How To Keep Hearing Aids Dry
To make sure hearing aids stay working properly when the weather changes, be sure to wear a hat or use an umbrella when going out in the rain. Youll also want to dry your hair and ears thoroughly after showering prior to putting in your hearing aids. Lastly, in addition to regular cleaning, use a hearing aid dehumidifier overnight or anytime your hearing aids are exposed to excess moisture.
If you suspect hearing loss, be sure to see a hearing healthcare professional if your hearing problems persist after the barrage of wet weather, sudden barometric changes and allergy season ends, so you can enjoy the beautiful sounds of springtime for years to come.
Allergies Can Cause Ear Pain
While earaches arent necessarily the most common symptom of an allergic reaction which is why you may not suspect allergies as the cause it can happen. This is because the membrane lining the Eustachian tube can become swollen and inflamed, and this inflammation can lead to an imbalance in the pressure of the ears. The result is fluid buildup and a blocked ear.
Get Help With Your Hearing Loss Today
You dont have to live with auditory loss. Harbor Audiology can help. Our staff can help you with your questions about insurance or VA benefits, and we have office hours most evenings and Saturdays. Harbor Audiology serves Sequim, Silverdale, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Port Angeles, and Bainbridge Island. Request your appointment online today!
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Can Allergies Cause Hearing Loss
Your bodys immune system responds to allergens by producing histamine antibodies, which are the cause of allergy symptoms like itchiness, runny or stuffy nose, and inflammation. All of your senses are connected, so when you experience swelling and congestion in the nose, throat and sinuses, your ears can also be affected. The excess mucus production that occurs when histamines are activated can cause a feeling of pressure or clogging in the ear. Other symptoms of ear or hearing issues stemming from allergies include:
- Discomfort
- Vertigo or balance issues
- Mild hearing loss or muffled hearing
The symptoms above can mean that the Eustachian tube, the drainage passage for the middle ear, is blocked or obstructed. Since the middle ear amplifies and transfers sound between the inner and outer ear, any inflammation or blockage there can interfere with your hearing.
Can Sinus Issues Cause Hearing Loss
When the sinuses become inflamed, either from infection or other nasal issues, they can affect your hearing too. Swollen sinuses cause the glands between your nose and eyes to create more mucus than usual, which can block nasal and sinus pathways from draining properly. Your sinuses and ear canal are very close together, so the blockage in your sinuses can cause the Eustachian tube to become inflamed and filled with fluid, leading to pressure on the eardrum. This inner ear pressure can lead to symptoms such as:
- Discomfort
- Mild hearing loss or muffled hearing
- Dizziness
- Vertigo or balance issues
If you are having difficulty hearing because of sinusitis, infection, or other sinus issues, sounds may sound muffled or distant, as if heard underwater or through a tunnel. Irregular pressure or inflammation can even affect your equilibrium causing issues with balance or walking.
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How Can I Relieve My Symptoms
There are different appropriate remedies depending on what the cause is. When it has to do with sinus-related problems like the common cold, flu, allergies, sinusitis, or irritants , here are a few things you can do to treat it:
- Take a nasal decongestant
- Utilize a nasal rinse or nasal irrigation system
- Use a humidifier, as dry air may irritate your nasal passageways
- Avoid tobacco smoke along with other irritants
- Drink plenty of water, especially in the evening, to thin your nasal mucus
With regards to fluid buildup, an afternoon of fun and sun at the pool or a quick shower can get water inside your ear, causing your ear to be congested. Try these methods to release the water from your ear:
- Jiggle or tug on your ear lobe with your ear tilted toward your shoulder.
- Lay down on your side with the clogged ear facing downward.
- Apply hydrogen peroxide ear drops and proceed to lie with your ear facing down for a couple of minutes.
- Lie on your side and apply a hot compress for 30 seconds, remove for a minute, then repeat four or five times.
- Use over-the-counter ear drops that have alcohol to dry out the ear canal.
- Using over-the-counter ear drops or an earwax removal kit.
- Using an ear syringe with lukewarm water or a saline solution.
As for when you are traveling, you can avoid or alleviate airplane ear congestion by chewing gum or hard candy, swallowing, or yawning during takeoff and landing.
How Can It Be Treated
There are some home remedies that can help towards alleviating the symptoms of hay fever or pollen allergy. Seasonal issues will come and go, any hearing loss from hay fever, congestion or a pollen allergy will resolve itself after a while. However, if you feel you are struggling with the symptoms, here are some useful treatments to try:
- Washing the affected ear gently with a warm cloth and drying thoroughly
- Inhaling steam or menthol to open the Eustachian tube to allow fluid from the middle ear to drain away
- Equalising the pressure in your ears by yawning, chewing gum or holding your nose and blowing gently until your ears pop
- Taking antihistamines or other over-the-counter allergy relief tablets
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Hearing Loss Treatment In Denver Co
We know how frustrating hearing loss can be. The expert doctors at Advanced ENT can determine if your hearing loss is connected to allergy, sinus issues, or ear wax issues and help determine the best treatment for the underlying cause of your symptoms. Find relief from swelling, pain and hearing loss with our specialists.
What Conditions Can Cause Plugged Ears
Plugged ears can be the result of many things, including an excessive amount of built-up earwax, a cold or sinus infection, or even allergies. A cold, infection, or allergies can make a person feel as if his or her ears are plugged even if they actually are not. Sometimes, particularly when a person regularly sticks something in his or her ear, such as cotton swabs and earplugs, the wax builds up enough to plug the ears. In some cases, the clogged ears eventually cure themselves. Other cases may require a doctor to clean the ears or prescribe a treatment.
The common cold and allergies can cause plugged ears, thereby muffling sounds and sometimes causing pain. While an ear infection is possible, sometimes it is only the symptom of a cold. This problem is normally temporary and goes away on its own within hours to a couple weeks. A nasal spray or oral decongestants can usually provide temporary relief, though it is generally recommended to see a doctor if the clog seems severe or does not go away within a few weeks.
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Allergies And Your Throat
Your throat is responsible for many functions from eating and drinking to talking and breathing, so its important to pay attention to any changes in your throat health.
Treating Allergic Laryngitis
Laryngitis is an inflammation of your voice box that occurs when your vocal cords are overused or infected, causing voice loss or voice distortion . While laryngitis can be a sign of a more serious condition, like the flu, it can also occur when one inhales an allergen, like dust or pollen.
While these home remedies may not alleviate your symptoms entirely, they may be able to help until your visit with one of our Center for Allergy and Asthma specialists:
- Resting your voice for several hours to a few days.
- Taking allergy medication as prescribed.
- Gargling with salt water 2-3 times a day.
- Breathing in the steam from a hot shower or boiling pot.
Allergies and Postnasal Drip
Your body is always producing mucus, even when you dont realize it. Mucus is responsible for keeping your throat moist so that you can talk, breathe, and eat throughout the day. But what happens if your body starts making too much mucus? This is what we refer to as postnasal drip.
From allergies to a cold or sinus infection, postnasal drip can be caused by a number of ailments. And while postnasal drip typically isnt cause for concern, it can be annoying to deal with. If postnasal drip has you feeling congested, consider:
Common Factors That Lead To Clogged Ear
Your ear canal is like a door of open opportunities to foreign objects and intangible particles that make their way in and cause problems some of which can be painful, too.
A few factors that commonly cause your ears to become clogged up are:
1. Wax buildup
Generally,earwax is protective in nature. But, when it hardens, the ears become clogged and cause pain, ringing, etc. Too much accumulation of earwax is responsible for the ear clogging. There are various earwax drops & removal kit available in the market which you can use to get rid of it.
2. Dirt Particles
External particles, dirt, and insertion of foreign objects like cotton swab cause the ear to clog. The insertion of these objects damage the inner cells of the ear. And you may suffer from hearing related problems.
3. Air pressure
You may experience ear clogging while scuba diving, climbing mountains or on an airplane. You can also call it Ear Barotrauma or Airplane ear. As sometimes Eustachian tube cant equalize the pressure due to change in altitude or pressure. This causes clogging of ears.
4. Sinus problems
A common cold, flu, allergies and various factors responsible for sinus infections block the nasal passage and it leads to Eustachian tube blockage. As a result, you feel as something is clogged in your ear.
5. Ear Infections
Otitis Media, an ear infection occurs when fluid starts to build up in the middle ear and harmful microbes start to grow. This causes the sensation of ears blockage.
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Medicine For Clogged Ears Caused By An Infection
If your clogged ears are caused by an outer ear infection your doctor might recommend acidic ear drops to prevent bacteria or fungus from spreading. They might also suggest antibiotic ear drops for bacterial infections, steroid ear drops to reduce swelling, antifungal ear drops for fungal infection, and antibiotic tablets if the bacterial infection is severe or ongoing.
For infections inside the ear, antibiotics are not generally offered, as these infections usually go on their own . A painkiller such as paracetamol might be recommended for the pain .
This being said, you might be prescribed antibiotics in some instances, such as if your infection does not start to get better after three days, you have any fluid coming out of your ear, or you have an illness that means theres a risk of complications .
Improving A Clogged Ear
Many times, a clogged ear can be remedied quickly at home with the following steps:
- Use over-the-counter allergy or sinus medication: Medications that contain decongestants or antihistamines can treat clogged ears associated with colds or allergies. Both nasal sprays and oral medications can prove beneficial for relieving ear pressure associated with these.
- Pop your ears using the Valsalva maneuver: The most common way to pop your ears is the plug your nose, blow air out while keeping your lips closed, essentially puffing your cheeks out and adding pressure to the inner ear. Do not too hard though, since this can create further problems for your eardrum. If you attempt once and it does not work to clear your clogged ear, do not reattempt it. This will only be beneficial for pressure changes, and will have no effect on your clogged ear if youve recently had a cold, allergies or have a potential earwax impaction.
- Swallow or chew gum: If you have fluid trapped in your middle ear or need to pop your ears from altitude changes and the associated pressure, one option is to chew gum or try swallowing repeatedly. You may notice your ear popping while you do this, and your hearing should then return to normal if this method is successful.
- Try a cool or warm compress: Put a washcloth in warm or cool water, wring it out and place it over the ear. The heat may help warm any blocked earwax and may provide some temporary pain relief.
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Common Causes Of Plugged Ears
Plugged ears can be caused by a few different things, including fluid in the ear, changes in atmospheric pressure, excessive ear wax, or objects obstructing your eardrum. Each cause has a different treatment.
When you’re not sure what’s causing your discomfort, it’s worth seeking a professional opinion. Doing so can help you quickly address the issue and avoid potential complications.
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Treating Your Allergies With Immunotherapy
For many patients, these measures are not enough to provide relief for their allergy symptoms. Allergen immunotherapy prescribed by Center for Allergy and Asthma of Georgia, can reduce allergy symptoms and any associated sinus or ear infections 80-90%. Consult with one of our Center for Allergy and Asthma of Georgia specialists. to find the treatment plan right for you.
Find Out Why Your Allergy May Be Causing Blocked Ears
Blocked ears usually occur due to the production of too much histamine which irritates the lining of the ears and as a result, causes hearing problems and sometime tinnitus. This causes a lot of discomfort so to help you out, here our allergy advisor Louise Baillie discusses the issue in detail and offers some information on the various treatment options available as well.
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Why Do My Ears Feel Clogged 4 Common Causes & Treatments
When your ears feel clogged, it can be uncomfortable and annoying especially if it results in muffled hearing. However, getting relief depends on identifying what is causing that clogged sensation.
Virginia Gural-Toth, AuD, CCC-A, manager of Audiology, Tinnitus and Balance Programs at the Center for Audiology at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, says that there are several common causes of clogged ears, including:
- Impacted ear wax.
If your ears are full of wax, they can often feel clogged. And sometimes, ear wax buildup can be tough to remove.
If you think you have excessive ear wax, you can try over-the-counter drops, explains Dr. Gural-Toth. However, if it doesnt come out in a day or two, seek medical attention so a health care provider can remove it safely.
Dr. Gural-Toth says that you should never attempt to remove ear wax using a Q-tip. Using a Q-tip could push the wax further in, comments Dr. Gural-Toth.
- Eustachian tube dysfunction.
Eustachian tube dysfunction occurs when the Eustachian tube which connects the middle ear to the back of the throat doesnt open and close properly. When the Eustachian tube doesnt open and close properly, it can cause that clogged-up feeling.
The Eustachian tube helps to drain fluid from the middle ear and equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere outside, says Dr. Gural-Toth. If it is blocked due to swelling or fluid, it can make your ears feel clogged.
- Hearing loss.
- COVID-19.
How To Treat Sinus
When sinus issues cause your hearing loss, you need to treat the root of the problem in order to relieve the symptoms. The source of your sinus issues may be infection or sinusitis, or may be a less common problem such as enlarged turbinates or nasal polyps. The best course of treatment for your hearing loss will depend on the reason your sinuses are swollen or congested. An experienced ENT Doctor can help you determine the cause and treatment plan for hearing loss caused by sinus problems.
Medications
If the cause of your hearing loss is sinusitis, medications like antihistamines, analgesics and decongestants can decrease swelling and reduce allergy reactions to help temporarily alleviate symptoms like hearing loss. Unfortunately, antibiotics are not usually effective to help clear sinus infections since symptoms often return as soon as a round of antibiotics is complete. Oral steroid medications can sometimes be prescribed as well.
Sinus Surgery
The most effective long-term treatment for your sinus issues and hearing loss symptoms is a fast, easy procedure called a FESS or Sinuplasty. This procedure involves opening and enlarging the sinuses, allowing the infection or fluid to drain. This can help eliminate many sinus issues and symptoms, including hearing loss caused by sinusitis.
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