Ears are an important part of your body and stopped up ears is a common phenomena faced by many of us. This might cause a lot of anxiety as there is a temporary blockage of the ear. The most common reason for stopped up ears is ear wax plug. Other reasons for stopped up or blocked ears could be as a result of sudden change in air pressure especially during the landing and taking off stages of a flight or due to excessive nose blowing during cold and allergies or sometimes it is the allergies or infections themselves that cause the blockage. In case of a ear wax plug most people try to dig it out with a cotton swab or something else but this in fact should not be done as it only pushes the plug even more inside the ear which may cause damage and rupture the ear drum and eventually result in loss of hearing.
Put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the affected ear with a sterilized eye dropper and allow it to stay there for a few minutes or until it stops bubbling. Keep doing this for a few days until the wax softens as it will ultimately fall out on its own. If you have a cold, ensure that you do not blow your nose too hard or too frequently as it may cause fluid to go back up into the ear canals. When you are flying, try chewing on gum or sucking on lozenges or even yawn as much as possible as this helps to keep the ear canals open as the pressure changes. Swallowing a lot of fluids with your nose pinched closed in order to create a vacuum helps keep the ear canals open. The simplest way to get rid of stopped up ears is to pinch your nose while closing your mouth and attempt to force air in your ear canal.
Be very gentle with your ears as they are fragile and hence can be damaged easily. Make sure that you clean your ears regularly while taking a shower and ensure to cover them if you are out in the cold or are suffering from a bad cold to ease out the condition. Stopped up ears may or may not be painful. However, in case of unbearable ear pain or major concerns in hearing, it is recommended that you visit a specialist. This is necessary to avoid any kind of ear infection or ear problems.