How To Get Water Out Of Your Ear | When To See A Doctor
Every person at some point in time has had water trapped in their ears. It is not a cause of a worry even though you may feel like you are not able to hear properly. The feeling in itself is very uncomfortable. Water can get trapped in your ears any time that you come in contact with it. In some cases, people experience this feeling of trapped water reaching to their jawbone or throat. However, it also is not a major concern as with a few techniques the water can come out of its own.
How to get water out of your ear when you feel like no matter what you do it just won’t come out? For the most part, getting water inside your ears is a perfectly normal thing to occur. At the same time, you need to ensure that you are not letting that water remain inside your ear for a long period of time. It can give rise to infections and in extreme cases, hearing loss.
What Are the Symptoms of Water in Your Ear?
A man touching his ear, Credit: Canva
You can experience the symptoms of water in your ear after you come out of it. These usually are:
Unclear sounds
Difficulty in hearing properly
A sense of clogged ears. You may feel like there is something in your ear
Persistent itching in the region of the ear canal
Ear drainage
These are the symptoms that one may experience in the beginning. They are mild and can be taken care of. But if you leave them untreated, then they will become moderate or severe. In such cases, these symptoms may become more intense and can cause
Ear pain
Pain that travels to the head, neck, and face
A high amount of ear drainage
The ear canal can become partially blocked
The ear can become red
Fever may also occur
What happens if you have water in your ear for too long? If the water inside your ears stays for a period of two to three days, then it is highly likely that you will develop an infection. In such a scenario, you will find your ear becoming swollen. It is the surest sign that you have developed an ear infection. There is an urgent need for you to address this issue. If you neglect it, then you can become a victim of a hearing disability. If not a hearing disability, then you are likely to suffer from other ear conditions like bone or cartilage damage.
How Do You Get Trapped Water out of Your Ear?
Ear of a person, Credit: Canva
How to get water out of your ear using specialized techniques? Keep reading to know how to utilize some of the most common techniques for this purpose.
Gravity/ Jiggling Technique can be used in which you lie down in such a way that your ears face the floor. Tilt your head to one side and gently jiggle your ear lobe. All the water that is trapped will soon come out of your ear.
In the Valsalva Maneuver, you keep your mouth close after which you plug your nose. Now, blow it with not much pressure. This technique brings equilibrium in the pressure present in your ears.
The Vaccum Technique is done to develop a suction effect that helps to drain all the water that is trapped. In this technique, you put your hand over the ear that has water in it. Then, you gently press that ear with your hand for no more than a couple of seconds. It makes way for all the trapped water to come out of your ear.
Did you know that a hairdryer can also be used for getting excess water to come out of your ear? But how to get water out of your ear using a hairdryer? It is very simple. Just turn your hairdryer, keep it at a low heat setting, direct it towards the ear that has water trapped in it. It will dry out the water and the water that has not dried will automatically come out in a matter of minutes.
It may seem strange at first, but yawning and chewing gum is two ways by which you can effectively drain out water from your ears. How to get water out of your ear by yawning or chewing gum? Yawning and chewing gum will cause your mouth to move. It will drop the pressure in the inner tubes of your ears and thus the trapped water will be released.
You can also use the Chemical Technique whereby you can look for ear drops that are designed to remove water and moisture from your ear.
All these are highly effective techniques that will help you to drain out water from your ears. Remember, it is important for you to remove water as if it stays for too long, you can become prone to serious ear complications.