Ear infections affect nearly 80% of children and 20% of adults worldwide. Not to mention, they get worse during the night time due to increased cortisol levels in the body.
Therefore, if ear pain is making your precious moments of sleep unbearable, you’ve come to the right place.
After all, a good night’s sleep is key to a healthy recovery.
Here are some of the best sleeping positions, as well as other remedies for curing and helping you deal with your ear infection.
Sleeping Positions
According to Hibermate, sleeping upright can greatly help you in dealing with your ear infection. Sleeping while sitting up allows build-up in your ear to drain easily, thereby relieving pain and pressure in your middle ear.
Either use a bunch of pillows to keep your head elevated or sleep in a reclining armchair or sofa. There will definitely be an improvement, and you will sleep better if you keep your head elevated enough.
Sleeping on your side is also a relatively natural and comfortable position and will have a much more relaxing effect.
Also, in case the infection occurs in only one of your ears, try sleeping on the other side. It reduces pressure and increases drainage in the infected area.
Useful Tip: Tucking a towel beneath your head while sleeping is a foolproof way to prevent any discharge from staining your sheets.
Medication
The best way to curb ear pain or infection is to take painkillers. Many painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen are strong enough to reduce the pain so you can get some sleep.
However, for very young children and those with heart disease or high blood pressure, it’s important that they consult with their doctor before self-medicating with pain pills.
Sip N’ Swallow
Chewing, sipping, and swallowing, each with its own technique can help bring air and fluid into the middle ear and open up your tubes, which are typically closed internally.
Cold Or Hot Compress
Applying a hot or cold compress to the area can numb the pain, reduce inflammation, and relieve pressure from build-up in the inner ear.
It is a natural pain-relieving process that will soothe your ear pain in 10-15 minutes.
Allergy And Congestion
Being an adult, if you feel that your ear infection is being caused by a respiratory infection, use nasal or oral decongestants.
Even though the effects are temporary, they will help drain fluid and relieve pressure from behind your ears, nose, and throat.
However, if you think that your ear infection is being caused by allergies, take an antihistamine like chlorpheniramine to relieve your symptoms.
Do so only after consulting your doctor, though, because they could recommend a more effective course of action for treating your ear infection.
Other Remedies
The following are some other remedies you can try at home to soothe the ear pain caused by the infection:
- Neck exercises: This can be a great way to release tension in the neck that’s accumulated in your ear canal.
- Ginger: Ginger juice is anti-inflammatory and will soothe pain when used on the outer ear canal.
- Hydrogen peroxide: Pour some drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ear and let it sit for a couple of minutes. This will soften the ear wax, which can then be easily removed, and your ear will be as good as new.
What Not To Do
Avoid the following remedies often used to treat ear infections:
- Oils: You are not to put olive, tea-tree, or garlic oil in your ear. Despite garlic oil’s antibacterial properties, the main cause of your infection will go untreated. Plus, in the case of an eardrum hole, it’s not safe to put garlic anywhere near it.
- Over-the-counter numbing drops: Avoid any kind of numbing drops. They often use benzocaine to numb the pain and antipyrine to decrease pain and inflammation. According to many doctors, the effects are brief and often opposite and cause a stinging pain in your ear.
When To See Your Doctor
You should instantly go for a check-up if any of the points below fit your current situation:
- Your symptoms persist after two or three days of trying all methods to relieve them.
- Your ear hurts a lot, and other symptoms are bothering you.
- You are running a fever.
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction usually presents itself as an ear infection. Therefore, it is advised that you see a dentist or TMJ expert be sure you’re treating the correct condition.
The Bottom Line
There are various ways to cure and alleviate symptoms of ear infections like pain. However, it is better to see a physician as soon as possible to treat the infection before things get out of hand.
They may also give you a proper diagnosis that may have nothing to do with the common ear infection at all!