After swimming, the water can get stuck in your ear, but it can occur at other times too. Most often, the water gets drained out naturally, but if it gets stuck, an infection type known as swimmer’s ear can increase. If your ear gets untreated, then you might suffer from temporary hearing loss. Therefore, it is necessary to remove water from your ear to get rid of the infection and other complications. In this Blog, you can read how to get water out of your Ears.
Symptoms of Stuck Water in Your Ear
The following symptoms will show that water is trapped in your ear:
- Voices will appear muffled
- Clogged feeling in the ear
- Ear pain
- Itching in the ear
- Hearing difficulty
All of the above symptoms are mild in the beginning, but if it gets untreated, then it can turn into a worse condition:
- Acute pain travel to the neck, head, or face
- Fever
- Ear inflammation
- Too much drainage from the ear
- Pain in the ear
If your ear gets untreated, then it can cause surfer’s ear, swimmer’s ear, and other conditions. These conditions can cause infection in your ear, and even you may suffer from hearing loss.
Proven Techniques to Get Water Out of Ear
If the water remains in your ear after taking shower or swimming, then follow the below tips and tricks to get water out of your ear:
Jiggle Your Ear
Lie parallel to the ground with your affected ear, and then tilt your head and shake your earlobe. This method can help you to free any trapped water when nothing else works.
Use the Vacuum Technique
Here, we are not considering the vacuum that is used to clean the floor. However, you need to create a vacuum sensation, tilt your head sideways and position your ear over your cupped palm. Keep your palm over your ear, and then turn your cupped palm to the flat position. Maintain your head in the same position, and allow the gravity to get the water out of your ear.
Make Use of Blow Dryer
One of the best methods is to dry your ear by using a hair-dryer, but be careful with this method. Make sure to turn the blow dryer to its lowest setting and point it to the ear and maintain an appropriate distance from your head. Move blow dryer back and forth when you tug at the earlobe to open the things up. And, let the heat pass through your ear and dry excess water from your ear.
Tug Your Earlobes
Grab your earlobe and then pull and shake it when your head is tilted and let the gravity do the rest work.
Use Vinegar and Alcohol Drops
When your earwax buildup, then most often, the water gets trapped into it. To remove the excess earwax, you can make use of vinegar and alcohol drops. Use a few drops of vinegar and alcohol and mix them well. Lie on your side, and then add a mixture of drops to your ear and wait for a minute. Once it is done, tilt your head and drain out the drops. If you have an ear infection, tubes in the ear, or burst eardrum, then this method won’t work. Despite this, vinegar water is also helpful in healing ingrown fingernail.
Use Olive Oil
Olive oil can be the best option to cure the infection and get water out of the ear:
- Take a bowl and warm some olive oil
- Get a dropper and use a few drops of olive oil into the affected ear
- Lie on your side around 10 minutes, and then get up, tilt and shake your ear downward. Make sure the oil and water are drained out.
Try Chew and Yawn Techniques
One of the cost-effective methods to get water out of the ear is by using the chewing gum and yawn technique. This movement helps in relieving the pressure in the Eustachian tubes and draining the water out of the ear. If you still feel the water, then try jiggling your head.
All of the above methods are best if you want to go for home-treatment and don’t want to go for medical help. But, if the water is not getting out of your ear, then ensure to seek medical help instead of the following treatment at home.
Don’ts for Draining Water Out of the Ear
Do not opt for the wrong methods to drain water out of your ear. This is because it can scratch your ear canal, or earwax in the canal can get affected. Don’t use the following methods to get water out of your ear:
- Don’t use cotton swabs because they can remove earwax that protects your ear. Additionally, it can add bacteria to the ear canal, or irritate the skin of the ear canal.
- Don’t use your fingers or fingernails to rub against the ear because it can scratch the soft skin of the ear canal.
- If you have ear tubes or a ruptured eardrum, then don’t use hydrogen peroxide or drying drops.
Prevent Water from Getting Stuck into Your Ear
To prevent water from getting trapped into your ear is by wearing earplugs or a cap while bathing or swimming. Another method is using a dry towel to clean your ears after taking a shower.
Doctors suggest that people should wear earplugs if they play water sports. Jiggle your ear after getting out of the water to drain excess water out of your ear. And, jiggling ear is the best method to drain out water from the ear when nothing else works.
You can opt for the above tips if the water gets stuck into your ear because all of the above methods are easy and effective. Make sure to seek help from a doctor if water remains in your ear for a long time.
