Your Ear Canal and Swimming

A healthy ear canal will direct sound from the external area of the ear and allow it to vibrate it against the eardrum in the inner ear. This allows a person to hear what is going on around them. Through normal day to day functions cerumen or ear wax begins to build up in the ear. This wax in small amounts helps to lubricate the ear and to improve hearing.

While swimming in water, it is important to protect your canal. If water begins to seep into the canal and build up, it can lead to a condition that is known as swimmers ear. This is an infection of the ear that can cause pain and can make it difficult for you to hear until the condition has calmed. There are several treatments, such as ear drops, that can help to ease the healing process and ensure that you end up feeling better in no time.

Protect Your Ear Canal!

As you are swimming, there are a few things you can do to protect your ear canal. The first thing is to always dry out the insides of the ears when you leave the water. This is as simple as taking a soft cloth and using it to dry out your ears as best as you can. This significantly reduces your risk. As you do this, make sure you also tilt each ear towards the opposite sides of the ground. This allows any trapped water to escape from the canal after swimming.

You can further help the area to dry out by gently tugging on the earlobe around the ear. With your head tilted to the side, this allows any inflammation that might be occurring to ease up. That way, you are able to better dry the ear out without anything being left behind. If you manage to continue to have problems with water in your ears, you can take a hair dryer on the lowest setting and turn it towards your ear. Hold it several inches away and allow the heat to work into the canal and evaporate and dry out your ear.

It is also important for you to maintain the cleanliness of the pool in order to further prevent swimmer’s ear and other infections that cause ear aches. This means checking the PH levels of the pool and doing what you can to keep it to where it isn’t a breeding ground for bacteria.

As you can see, swimming has the potential to impact your ear canal. When you take proactive steps, you can avoid swimmers ear and feel comfortable both in and out of the water. If you do experience a problem with your canal, seek treatment options right away to help ease the pain so you get back to normal faster.