If you swim regularly, you may have dealt with the annoying feeling of water in your ear. This water can be more than a simple annoyance. Draining your ears should be part of a regular health routine for swimmers to avoid irritation and infection. If you drain your ears, your swim workouts can continue uninterrupted. While swimmer's ear due to poor drainage is common, it can be prevented.
Time Frame
To keep your ears healthy and infection-free, drain your ears immediately after your workout. If you leave liquid sitting in the ear, you risk creating a breeding ground for infection, especially during the hot summer months. The feeling of water in your ear is also annoying and may lead to pain due to infection. Since chlorinated water in pools tends to dry your skin, particularly the thin skin inside the ear, the sooner you remove any potential contaminant, the better.
Function
Draining your ears helps prevent infection. Dry the outer area of the ear with a clean towel. Your ears should drain naturally. If they don't, help the drainage by tipping your head to the side and use gravity to get the excess water out. You can also use a blow dryer, but cautiously. Set the blow dryer at low and hold it about a foot away from your ear to help dry the inner ear area.
Expert Insight
The Mayo Clinic suggests at-home remedies can also help ear drainage for swimmers. It suggests a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Insert 2 or 3 tsp. of the solution into your ear and let it drain naturally. This solution helps dry the area as well as minimizing the growth of bacteria and any potential fungus.
Types
Ear drainage can be prevented by a number of factors. If you have ear war, flaky skin or an impending infection, you may find your swim routine about to be interrupted by infection. However, since swimmer's ear is very treatable with prescription medication, you can be back in the water within a few days.
Warning
Never use a cotton swab, car key or your finger to try to promote drainage after a swim. You can damage the delicate skin inside your ear, inviting infection. In addition, you can also push in further any wax or skin that is preventing water from draining.
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