Earwax's primary purpose is to maintain healthy hearing and protect the structures of the inner ear. However, if you have too much wax and don’t have it removed regularly, it could lead to complications that could affect the same hearing earwax is supposed to protect.
The ear is a complex structure with many functions, including balance and how you relate to your surroundings. As such, the effects of ear wax could extend to your balance. But could earwax also cause vertigo?
What is Vertigo?
Vertigo is the feeling that you or your surroundings are spinning even when everything, including yourself, is still.
However, vertigo is not a condition but rather a symptom that points to a deeper-rooted problem. The intensity of this spinning feeling can vary from mild to severe. There are several types of vertigo, with the most common one being peripheral vertigo, which is commonly caused by problems with the inner ear. Another type of vertigo is central vertigo, which usually indicates more serious problems relating to the brain.
What Are the Symptoms of Vertigo?
The two main types of vertigo have the same primary symptom: a feeling of dizziness or the sensation that your environment is spinning.
It is common for peripheral vertigo to affect your balance and even make you unstable. You may experience additional symptoms, such as nausea or vomiting. Depending on the root cause of the symptoms, you may also have sore or stuffy ears, hearing loss, tinnitus and difficulty focusing your eyes.
The symptoms of peripheral vertigo tend to come quickly and go away just as quickly. In contrast, those with central vertigo come quickly but linger longer, especially if the symptoms are severe. Central vertigo is not related to problems with your ears but can still affect your eyes, just like peripheral vertigo.
Some of the symptoms that are unique to central vertigo include difficulty swallowing, headaches and feeling weak.
What Causes Vertigo?
The most common cause of peripheral vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV. This is typical when your vertigo comes on when you stand up too quickly or with certain head movements. It is caused by tiny crystals found in your canals.
Peripheral vertigo can also be caused by inner ear infections and impacted ear wax. It can also be a symptom of Menier's disease.
Central vertigo has more severe causes, which can include head or brain injuries, tumours or infections, strokes and conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis or migraines.
How Can Your Ears Cause Vertigo?
Peripheral vertigo is indicative of an ear problem. The problem could also affect balance, eyesight, or hearing.
The canals of the ears connect to our sense of balance. The innermost parts of the ear contain fluid and delicate hair-like cells that make up the vestibular system. Anything that affects the vestibular system will affect your sense of balance as well and lead to vertigo.
As earlier mentioned, the most common cause of peripheral vertigo is BPPV, a condition caused by tiny crystals of calcium carbonate in the ear that can come loose and affect the delicate systems in the inner ear that are responsible for keeping balance.
Vertigo can also be caused by inner ear infections or impacted ear wax pressing against the ear drum, which can cause discomfort and disrupt the signals sent from our ears to our brains to aid in that balance.
How Can You Tell Which Ear is Causing Vertigo?
The easiest way to tell which ear is causing vertigo is to lie down and test which side is making you feel dizzy. You can do this by:
- Lying flat on your bed with your head slightly overhanging the edge
- Turn your head to one side and wait for a minute
If you experience dizziness or feel like you are spinning, then this is the side that is causing your vertigo. If you don’t experience dizziness, sit upright and wait for another minute before repeating the same steps for the other side of the ear.
How Long Does Vertigo Last?
The duration of a vertigo episode varies from person to person. How long you experience the effects will also depend on the type of vertigo you have and the underlying cause. In the case of peripheral vertigo, the effects can last for less than a minute. In more severe cases, the effects can last for several hours or even days.
You should keep track of how long the symptoms of vertigo last, how often it comes back, and possible causes of why it could be happening; this will help in the diagnosis of the condition.
How is Vertigo Treated?
Vertigo is not a condition in itself but a symptom. Therefore, the treatment for it will depend on the underlying condition and its cause.
Central vertigo is usually experienced by people who have suffered head or brain trauma, migraines or strokes, so receiving treatment for these conditions can help to alleviate the symptoms of vertigo.
If you experience peripheral vertigo because of impacted wax or an inner ear infection, then undergoing processes like micro suction ear wax removal and ear infection treatment can help treat the symptoms of vertigo as well.
Your healthcare provider may also recommend other types of treatment depending on the type of vertigo and the possible underlying cause, such as:
- Medication for nausea and sickness
- Antibiotics for inner ear infections
- Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) exercises help manage dizziness, eye focus, and imbalance.
- Ear wax removal to remove impacted earwax
Prevention and Treatment
There are other steps you can take that will help to avoid symptoms associated with vertigo and also maintain ear health:
- Do not insert objects into the ear canal. They can push wax deeper into the ear and increase the risk of impaction.
- Practice good ear hygiene and avoid using cotton swabs, as they can push wax further into the ear canal.
It is possible that your vertigo symptoms are caused by impacted or too much ear wax. However, considering that the condition may also be caused by other more serious factors, it is important to ensure you get proper medication attention and diagnosis.