{"id":4458,"date":"2025-01-22T19:43:18","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T00:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/?p=4458"},"modified":"2025-01-22T19:43:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T00:43:19","slug":"how-do-earwax-blockages-affect-my-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/how-do-earwax-blockages-affect-my-hearing\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Earwax Blockages Affect My Hearing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Earwax plays an important role in protecting your ears, but too much of it can lead to problems. When earwax accumulates, it can create a physical barrier in your ear canal, blocking sound waves from reaching your eardrum. This can leave you <a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/ear-hearing\/hearing-health\/hearing-loss\/\">struggling to hear clearly<\/a>, much like trying to listen to a conversation through a thick wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is Earwax Buildup Common?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1254\" height=\"836\" src=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ENT-checking-a-womans-ear-for-blockages-.jpg\" alt=\"ENT checking a woman's ear for blockages.\" class=\"wp-image-4461\" style=\"width:435px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ENT-checking-a-womans-ear-for-blockages-.jpg 1254w, https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ENT-checking-a-womans-ear-for-blockages--768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1254px) 100vw, 1254px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Yes, earwax blockages are fairly common. Around <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC4311346\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10% of children and 5% of adults<\/a> experience wax buildup. Certain factors can increase your risk, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Regular earplug or hearing aid use<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Excess ear hair<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Using cotton swabs to clean your ears<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eczema and other skin conditions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can I Remove Earwax Safely?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you suspect a wax blockage is causing your hearing difficulties, start by consulting a hearing professional. Using specialized tools and techniques, they can <a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/ear-hearing\/ear\/earwax-removal\/\">remove earwax safely<\/a> and efficiently. Common methods include gentle suction, irrigation (flushing the ear with water) and cerumen spoons or forceps for manual removal. The process is quick and pain-free and ensures no harm comes to your delicate ear structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are There Safe Home Removal Methods?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For mild or frequently recurring cases, your ENT specialist may recommend at-home remedies like earwax-softening drops to loosen the wax and bulb syringes for gentle irrigation. Always consult your ENT specialist before trying at-home removal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Not to Do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Improper earwax removal can cause more harm than good. Keep these tips in mind to protect your hearing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Avoid cotton swabs.<\/strong> Pushing cotton swabs into your ear <a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diseases\/14428-ear-wax-buildup--blockage#management-and-treatment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">can pack wax deeper<\/a>, damage your eardrum or even cause an infection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Say no to ear candles.<\/strong> Ear candling is an often-discussed home remedy for earwax removal, but you should avoid it. It is not only ineffective but also potentially dangerous.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seek Professional Help for Clearer Hearing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t let earwax blockages affect your quality of life. Whether you\u2019re dealing with occasional buildup or recurring issues, professional care is the safest and most effective way to restore your hearing. Schedule an appointment with our hearing specialists at <span class=\"company-name \">Hampton Roads ENT ~ Allergy<\/span> today and get back to hearing every moment clearly!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/ear-infections-and-hearing-loss-what-to-know\/\" class=\"related-post\">Ear Infections and Hearing Loss: What to Know<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/how-to-celebrate-audiology-awareness-month\/\" class=\"related-post\">How to Celebrate Audiology Awareness Month<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/overcoming-the-plugged-ear-feeling-from-hearing-aids\/\" class=\"related-post\">Overcoming the Plugged-Ear Feeling From Hearing Aids<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Earwax plays an important role in protecting your ears, but too much of it can lead to problems. When earwax accumulates, it can create a physical barrier in your ear canal, blocking sound waves from reaching your eardrum. This can leave you struggling to hear clearly, much like trying to listen to a conversation through&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4461,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ear","category-hearing-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4458"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4458"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4463,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4458\/revisions\/4463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}