What To Do About Ear Wax (Cerumen)
Is Your Ear Blocked with Earwax?
Clogged ears are fairly common. After all, your ear can feel clogged when you’re congested, or when you have water in the ear. But the sensation of a blocked ear can also happen when you have impacted earwax or can even be an early sign of hearing loss. If a clogged ear is causing hearing loss, and it doesn’t clear within a few days, you should get it checked out.
Can Earwax Cause Problems?
Hearing loss can affect your memory, and even mild hearing loss has an effect on your brain. Which is why earwax, or any ear blockage, if it affects your hearing, can also affect your memory over time. Your ability to hear is strongly connected to your overall well-being. In fact, a recent study from Australia noted links between untreated hearing loss and aging. Not only has untreated hearing loss been linked to memory loss, loss of cognitive function, mental clarity, and feelings of isolation, but it’s also been linked to your body’s ability to fight off other diseases and decline as well. This study followed the outcomes of more than 1,000 adults and found a link between untreated hearing loss and a range of chronic diseases such as heart disease, strokes, and cancer.Don't wait! Early treatment is the most effective treatment.
Talk to the Experts.
How Do You Open a Blocked Ear?
Normally, earwax washes out in the shower on its own or gets pushed out of the ear. But impacted earwax can block the ear canal and cause infections. Ear drops are a safe way to remove earwax. Whatever you do, don’t use a cotton swab to remove earwax. Even though it feels pretty good, you can actually press wax further in the ear and cause more problems.
Even congestion often clears within a few days.
However, early sudden hearing loss can also feel like your ear is blocked by earwax. So if you have a feeling that your ear is clogged or blocked, and it just won’t go away, you should give us a call.
If you’re experiencing hearing loss, even mild hearing loss, you should call us to schedule an appointment for a hearing test and visual inspection of your ear canal – it might just be wax.
