There are other symptoms of a cold that are less common than the widely recognized runny nose. Occasionally, a cold can move into one or more ears, though you rarely hear about those. While you may generally consider colds as harmless, here’s why this ear-related cold symptom should never be dismissed.
What does a cold in your ear feel like?
Your sinuses are directly interconnected to your ears, so it’s common to feel some congestion in your ears when you have a cold. Usually, when you take a decongestant for sinus relief, this blockage will also be relieved.
But if you experience pain inside the ears, this is something you shouldn’t ever dismiss, even when you have a cold. The eardrum can become infected if the cold goes into the ears. When it does, swelling occurs. Inflammation is an immune reaction that causes fluid to collect on the exterior of the eardrum. So an individual with an inflamed eardrum might also experience a slow leaking of fluid from the ear. Because it’s a slow leak, it’s most noticeable when you are sleeping on your side.
This is called conductive hearing loss and impacts how well you hear in the short term. But long term hearing loss can also take place if this inflammation forces the eardrum to burst. As a result, more permanent damage occurs to the hearing nerves from the inflammation, which is known as sensorineural hearing loss.
It could be costly if you wait
Come in and see us if you’re dealing with any pain in your ears. Oftentimes, a primary physician assumes that the ear symptoms will clear themselves up when the initial cold clears up. Sometimes, a patient will even forget to mention any pain they may be experiencing in their ear. But the infection has most likely gotten to the point where it’s doing damage to the ear if you’re feeling pain. It’s critical that the ear infection be treated promptly to prevent further damage.
Many individuals who experience pain in their ear during a cold, get over their cold only to notice that the ear pain lingers. This is often when a person finally decides to go to a hearing specialist. But, a lot of damage is normally done by this time. Permanent hearing loss is often the result and that’s even more true with people who get ear infections frequently.
Each time you have an infection, eardrum lacerations and scar tissue can develop which, over time, can affect hearing acuity. In a normal, healthy individual, the eardrum serves as a boundary between the middle ear and inner ear. If the eardrum becomes perforated even once, then the infection that was formerly confined to the middle ear can now go into the inner ear, where it can harm the irreplaceable tiny nerve cells that you need to hear.
If you waited to have that ear infection addressed, what should you do?
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Most individuals just think ear pain with a cold is normal when it really points to a much more serious cold infection. You should schedule an appointment for a hearing exam as soon as possible if you are experiencing hearing loss after a cold.
We will determine if you’re dealing with conductive, or temporary hearing loss. If this is the case, you might have an obstruction in your ear that needs to be removed by a professional. If you have sensorineural, or irreversible hearing loss, there are treatment options, including new hearing technology, that we can help you with.
If you’re struggling to hear after a cold, make an appointment asap.
