This Harmless Habit Can Trigger Tinnitus-How To Safely Clean Your Ears

Many people instinctively reach for a cotton swab, commonly known as an earbud, to clean their ears, believing it to be the best way to remove earwax. However, what seems like a harmless routine can actually endanger hearing health. Improper ear-cleaning practices, especially the use of cotton swabs, can contribute to tinnitus—a persistent ringing, buzzing, or hissing in the ears that can be both distressing and disruptive.

Hidden Dangers Of Cotton Swabs

Many individuals assume that cotton swabs effectively clean the ears, but they often do more harm than good. Here are several ways in which they can trigger tinnitus.

Eardrum Damage

The eardrum is extremely delicate, and even slight pressure from a cotton swab can potentially perforate it. This can lead to pain, hearing loss, and in some cases, tinnitus. A perforated eardrum requires time to heal and may necessitate medical intervention.

Ear Canal Trauma

The skin lining the ear canal is highly sensitive. Using cotton swabs can scratch or inflame the ear canal, leading to irritation and swelling. This inflammation can impact hearing and contribute to tinnitus.

Impacted Earwax

Ironically, instead of removing wax, cotton swabs often push it deeper into the ear canal, where it can become impacted. A wax impaction can exert pressure on the eardrum, diminishing sound clarity and triggering tinnitus symptoms. This can also cause a sensation of fullness in the ear, dizziness, and temporary hearing loss.

Auditory Ossicle Disruption

The auditory ossicles, tiny bones in the middle ear, play a crucial role in sound transmission. Excessive pressure from a cotton swab can disrupt their function. If these delicate bones are affected, it can lead to persistent tinnitus and other hearing disturbances.

How To Safely Clean Your Ear?

Fortunately, maintaining ear hygiene does not have to involve risky practices. The following are medically approved techniques to keep ears clean without causing harm.

1. Gentle Outer Ear Cleaning: The safest way to clean your ears is to focus only on the outer part. Using a soft, damp washcloth with warm water helps remove dirt and wax from the outer ear.
2. Over-the-Counter Drops: Those with excessive earwax buildup may benefit from cerumenolytic (wax-softening) drops. These drops help loosen stubborn wax, allowing it to naturally migrate out of the ear.
3. Gentle Irrigation: For individuals without eardrum perforations, a soft rubber bulb syringe filled with body-temperature water can help flush out loosened wax. Irrigation should be done cautiously to avoid excessive pressure, which could lead to dizziness or eardrum injury.

When To Seek Medical Help

Some situations necessitate professional ear cleaning rather than at-home methods. Health experts recommend consulting a doctor if you experience:

• Persistent ear pain or discomfort
• Ear drainage or foul-smelling discharge
• Sudden hearing loss or changes in hearing
• A history of ear surgery or eardrum perforation
• Frequent wax buildup affecting hearing