Why Do My Ears Feel Clogged?

Reasons Your Hearing May Be Off and How to Unclog Your Ears

Clogged ears may be due to changes in altitude, the effects of a cold or virus, excess earwax, or an injury to the ear. If your ears feel clogged, you might find that yawning, chewing gum, or swallowing helps.

If it doesn't, treatments are available depending on the cause of your clogged ear. In some situations, you should leave the ear unclogging to a healthcare provider so you don't damage the delicate structures inside your ears or make the blockage worse.

This article looks at when and how to unclog ears your ears on your own, symptoms and causes that warrant seeing a professional, and the possible treatments.

why are my ears clogged

Verywell / Emily Roberts

When and How to Unclog Your Ears Yourself

When you first notice your ears are clogged, you can try:

  • Pinching your nose and swallowing (Toynbee maneuver)
  • Chewing gum or eating
  • Yawning

You can also try the Valsalva maneuver:

  1. Pinch your nose shut.
  2. Close your mouth.
  3. Try to blow out through your nose.

If those options don't work, you may need medical attention or self-treatment at home. It all depends on what's clogging your ears.

How Long Does a Blocked Ear Last?

It depends on the cause. If your ear is blocked from pressure on an airplane, it may return to normal shortly after landing. If your ear is blocked because of fluid, it can sometimes take up to three months for your ears to clear.

Changes in Altitude or Atmospheric Pressure

Causes

When atmospheric pressure changes or you change altitude, the pressure change can cause your ears to clog or "pop." Extreme changes may injure your eardrum or other structures.

Symptoms

Clogging while you're driving up a steep mountain, taking off in an airplane, or SCUBA diving, is called barotrauma. Pressure may be uncomfortable and reduce your hearing.

Treatment

The best ways to prevent this are to swallow, chew gum, or frequently yawn. This opens up your eustachian tube and lets outside air enter the ear, which equalizes the pressure.

If you have allergies or frequently have trouble unclogging your ears during altitude changes, you may want to take your allergy medication or a decongestant ahead of time.

Eustachian Tube Dysfunction

Eustachian (or auditory) tube dysfunction is an umbrella term for many things that can make your ears feel clogged.

Causes

Possible causes include:

The first two problems are especially common in children.

Symptoms

You might notice these symptoms:

Treatment

Treatments include over-the-counter or prescription antihistamines, decongestants, cold and flu medications, and nasal sprays; steroid nasal sprays may lower inflammation.

Some sinus infections require antibiotics, which must be prescribed by a healthcare provider.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

If you're getting worse despite treatment, especially with COVID-19 or influenza, see your healthcare provider soon to avoid serious illness and complications.

Ear Infections

As with sinus infections, ear infections sometimes go away on their own. Other times, you may need antibiotics. If symptoms are mild, you can try home remedies before seeing a healthcare provider.

Causes

Causes of ear infections include viruses (which don't require antibiotics), and bacteria (which may), allergies, and occasionally fungi.

Infections most often occur with upper respiratory illnesses (colds, flu, sinusitis, strep throat, laryngitis, and tonsillitis), but can develop independently of other illnesses.

Common bacterial causes include streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae, moraxella catarrhalis, and streptococcus pyogenes (the cause of strep throat). Bacteria can also be introduced by contaminated water that enters the ears while swimming, or when objects such as cotton swabs, earplugs, or fingers transfer bacteria into the canal.

Symptoms

Ear pain, fever, and difficulty sleeping are all symptoms of an ear infection. In children, fussiness, irritability, and rubbing or tugging at the ear may be observed.

Treatment

In many cases, ear infections are uncomplicated and will heal without medical intervention. Home treatment can help ease the discomfort of an infection. Try using a cold or hot compress over the ear, OTC pain relievers (e.g., Advil, Tylenol), or a few drops of hydrogen peroxide (allow it to bubble, then tip your head to drain it out).

If the infection doesn't start getting better in two or three days, see a healthcare provider. For more serious conditions, treatment can involve antiviral drugs (viral infections) or antibiotics (bacterial infections). Oral steroids and antinausea medications like Compazine (prochlorperazine) can also help ease symptoms.

Get Emergency Treatment for a Child With:

  • A temperature over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (F) in a baby under 3 months old
  • A temperature over 104 degrees F in children over 3 months old
  • A stiff neck
  • Sluggishness or seeming very sick
  • Constant crying
  • Unsteady gait
  • Signs of weakness, especially in the face (e.g., a crooked smile)
  • Bloody or pus-filled ear drainage
  • Severe pain

Cholesteatoma

A cholesteatoma is a benign (non-cancerous) skin growth that develops in the eardrum and can grow into the middle ear and mastoid bone. Cholesteatomas grow aggressively and significantly increase the risk of middle ear infections.

Causes

The most common cause is dysfunction in the eustachian tube. Other times, dead skin accumulates in the ear, which attracts bacteria and leads to infection. Some cholesteatomas result from a birth defect.

Symptoms

Symptoms tend to be mild at first and worsen as the cholesteatoma grows. Symptoms include pressure in the ear that can affect hearing and balance. There may also be foul-smelling drainage from the ear.

Treatment

Cholesteatoma can only be removed with surgery. If the cholesteatoma has grown into the mastoid (the large bone behind the ear), a mastoidectomy is done to remove the cholesteatoma from the bone. Or, a tympanoplasty may be done to repair the eardrum and restore hearing.

Acoustic Neuroma

An acoustic neuroma is a rare, benign tumor that forms along the eighth cranial nerve. This nerve leads from the brain to the inner ear and is highly involved in hearing and balance. Most acoustic neuromas do not grow. Those that do usually grow slowly. Symptoms develop when the neuroma presses on nearby structures.

Causes

Acoustic neuroma can be caused by radiation exposure to the head or neck, in which case the neuroma often grows years after the exposure. It may also be caused by a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2).

Symptoms

Hearing loss on one side, a feeling of fullness in the ear, ringing in the ear (tinnitus), dizziness or balance problems, facial numbness or tingling, headaches, and mental confusion are the most common symptoms.

Treatment

Treatment may involve watching and waiting, surgery, or radiation, depending on how severe the acoustic neuroma is.

Noise Damage

Noise-induced hearing loss, or noise damage, is caused by damage to hair cells in the ears, which help create electrical signals from the sounds you hear. Those signals are then carried to the brain via the auditory nerve. Hair cells that are damaged do not grow back.

Causes

Being exposed to very loud noise can result in noise-induced hearing loss. The damaging noise can be a brief exposure, like an explosion, or a chronic exposure, like loud noise from workplace machinery.

Symptoms

Signs of noise damage usually happen gradually. Sounds may become increasingly muffled or distorted over time. There may be ringing, buzzing, or roaring in the ears, which may subside over time. Hearing loss can also make the ears feel clogged. Noise damage hearing loss may be temporary or permanent.

Treatment

Permanent hearing loss may be treated with the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants.

How Healthcare Providers Unclog Your Ears

Sometimes, you need to see a healthcare provider for clogged ears so you don't risk damaging your ears, which could impair your hearing. You can get a good idea of possible causes by paying attention to your other symptoms.

Fluid In the Ear

  • Causes: Congestion or inflamed structures can trap liquid in the eustachian tube, which connects your middle ear to the back of your throat, where fluid typically drains.
  • Symptoms: It may not cause symptoms other than clogging. However, there may be pain, and eventually, permanent changes to the eardrum and/or hearing loss.
  • Treatment: For prolonged cases, your healthcare provider may re-check it every few months. After the six-month mark, they may recommend ventilating tubes to clear it out.

If young children have fluid in the ears for a long time without treatment, it may lead to hearing loss and/or delayed speech.

Excessive Earwax

  • Causes: There is generally no known cause. Your body may produce too much wax or it may not be able to clear it efficiently.
  • Symptoms: If you have a blockage, you may have ear pain, ear infections, a feeling of fullness, ringing, hearing loss, dizziness, itchiness, or cough.
  • Treatment: Your healthcare provider may flush your ear with water, scoop out the wax with special tools, or use ear drops that dissolve the wax.

As tempting as it may be to try and remove excessive earwax with a Q-tip, it's best to leave the task to a healthcare provider. Trying to remove it on your own may push earwax deeper into the ear canal, making the blockage worse. Using a Q-tip could also damage nearby structures within the ear or rupture the eardrum.

Can Ear Candling Unclog Ears?

Little research has been done on ear candling (using a hollow, lit candle to draw out excess earwax), however, the practice is generally regarded as having no benefit to clear earwax. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, clinicians should advise against ear candling to treat or prevent excessive earwax.

Foreign Objects

  • Causes: A foreign object can become lodged in the ear canal; this is most common in young children, who may put something in there out of curiosity or because a friend dared them to.
  • Symptoms: Pain is common. You may notice a child rubbing their ear and looking uncomfortable. If left in for a long time, the object may cause an infection.
  • Treatment: A healthcare provider can remove the object with special tools.

Don't try to remove the object yourself. You may push it in deeper and cause damage.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Consult with a healthcare provider if you have:

  • Lost, muffled, or distorted hearing
  • Pressure in your ears that won't go away
  • Dizziness
  • Ear pain
  • Ringing in the ears
  • Fluid discharge from the ears
  • Vertigo
  • A foreign object in the ear
  • Any other new or unusual symptoms

Go to the nearest emergency room if any of these symptoms begin suddenly, won't go away, or are severe.

If you notice any fluid draining from the ear or smell a foul odor, your child needs to see a healthcare professional immediately.

Summary

For simple causes of clogged ears, you can try swallowing, yawning, chewing, or eating. Decongestants or antihistamines may sometimes help.

Common causes of clogged ears include changes in altitude or atmospheric pressure, eustachian tube dysfunction, ear infections, and fluid, foreign objects, or earwax blocking the eustachian tube.

Most of the time, these problems are easily diagnosed and treated. Some causes always require medical help (e.g., fluid, foreign objects, or earwax buildup).

Some cases of eustachian tube dysfunction may clear up on their own, while others may need prescription antibiotics. You can likely manage pressure changes yourself.

17 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School: UTHealthHouston. How to pop your ears.

  2. American Academy of Family Physicians. Otitis media (with effusion).

  3. American Academy of Family Physicians. Sinusitis.

  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sinus infection (sinusitis).

  5. Schilder AGM, Chonmaitree T, Cripps AW, et al. Otitis media. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2(1):16063. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.63

  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ear infection.

  7. Mount Sinai. Cholesteatoma.

  8. University of California Irvine. Causes and treatments: cholesteatoma.

  9. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma).

  10. Cedars Sinai. Acoustic neuroma.

  11. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Noise-induced hearing loss.

  12. Harvard Health Publishing. Why do my ears feel clogged?.

  13. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Eustachian tube dysfunction.

  14. Minovi A, Dazert S. Diseases of the middle ear in childhood. GMS Curr Top Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2014;13:Doc11. doi:10.3205/cto000114

  15. National Health Service: NHS Inform. Earwax build-up.

  16. Schwartz SR, Magit AE, Rosenfeld RM, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction) [published correction appears in Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017 Sep;157(3):539]. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017;156(1_suppl):S1-S29. doi:10.1177/0194599816671491

  17. Harvard Health Publishing. By the way, doctor: Plugged-up feeling in an ear.

Additional Reading

By Kristin Hayes, RN
Kristin Hayes, RN, is a registered nurse specializing in ear, nose, and throat disorders for both adults and children.