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How to Remove Water from Ears

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How to Remove Water from Ears

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  1. First find out whether it is water in your ears.
  2. Drain by tilting your head forward.
  3. Remove excess water by titling your head.
  4. Never put things in your ears.
  5. Lay on your side and be patient.
  6. Repeat the steps if necessary, focussing on one ear at a time.

Equipment

I feel that ear drops are an essential part of any first aid kit (being a water sports enthusiast I’m sure you can understand why!). Identify your common issues with water in your ears (immediate removal, regular infections, or wax build up post exposure), and select the corresponding type of drop accordingly.
Ear drops

How to Remove Water from Ears

Knowing how to remove water from your ears can save you much pain and discomfort. Ear infections may also result should water be left in the ear canal. Being a seasoned high diver, surfer, and scuba diver, I should be well qualified to provide you with tips to help you resolve the problem.

Photo Credit: Designlazy.com

Steps

1- First find out whether it is water in your ears. You will know if you have water in your ears if; sounds are muffled, you are off balance, you feel pressure on your ear drum despite being out of the water, you can taste the water at the back of your throat, if you tap your temple with your wrist and you feel nauseated.

2- Drain by tilting your head forward. This should remove most of the water. It is best to be on all fours, facing the ground. Much of the water will slowly trickle through your sinuses and ‘rush’ out of your nose. It may take up to five minutes so be patient (it’s better having water escaping like this in a controlled environment rather than have it rushing out of your nose unexpectedly an hour later whilst you’re on a date!). Encourage evacuation by breathing heavily out of your nostrils.

3- Remove excess water by titling your head. There will always be little reservoirs of water left in the twists and turns of your ear canal. Any water that has found its way into your sinuses will clear automatically, however little reservoirs left in your ear canal may cause a problem. Once you have performed step 2, tilt your head to the side and gently tap on the other side of your head as if trying to get sauce out of a bottle. This is a very crude method, however it will nudge the water away from your sensitive eardrum, allowing you to progress to step 4.

4- Never put things in your ears. Do not put these too far into your ear as they may damage your sensitive hearing organs. Even just a scratch of your ear canal can result in an ear infection.

5- Lay on your side and be patient. The water will drain by itself. Be patient. Occasionally, gently ‘equalise’ (the process of holding your nose and gently attempting to blow out). Similarly, chewing (although do so standing up) can help, as it alters the shape of your canal as you chew and this may encourage the water to move.

6- Repeat the steps if necessary, focussing on one ear at a time.

Tips

If problems persist, there may be an underlying issue so consult your doctor.

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