Blocked ears

[Amyleeh]

I’ve woken at 2am with blocked ears which is causing my tinnitus to seem louder. Any tips on how to relieve the blocked ears?

[Happyrosie]

From your pharmacist- ask their advice

[rabbits65]

Good morning , you can use the old fashion way of inhaling steam . Get a small basin , boil your kettle , gently pour the near boiling water in to it and inhale the vapours . Put a cloth or towel over your head . You can also buy decongestants from the pharmacist .

[Amyleeh in reply to rabbits65]

Thank you! Has this ever happened you before ? Blocked ears and any semi loud sounds cause a ringing ? It has happened me before and gone away but every time I’m scared it won’t go this time 😭

[rabbits65 in reply to Amyleeh]

Try not to worry too much because everyone says on here that stress will increase tinnitus . I do often feel my ears and head are blocked. Tinnitus is a really weird condition . You could ask your doctor to refer you to ENT department if your worried or ask to get checked out at Audiology dept and they will check your ears and hearing . Let me know how you get on . There’s lots of people on this site for support, your not alone . 😊 😊

[Happyrosie]

blocked ears are very very common. And certainly you may have T with blocked ears which then goes away when the ears have been unblocked.Other than that, I agree with rabbits65.

Doctors used to have syringing (to unblock ears) done at their surgeries but I think this does not now happen. When the nurse at my surgery used to do it, I had to either use olive oil twice a day or, if you can cope with it, sodium bicarbonate eardrops (from the pharmacy) - either of these - for two weeks before syringing could be done. Now if my ears are blocked I get them done at a specialist audiologist privately for £160.

But if you are new to blocked ears then start off with your doctor and work from there, after trying to unblock them yourself with oil or drops (NOT NOT NOT earbuds!!!)

[auntcricket]

Try using a decongestant like Sudafed and Mucinex. I also use saline spray. Sometimes it takes several doses before I feel better. Also there are over the counter nasal sprays like Flonase or 4 way spray and allergy pills like Allegra. An ENT can also prescribe stronger nasal spray. Be careful though because if you take too much over time it can actually cause congestion. That happened to me and I ended up on Prednisone. I have Eustachian tube disfunction which is why my ears block. There is also ear devices like Eustachi or Otovent that you can use that unblock your ears. I prefer the Eustachi. Good luck as it is trial and error to see what works for you.