How To Sleep With An Ear Infection

Can An Ear Infection Be Prevented Or Avoided

Ear Infections | When to Worry | Parents

Although an ear infection is not contagious, the bacteria or virus that caused it is often contagious. Its important to:

Vaccinate your child with a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to protect against several types of pneumococcal bacteria. This type of bacteria is the most common cause of ear infections. Get your childs vaccinations on time.
Practice routine hand washing and avoid sharing food and drinks, especially if your child is exposed to large groups of kids in day care or school settings.
Avoid second-hand smoke.
Breastfeed your baby exclusively for the first 6 months and continue breastfeeding for at least 1 year. Place your baby at an angle while feeding.

Common allergy and cold medicines do not protect against ear infections.

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Manage Allergies And Congestion

Adults who have ear infections which is connected to a upper respiratory infection, such as a cold, may benefit from temporary use of oral or nasal decongestants, such as phenylephrine or pseudoephedrine. Using these before bed may improve comfort and allow better sleep. If your ear infection is related to allergies, an antihistamine such as chlorpheniramine may help improve symptoms. In children, antihistamines or decongestants are not considered beneficial to manage symptoms of otitis media, so only use these under the guidance of your child’s pediatrician.

See A Doctor If Symptoms Persist Beyond 48 Hours

If your ear infection fails to resolve, your ear pain worsens suddenly, or your symptoms continue to persist for more than 48 hours then you should see a doctor .

In the meantime, it is imperative that you do not attempt to poke at your affected ear as this can make things much worse.

I would also advise you to strictly refrain from self-medicating yourself with ear drops or strong medications such as antibiotics.

If the pain is significant, you can take a painkiller such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen which is readily available over the counter.

How To Sleep With Swimmers Ears

Swimmers ears develop as a result of the buildup of moisture within oneâs ear which provides an ideal breeding ground for bacteria to cause infections. This infection causes a buildup of fluid within your ears, making you feel uneasy. In order to alleviate the symptoms, you need to sleep with your head elevated to allow the fluid to steadily drain on its own, preventing it from blocking your Eustachian tubes. Moreover, in order to get rid of the bacterial infection, you might need to get that moisture out of your ears. You can either do so by using a dry towel or through a hair-dryer set on warm settings.

Sleeping With Ear Infections

How To Sleep With An Ear Infection Comfortably

Individuals with ear infections frequently experience sharp pain, sometimes accompanied by a sensation of fullness or pressure inside the ear, which is caused by fluid pushing versus the eardrum. Many people with ear infections begin to feel much better within 2 to 3 days after starting a recommended course of antibiotics.

Step 1 Take a painkiller such acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin prior to bedtime. Never give aspirin to children under the age of 2 or children and teenagers with chickenpox or flu-like symptoms due to the risk of Reyes syndrome, a condition that causes swelling in the brain and liver.

Step 2 Prop up your head with several pillows, which can help clear the Eustachian tubes. To elevate the head of your bed, place 5- to 6-inch wood blocks under the bed feet, or buy a wedge pillow, offered at numerous medical supply stores and drug stores, which you can place between your mattress and box springs.

Step 3 Drink water before you falling asleep. Ingesting can help activate the muscles that help the Eustachian tubes open and drain, thus reducing pain.

Step 4 Take a non-prescription decongestant or nasal spray before you falling asleep, if your ear infection is associated with sinus or nasal blockage. You can likewise try a decongestant nose spray, mentions iytmed.com. Only use a nasal decongestant for a day or two, as overuse can worsen nasal congestion.

Cautions

Tips

See an ear, nose and throat specialist if you suffer from chronic ear infections.

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What Side Should You Lay On If You Have An Ear Infection

If you have an ear infection, you should sleep on the side of the uninfected or healthy ear. This is because infections in the ear tend to promote a buildup of fluids and secretions of the ear which blocks your Eustachian tubes. When you sleep on the infected side, the additional pressure exerted by your weight on the blocked Eustachian tubes will trigger earaches. Sleeping on the other side however keeps your infected ear elevated from the rest of your body, allowing the fluid to keep draining and preventing excessive pressure buildup on the Eustachian tubes.

Get A Pillow That Makes Headphone Listening Easy

Anyone whos tried sleeping with headphones on for a full eight hours knows it can get painful.

Almost all pillows werent designed for devices as cumbersome as headphones. They can press against the earcups, which, in turn, press against your ears and cause discomfort.

Also, the extra pressure on the headphones can cause damage to the electronics.

Luckily, there are some special pillows that can make listening and sleeping far more enjoyable.

The Original Pillow With a Hole

This pillow was originally made for people who need to relieve ear pain after ear surgery or are suffering from ear discomfort.

As you can tell by its name, The Original Pillow With a Hole has a 4-inch x 4-inch hole in the middle to provide just the right amount of space for one of the earcups to go through.

Its a great pillow for side sleepers because it relieves pressure from the earcup thats pressing against the pillow.

Theres also a zip that lets you add or remove stuffing to make it softer or firmer according to your liking.

Travel Pillow

Travel pillows are the best friends of people on the go.

It can be used to relieve pressure on the headphones in two ways. One is when youre sleeping upright or sitting down, and second is when you sleep on your side.

When youre sleeping during a flight or a road trip, you obviously lose control of your neck. This causes your head to sway in all directions and the weight of the headphones even adds more momentum.

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How To Ease The Pain Of An Ear Infection

Unfortunately, children do not know how to sleep with an ear infection. When an ear infection occurs, there are several things that can be done to soothe your child until you can see the pediatrician.

Use childrens ibuprofen or acetaminophen , but never use aspirin for pain, and don’t bother using cold remedies.

To help ease the pressure, elevate your childs head when sleeping. If the child is more than two years old and is no longer sleeping in the crib, it’s fine to use a pillow when resting.

Keep your child in a semi-upright position in the car seat when travelling.

Applying a warm, moist towel near your younger childs infected ear may also be of some help. With older children you may want to use a heating pad however, remember to keep the heating pad on its lowest setting and never use heating pads with infants.

When there is no drainage, help lessen the pain by using a few drops of olive , into the affected ear. When there is some discharge, use a cotton ball gently tucked into the ear canal.

Since swallowing opens up the eustachian tube and helps drain the fluid from the middle ear, encourage this by letting your older children , chew gum .

Have your children drink plenty of fluids to help avoid an ear that is plugged from turning into an ear infection.

What Causes Inner Ear Infections

Clogged Ear Due to Ear Infection or Eustachian Tube Dysfunction

Infections can happen in any part of the ear, including the inner section. When the inner ear is infected, the problem is sometimes known as labyrinthitis.

The infection can be caused by a virus or bacteria, which usually reach the inner ear after affecting another part of your body.

Viral Infections: Lots of different viruses can affect the inner ear, including the common cold and flu. The infection usually spread to the inner ear from other parts of the body , so you may start to develop symptoms related to your inner ear after noticing cold-like symptoms. Antibiotics cant help with this type of infection.
Bacterial Infections: Bacterial infections are less common, especially in adults, but they can happen. Bacteria are more likely to get into the inner ear if the membranes separating it from the inner ear are broken, which might happen if you have a middle ear infection. If the infection is caused by bacteria then taking antibiotics might help.

In some cases, the problem that we call an inner ear infection isnt actually an infection at all. Labyrinthitis can happen when the inner ear becomes inflamed for other reasons, for example if you have an autoimmune condition that causes your immune system to mistakenly attack the tissue. You might need to get treatment for this underlying condition in order to prevent the inner ear problems from returning.

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Carefully Perform Exercises To Rehabilitate The Eustachian Tubes

The Eustachian tube is a narrow tube that connects the middle ear to the back of the nose .

These tubes open when we swallow, yawn, or chew, but otherwise, they remain closed .

The Eustachian tubes help to drain the fluids and secretions of the middle ear .

They also help in maintaining the air pressure in the ears, enabling the eardrums to work and vibrate properly .

Sometimes fluid or negative pressure gets stuck in the middle ear, causing the pressure outside the ear to become too high, which further leads to ear pain .

To rehabilitate your Eustachian tubes, there are a few simple exercises you can perform at home, especially before going to bed, so that you can sleep better at night .

Try to blow up a balloon through each nostril, using an anesthetic mask.

Try to yawn, and you may hear or feel a pop in your ears when the tubes open .

Try to chew gum or swallow some water before going to sleep, as it can help to trigger the muscles that enable the Eustachian tubes to open up and drain.

Close your mouth and cover your nose for a few seconds. Then try to force an exhalation against your closed mouth and nose, by blowing your nose gently. This exercise is referred to as the Valsalva maneuver .

Try to swallow while pinching your nose. This exercise is referred to as the Toynbee maneuver. Swallowing opens the Eustachian tubes, and the movement of the tongue while keeping the nose closed helps to compress the air which passes through the tubes to the middle ear .

Most Common Causes Of Earache

Ear infections tend to be one of the most common causes of earaches. These infections can develop in your outer, middle or inner ear due to a variety of reasons. These include either factors that cause wear and tear within your ear such as wearing of hearing aids or earphones, or other bacterial infections resulting from respiratory illnesses.

Earache can also result from damage to the ear that is caused while cleaning up the ear canal. On the other hand, a buildup of excess earwax, or a blockage by any tiny object within the ear can also result in severe ear pain.

A change in pressure within the ear resulting from an altitude change or when travelling between mountains, can also block your Eustachian tubes and cause temporary ear pain. However, an earache caused by arthritis in oneâs jaw, or toothache will only go away once the underlying issue is treated.

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Impact On A Babys Sleep

Ear infections can be very disruptive to your babys sleep at the height of pain, though it may take you a few days to figure it out. After all, when we are in pain, its difficult for any of us to sleep! Unfortunately, some symptoms of ear infections in babies are also symptoms of other problems. For example, tugging at ears can often also be an overtired sign. And your young babys under-developed coordination can sometimes account for what looks like batting at the ears, as well.

In addition, your baby being fussier than normal is one of the ear infection symptoms. But, being overtired, too warm, belly issues or teething can also cause babies to be fussier. The difference with ear infections is that the fussiness is almost non-stop. If your baby is simply overtired, he or she may be happy at least for an hour after each nap or several hours a day. Not so much with an ear infection. A pain reliever can allow temporary relief for both teething and ear infection pain, but of course, that doesnt help you identify which it is at the moment!

Home Remedies For Ear Infections

The bodys immune system may be able to fight the majority of ear infections on its own but there are a couple of remedies that can speed up the process. After all, we all want to sleep better and not have to go about daily duties with pus oozing from our ears or suffering from sharp pain throughout the day.

Here are the best home remedies for sleeping with an ear infection.

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Essential Herbal Essences And Essential Oils

A popular home remedy for ear infections or discomfort usually contains a range of herbs and oils. Some of the most well-known remedies or cures include garlic essence and lavender oil, mullein along with tea tree oil.

But, although some of these oils have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, we recommend that if you decide to make use of them, be cautious when using them.

There arent many research studies to examine the consequences of introducing these herbs to the ear canal of the ear. Additionally the moment you place these herbs inside your ears, they will only penetrate your eardrums impermeable membrane.

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How Long Does Ear Pain Last

This practically depends on the area of the ear where the infection takes place. Most infections developed on the outer region of the ear are less harmful and can go away on their own in a week or two. However, those developed in the inner ear can take a long time to ease, with symptoms often persisting up to a month after contracting it. Middle ear infections last the shortest, with the symptoms easing up in less than two days.

Image Attribution And Licencing

He has an ear infection. How do I help him sleep? – Debra Babcock

Main image: Sick Man With Ear Pain by Millkos used with permission under the terms of Canvas One Design Use License Agreement.

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Allow Pressure Release By Elevating Your Head

Sleeping with your head elevated can go a long way in relieving ear pain by balancing out the pressure gradient on your ear. It is an ideal position, especially if both your ears bear ear infection. Also, ensure you don’t sleep on one side of your ear as it may intensify the pain in your ear.

You can elevate your head by using an extra pillow or adjusting your bed at an elevated angle. Keep in mind that pillows are a cost-effective alternative to posture support adjustable beds. Your choice depends on the depth of your pocket.

Advisably, having an adjustable bed is ideal if you’re suffering from back pains, acid reflux, sleep apnea, and other posture-related conditions. Sleeping comfortably with the upper part of your body alleviated can help reduce pain associated with ear infections as well.

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