17/08/2026
That muffled feeling in your ears after a flight? It might be wax, and cotton buds will only make it worse.
Ear wax is natural and normal, but it's easy to miss the early signs of build-up until one ear starts to feel noticeably worse than the other. Here are three signs worth paying attention to.
1. The muffled hearing sign
If sounds feel like they're coming through a pillow, wax may be pressing against your eardrum. This can happen gradually, so you might not notice until one ear feels much worse than the other.
2. The ringing you dismiss
A low hum or ringing that comes and goes is often linked to wax build-up rather than just stress or tiredness. When wax presses on the eardrum, it can trigger tinnitus symptoms that disappear once the blockage is cleared.
3. The cotton bud trap
Cotton buds feel satisfying, but they rarely remove wax. They push it further into the ear canal, turning a minor build-up into a full blockage. A clinician using microsuction and a 20x magnification microscope can clear it safely in one appointment.
Microsuction is a gentle method where the clinician views the ear canal through a microscope throughout, which makes it safer than other methods of removal. Knowing when to get your ears checked professionally saves you from weeks of muffled sound and unnecessary discomfort.
If any of these sound familiar, our audiologists here in Harrogate are happy to take a look.
