Nowadays, earphones are a necessary part of life! Obviously, they are extremely popular for a reason - they allow us to talk on the phone to people without needing our hands, they can provide us with a form of entertainment wherever we go, and they mean we can work from home during COVID-19 without colleagues hearing the kids!
You might not be aware that earphones can be quite harmful to our ears. Not only can they cause hearing loss if the volume is too high, they can also increase wax build-up, which can cause all sorts of problems.
How to Avoid Wax Build-Up from Earphones
• Switch to headphones. Headphones are almost just as convenient as earphones and are not as bad for wax build-up as earphones. They’re certainly not perfect, as they still tend to trap sweat and moisture in your ears, but they at least don’t block the self-cleaning mechanism of your ears, nor do they push the wax further in, impacting it even more.
• Clean your earphones every time you wear them. When you leave your earphones lying around, they accumulate dirt and bacteria. Try using an old toothbrush to clean them - leave the wax to dry on the earphones overnight, then in the morning simply brush it away using the toothbrush. An alcohol wipe can then be used to sanitise the surface.
• Give your ears some breathing time. You don’t have to give up your earphones completely, but you’d be surprised by how often you use them out of habit and not because they’re necessary. If you’re at home, play your music out loud; at the gym, watch the TV and listen to the music they’re playing on the speakers; if you have a free hand, hold your phone up to your face when taking a call.
Impacted wax can be uncomfortable and even debilitating. So, if you’ve been having earwax problems, your earphones might be the culprit.