What You Need to Understand About Earwax Accumulation

When you shower, always remember to clean your ears. It’s hard not to say that in your “parenting” voice. Maybe when you were a child you even remember your parents telling you to do it. That’s the type of memory that can remind you of simpler times as you wrap yourself in the nostalgia of youth.

But that advice can be rather helpful. Uncontrolled earwax buildup can cause a substantial number of problems, particularly for your hearing. And additionally, earwax can harden up inside your ear and become really difficult to clean. Bottom line, you’ll be best off keeping those ears clean.

Excessive earwax? Eww!

We get it, earwax is not the most pleasing of substances. That’s an opinion that most individuals share. But earwax does serve a purpose. Earwax is manufactured by glands in your ears and is then pushed out when you chew in order to keep your ears free of dust and dirt.

Essentially, the correct amount of earwax can help keep your ears clean and healthy. However counterintuitive it seems, the truth is that earwax itself is not a sign of bad hygiene.

The problems begin when your ears produce too much earwax. And, naturally, it can sometimes be a little bit difficult to tell when a healthy quantity of earwax begins to outweigh its advantages (literally).

What does excess earwax do?

So, what happens as a consequence of excess earwax? Earwax that gets out of control and, over time, builds up, can cause several issues. Here are a few:

• Dizziness: Your ability to maintain balance depends heavily on your inner ear. So when excess ear wax causes your inner ear to get out of whack, your balance can be affected, causing dizziness.
• Infection: Infections can be the consequence of surplus earwax. In some cases, that’s because the earwax can trap fluid where it ought not to be.
• Earache: An earache is one of the most prevalent indications of excess earwax. Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt that bad, and other times it can hurt a lot. This is usually a result of the earwax creating pressure someplace it shouldn’t.
• Tinnitus: When you hear buzzing and ringing that isn’t really there, you’re usually dealing with a condition known as tinnitus. Tinnitus symptoms can appear or get worse when earwax accumulates inside your ear.

This list is only the beginning. Headaches and pain can occur because of unchecked earwax accumulation. If you wear hearing aids, excess earwax can interfere with them. This means that you might think your hearing aids are malfunctioning when the real problem is a little bit too much earwax.

Can your hearing be impacted by earwax?

Well, yes it can. Hearing loss is one of the most common problems linked to excess earwax. Usually causing a form of conductive hearing loss, earwax accumulates in the ear canal, stopping sound waves and vibrations from getting very far. The problem usually goes away when the earwax is extracted, and usually, your hearing will return to normal.

But there can be sustained damage caused by excess earwax, particularly if the buildup gets severe enough. And tinnitus is also usually temporary but when earwax blockage persists, permanent damage can cause tinnitus to become a lasting condition.

Prevention, treatment, or both?

It’s a good plan to keep track of your earwax if you want to safeguard your hearing. In many cases, earwax buildup is caused not by excess production but by improper cleaning (for example, blockage is frequently caused by cotton swabs, which tend to press the earwax further in rather than getting rid of it).

Frequently, the wax has gotten hard, dense, and unable to clear without professional help. You’ll be able to start hearing again after you get that treatment and then you can start over, cleaning your ears the right way.