Tinnitus is a persistent ringing sound in the ear and it should be noted that I suffer from it in my right ear. I’m unfortunately not surprised because several years ago I suspected that I had an infection of that middle ear most probably brought on from Water in the Ears. I should have tackled it much more expeditiously but left myself to the extraordinary ‘time and tide’ of seemingly delayed Canadian medical referrals, and an accompanying failure to properly diagnose it. Even then I was subject to prescription antibiotics on a repeat basis that really was not ‘site’ specific and effectively useless! In fact I now maintain that such casual use of antibiotics should be avoided at all costs. But sometimes in acute situations, particularly with children, I have found no alternative.
The result probably a chronic middle ear low grade infection. It seems to me that for an actual hearing loss resulting from tinnitus the inner ear or cochlea is affected.
One of my own on going therapies is to use infrared that can penetrate into the brain including the inner ear.
My theory is that stimulation may assist and at least it is a form of prevention that I should have used way back!
Water in your ears can cause a plugged-up sensation and make sounds appear muffled.
When water accumulates in the ear and doesn’t drain properly, you risk developing swimmer’s ear, that can cause hearing loss if left untreated.
The following techniques should help you get rid of water trapped in your ears. This is important on an ongoing basis as the key is to avoid further infection.
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- The Gravity/Jiggling Technique. Lie on the ground with your affected ear parallel to the floor, tilt your head and jiggle your earlobe. Gravity will take care of the rest! You can use a cotton swab to remove any water remaining in your ears.
- The Valsalva Maneuver. Scuba divers and airline travelers are familiar with this trick. It involves plugging your nose and blowing it using modest force; this helps to normalize the pressure in your ears and should allow water to drain.
- The Vacuum Technique. Placing the palm of your hand over your plugged-up ear and pressing gently for a few seconds will create a suction effect that should help dislodge water from the canals. Repeat until it is all gone.
- The Hairdryer Technique. Using a hairdryer on its lowest heat setting and aiming it at your ear (don’t get too close) will help the water to evaporate and dry out your ear canals. Don’t worry, if you don’t get rid of it all at first, the rest should drain on its own.
- The Pulling Technique. Reach around the back of your head and tug gently on the outer portion of your ear with your opposing hand. This will straighten out the ear canal and allow water to drain out.
- The Chew and Yawn Technique. Moving your mouth and jaw help equalize pressure in the Eustachian tubes. Try chewing gum and yawning to encourage built-up water to drain out. Shaking your head afterwards provides an extra assist if you can’t quite get it all.
- The Chemical Technique. If none of these natural techniques help, there are a number of over-the-counter alcohol-based ear drops designed to remove moisture from the ear canals.
Long story short is that the health of our ears is something we do not want to play with. Getting Water in the Ears is a common occurrence that can lead to Tinnitus and other issues that are largely preventable. Know the signs, take them seriously and use some simple mitigating techniques.
