If a person has his ears stuffed - most likely, the cause is completely harmless and easily eliminated. But in some cases, this symptom suggests that some kind of pathological process is developing. For example, many people have their ears full of pressure. In this case, you can not do without the help of a specialist.
Symptoms
Congestion is accompanied by general discomfort. A person with such a problem:
- the perception of sounds changes, third-party background noises appear;
- a feeling of a change in one’s own voice is created;
- may be dizzy or headache;
- impaired coordination of movements;
- there is a feeling that a foreign body is present in the head or ear.
Causes of Ear Congestion
If your ears are blocked, high or low blood pressure may be the cause. But before you suspect pressure problems, you need to exclude other factors of the violation. So, to lay ears can as a result of:
- Otitis. With the inflammatory process in the ear canal, such sensations often arise.
- The presence of sulfur plugs. If hygiene is not observed, sulfur accumulates, which leads to stuffy ears.
- Head or ear injuries.
- Inflammation of the nasal mucosa.
- Hearing in the ear canal of water or a foreign body.
- Strong nervous tension.
- Tumor processes.
- Hormonal changes during bearing a child during menopause.
- The use of certain medications.
- Long stay in noisy places.
- Alcohol intoxication.
In addition to congestion, in the presence of such pathologies, additional symptoms may join, for example, pain, fever, decreased performance.
If the above problems are eliminated, pay attention to the pressure at which this symptom occurs. At the first sign of discomfort, use a tonometer.
Correct Pressure Measurement
It is generally accepted that a person’s normal pressure is 120 to 80. However, this parameter is individual for everyone, so the values may deviate slightly in one direction or another, the main thing is that the person feels good at the same time. It is important to determine exactly what is the norm for you. For this, it is necessary to take measurements on both hands during the day, but at the same time exclude factors that may lead to distortion of indicators.
For measurements, a tonometer is used, while the automatic device is more convenient. For the indicators to be correct, it is necessary:
- Before measuring, exclude the use of alcohol, strong coffee and tea, smoking, physical activity.
- Take a comfortable position and relax. The working arm should be at heart level.
- Do not move or talk during the measurement.
- Take readings from both hands.
In case of deviations from the norm, it is likely that you have stuffed up ears with pressure. If the indicators do not cause concern, then the reason for this condition is different.
Why is there a problem with pressure
To understand why the violation occurs, you need to turn to physiology.
The hearing organ consists of:
- Outer ear. These include the auricle and the ear canal, with which sound vibrations are captured and transmitted;
- Middle ear, including the eardrum, three bones (anvil, malleus, stapes), Eustachian tube;
- The inner ear, which includes the cochlea, which converts sound vibrations into electrical impulses, and channels.
Sound vibrations are caught by the outer ear, then transmitted to the membrane, three bones, which are on average.
The eardrum has the following functions:
- protective;
- conductive;
- providing normal pressure.
There is air in the middle ear cavity. This structure is protected on one side by a membrane, and on the other hand, there is an Eustachian tube that facilitates air exchange and pressure equalization.
When in an area with high pressure, air enters from the nasopharynx into the middle ear. When a person enters a zone of low atmospheric pressure, air enters from the middle ear into the nasopharynx.
The congestion of the ears is precisely the pressure that affects the eardrum. In this case, hearing is disturbed for a while, the membrane temporarily loses elasticity. The reason is a violation of pressure in the middle ear.
Hypotension congestion
A common reason for laying ears is low blood pressure. This condition is explained by a sharp decrease in blood flow to the brain, which leads to a lack of oxygen.
In this case, the person will suffer from additional manifestations:
- drowsiness
- reduced performance;
- Dizziness
- blurred gaze;
- noise or ringing in the organs of hearing.
Stops ears at high pressure
An attack of hypertension can also be accompanied by congestion. The cause of this disorder is vasospasm.
In this case, other symptoms appear, in addition to laying ears:
- pressure in the head and pain;
- sensation of own pulse in the organs of hearing;
- the appearance of flies in front of the eyes;
- blurred vision;
- the appearance of redness on the face.
How does atmospheric pressure
Sudden changes in atmospheric pressure also lead to stuffy ears. This is possible while traveling by plane, diving, etc.
The level of pressure at which a person has this unpleasant symptom is an individual indicator. But the most sensitive in this regard are people who have disturbances in the cardiovascular system.
In addition, a similar condition may appear as a reaction to weather changes, especially in hypertensive patients and hypotensive patients. It is noticed that in people who have low blood pressure, they lay their ears and there are other symptoms of malaise during a cyclone characterized by high humidity, precipitation, and cloudiness.
In hypertensive patients, on the contrary, their health worsens with the advent of the anticyclone (dry, cloudless and calm weather).
Stuffed ears with pressure: what to do to the patient
If such a phenomenon occurs sporadically during sudden surges in atmospheric pressure, there is no need to turn to specialists for help. After eliminating the provoking factor, the problem disappears by itself after a while.
It is necessary to immediately seek medical help if, in addition to laying the ears, the patient has:
- persistent hearing loss;
- impaired coordination of movements;
- headache attacks, which are accompanied by visual impairment;
- pain in the heart, palpitations, rhythm disturbance;
- nausea, severe headaches;
- episodes of loss of consciousness.
Diagnostic measures
If your ears are blocked, you first need to visit the ENT. If problems are not detected, blood vessels should be examined.
This can be done using:
- Duplex scanning of vessels of the head and neck. With the help of such a study, the speed of blood flow is evaluated, the structure of blood vessels is studied. During the procedure, an image of the test vessels appears on the monitor.
- MRI of the vessels. It allows to detect vascular anomalies, helps to determine if there are problems with intracranial pressure.
If it is suspected that the cause of the violation was low or high blood pressure, conduct standard studies used in such situations:
- measure blood pressure;
- conduct blood and urine tests;
- make an electrocardiogram.
Therapy methods
It is this symptom that needs to be treated if ear diseases have become its cause. The main reason should be eliminated if changes in blood pressure lead to the fact that the ears are blocked. High or low pressure - conditions requiring treatment. But the approaches will be different.
With increased pressure, the use of beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, calcium antagonists is recommended. If the pressure is low, hypertensive drugs are prescribed.
In addition, the patient should use drugs that strengthen blood vessels: products with potassium, magnesium, vitamins C and group B.
If heart disease has become the cause of hypertension or hypotension, surgery will be needed.
If impaired renal function leads to increased pressure, then the doctor will recommend taking anti-inflammatory, antibacterial drugs.
How to eliminate congestion at high pressure at home
If your ears are blocked from high pressure, take a horizontal position. Lie quietly for some time, breathe deeply. A hot bath for the hands and feet can help. If the condition does not improve, take a blood pressure medicine. In the event that even with the help of a medication it was not possible to normalize well-being, call an ambulance. The help of doctors is also necessary if the ears are blocked, and blood has come out of the nose.
Low pressure and congestion
An effective drug that would help raise blood pressure does not exist. If your blood pressure is low, your ears are blocked and other signs of malaise appear, try drinking Citramon, which contains caffeine. A cup of coffee, dark chocolate helps a lot.
You can increase the pressure with a decoction of lemongrass, tea with honey and ginger. Useful walks in the fresh air, massage of the earlobes, hands and feet. If you lay your ears and feel dizzy, and the pressure cannot be raised by any methods, you will have to call an ambulance.
What to do with differences in blood pressure
To stabilize and get rid of congestion, it is recommended to yawn strongly, while straining the nasopharynx zone. You can make slow exhalations with your nose closed, while filling up with air and opening the Eustachian tube. Swallowing with a closed nose also helps. You can tilt your head to the side of the problem ear, hold the ear canal with your finger, and then release it sharply. Some people claim that mint sweets or chewing gum can help fix the problem.
Preventive actions
If you are laying your ears under pressure, you need to take care of prevention. To this end, you should adhere to recommendations that help maintain normal blood pressure:
- Adhere to the principles of proper nutrition. Eat only natural and healthy foods, maintaining a balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It is also necessary to monitor the drinking regimen by drinking at least 2 liters of water per day.
- Allocate about 2 hours a day for walks in leisurely steps in the fresh air.
- Do not forget about physical activity, especially to those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Breathing exercises are also helpful.
- Avoid stress, think positively. If necessary, you can even take a sedative drug.
- Avoid hypothermia.
- Timely visit a doctor and follow all his recommendations.
If the problem of ear congestion becomes persistent, consult a doctor for a thorough diagnosis. It is very important to establish the reason provoking the appearance of such a violation. If you lay your ears under pressure, you need an effective treatment regimen selected by a specialist taking into account the age of the patient and the presence of concomitant pathologies.