While it may sound strange, resting or sleeping sitting up rather than lying down can encourage fluid in your ear to drain. It can help lower that pressure and ease your symptoms. If you’re on an airplane or driving at high altitudes and your ear pain is from the change in air pressure, chew some gum. Ask your doctor which is right for you.Ĭhew gum. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen can often relieve the pain of an earache. You shouldn’t use these drops if your eardrum has a tear or hole, so check with your doctor first. Over-the-counter ear drops with pain relievers. Try both temperatures to see if one helps you more than the other.Ī heating pad: Lay your painful ear on a warm, not hot, heating pad. Soak a washcloth in either cool or warm water, wring it out, and then put it over the ear that's bothering you. There’s little research to say whether or not home care works, but most doctors agree these treatments are safe to try yourself:Ī cool or warm compress. If you have ear pain, it’s a good idea to talk with your doctor about it. There are things you can try to ease ear pain at home. Ear infections are less common in grown children and adults, but they can still happen.Įar infections often go away on their own and don’t need medical attention. The warm moist cotton can also be placed under the earpiece of a set of headphones.You may think of ear infections as something only kids get. Place the cup over the child’s affected ear to create a change in local barometric pressure that will help reduce the pain. Press a few of the warm moist, but not dripping, cotton balls or pads into the bottom of a small paper or plastic cup. By the time the flight is approaching its destination, the cotton should be sufficiently warm. Once airborne and settled, moisten some of the cotton balls/pads with hot water from the beverage cart and put them in the insulated bag. #Home remedies for ear infection in adults fullTell them to bring along a plastic bag full of cotton balls and/or makeup pads and an insulated pack in their carry-on luggage. Parents will need to do a bit of advanced planning to make this tactic work. A warm moist poultice placed in the bottom of a cup can help. On a mid-winter flight to Florida, the cry of a young child is often heard about 20 minutes before landing-when intraocular pressure starts to shift. Ear Pain in the Air A young child who has a cold and must travel by air will be very prone to ear pain, especially when the airplane begins its initial descent. The child can then gently lean against the salt sock rather than lying flat against it while prone. To minimize the chance of accidental burning, parents should place the heating pad on their chest and hold the child on his/her lap. Then tie the sock closed and put it into a microwave oven for 30 to 60 seconds. Put a cup of uncooked rice or other grain into a thick cotton sock. Gentle warmth around the ear can also alleviate infection-associated pain and a homemade “salt sock” can serve as a natural heating pad for infants and young children. This trick works best if you administer ibuprofen first and try not to drip ice water on the external ear or down the child's neck. The brief pulse of ice water causes the blood vessels of the inflamed tympanic membrane to constrict, and does bring some relief. Then have the child lie against your shoulder or sit propped up and gently stroke the side of the neck. Be sure to forewarn the child that it’s going to feel “super cold” and maybe tell him/her that you are putting some melted snow into the ear to make the pain go away. Place a few drops of ice water into the affected ear. I've found it helpful to share these tips with parents of my young patients. Here, I offer a few old-fashioned and time-tested home remedies to relieve ear pain that typically follows a respiratory infection.
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