Don’t forget to wash your ears. Whenever you say that, you inescapably use your “parent voice”. Maybe you even remember getting that advice as a kid. That’s the type of memory that can remind you of simpler times as you wrap yourself in the nostalgia of childhood.

But it’s also good advice. Your hearing can be significantly impacted by out-of-control earwax. Even worse, this organic substance can harden in place making it difficult to clean out. In other words, the clearer you keep your ears, the better off you’ll be.

Excessive earwax? Eww!

Earwax is, well, kind of gross. That’s a viewpoint that most people share. But it is actually essential for the health of your ears. Earwax is made by glands inside of your ears and is then pushed out when you chew in order to keep your ears free of dust and dirt.

So your ears will stay clean and healthy when they produce the right amount of earwax. However counterintuitive it seems, the reality is that earwax itself isn’t a sign of bad hygiene.

An excessive amount of earwax is where the trouble begins. And it can be fairly challenging to know if the amount of earwax being produced is healthy or too much.

What is the impact of accumulated earwax?

So, what kind of impact does excess earwax have? Earwax that gets out of control and, over time, builds up, can lead to a number of problems. Here are a few:

• Earache: An earache is one of the most common indications of excess earwax. It doesn’t have to hurt a lot (though, sometimes it can). This usually occurs when earwax is creating pressure in places that it shouldn’t be.
• Infection: Excessive earwax can lead to ear infections. If fluid accumulates, it can get trapped behind plugged earwax.
• Tinnitus: Tinnitus is a condition where you hear a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ears. Earwax accumulation can cause tinnitus symptoms to worsen or to emerge.
• Dizziness: Your ability to maintain balance depends greatly on your inner ear. So when accumulated ear wax causes your inner ear to have issues, your balance can suffer, causing dizziness.

These are just a few. Ignored earwax can cause painful headaches. Excess earwax can hinder the functionality of hearing aids. This means that you may think your hearing aids are having problems when the real problem is a little bit too much earwax.

Can your hearing be impacted by earwax?

The quick answer is yes. One of the most common problems connected with excess earwax is hearing loss. Normally producing a kind of conductive hearing loss, earwax accumulates in the ear canal, stopping sound waves and vibrations from getting very far. The issue usually clears up when the earwax is removed, and normally, your hearing will return to normal.

But if the accumulation becomes severe, long term damage can develop. And tinnitus is also usually temporary but when earwax blockage lingers, long-term damage can cause tinnitus to become a lasting condition.

Prevention, treatment, or both?

It’s a good idea to keep track of your earwax if you want to protect your hearing. In many instances, earwax buildup is caused not by excessive production but by incorrect cleaning (for instance, blockage is frequently caused by cotton swabs, which will press the earwax further in instead of getting rid of it).

Frequently, the wax has become hardened, thick, and unmovable without professional treatment. The sooner you get that treatment, the sooner you’ll be able to hear again (and the sooner you’ll be capable of cleaning your ears the right way).

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