drops into the affected ear.
Lie down on the other side for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Sit up and pull the earlobe downward.
Oil and water will get out of your ear.
10.Try OTC medication:
There are many OTC over-the-counter medications available. You can try them to get water out of your ears.
Note: Above-written remedies solve the problem of how to get water out of your ears. That is why you can quickly get it out by following any of the steps mentioned above. But there are some cases in which water gets stuck in your middle ear.
For that purpose, there are some more remedies to try at home if you have water trapped in your middle ear.
Three things to drain water from your middle ear:
1.Try the Valsalva manoeuvre:
Take deep breaths.
Squeeze your nostrils gently with your fingers while keeping your mouth closed.
Remove your fingers and let the air slowly blow out of your nose.
This will open your closed eustachian tubes. Try not to blow too hard to protect your eardrums from damage.
2.Try yawning or chewing to get water out of your ears:
Chew some gum or try yawning. This can help in opening your eustachian tubes.
3.Take steam to get water out of your ears:
Steam can get water out of your middle ear through your eustachian tubes.
Fill a bowl with hot water, large enough to contain your face.
Take a towel and cover your head with it so that steam may not get out.
Rest your face over the bowl.
Keep inhaling steam for 10 minutes.
Move your head to the side to get water out of your ear.
What should you avoid to get water out of your ears?
While it’s easy to get water out of your ear at home, however, it can be risky if you try the wrong things. You can affect your ear canal, scratch the ear skin or get an infection if not use the correct method. These are the things you should avoid while draining your ear.
Never put a fingernail in the ear:
It would help if you never put a finger or a fingernail in the ear. You will
Hurt the thin skin of the ear.
Pass the water deep into the ear.
Add bacteria to your ear.
Never use Cotton swabs:
It would help if you never used cotton swabs to get water out of your ear. This will
Disturb bacteria natural to the ear.
Remove the protective wax of the ear.
Scratch the thin skin of the ear.
End up putting dirt in your ear canal or packing wax in your ear.
Should you see a doctor?
Mostly water gets out of the ear naturally, and if not, you know how to get water out of your ears. However,
if 3 or 4 days have passed and water is still trapped, your ear shows signs of infection. You should immediately see a doctor because it can turn out worse if not treated in time.
There are some risks you should consider before you think of ignoring trapped water in your ear.
Risks of not getting water out of your ear:
If water stays too long in the ear, natural bacterias of the ear multiply and cause infection.
Long-term infection can lead to the damage of bone and cartilage, deep tissue infection.
Infection can even spread far to your brain or nerves.
You can lose your hearing.
Precautions to keep water out of your ear:
You can take some precautions to prevent your ear from trapping water, developing an infection, or worse.
Put petroleum jelly-soaked cotton balls in your ear while bathing.
Earwax protects the ear from trapping water. But If you have a problem with wax build-up, keep cleaning it from your doctor because excessive wax also traps moisture in the ear canal.
Wear a swim cap or earplugs while going underwater.
Clog your ears with cotton balls before using hair spray or hair dye.
Remove earbuds if your ears turn sweaty.
Conclusion:
Water exposure is something we cannot avoid, and trapping water in the ear is normal. So you should know the right ways that can help you to get water out of your ears. You can try the above-written remedies to cure it. But if nothing helps, you should immediately see your doctor and prevent it from turning worse.
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