Blowing your nose incorrectly can cause trauma to ears

Blowing your nose

With cold and flu season upon us most people are affected by either a stuffy or runny nose. This causes us to excessively blow our noses. What we don’t think about while preforming this simple task is that we are putting ourselves at risk. By doing this routine action incorrectly we can suffer an earache or even in severe cases a ruptured eardrum. How can a person cause this much damage by an ordinary blowing of their nose? The answer is, a forceful blow can cause a rapid change of pressure behind the eardrum causing an earache or worse, the rupturing of the eardrum itself. Here are some simple steps to help prevent damaging your eardrums by correctly clearing your nasal passages when needed.

  1. Press one nostril closed with your finger.
  2. Blow gently into a tissue through your open nostril.
  3. Switch nostrils and repeat steps 1and 2.
  4. Wipe any remaining mucous from your nose, dispose of tissue and wash hands.

Thank you for your continued support!

Kim Chuculate

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