The Best Home Remedies for Ear Infections in Adults, According to Doctors

Dealing with pain or pressure in your ear, neck or throat is not only uncomfortable, it could also be a sign of an ear infection. While you might assume ear infections are a childhood bother, they can still occur in adulthood. And for one in three people, symptoms are severe enough to affect their everyday life. Luckily, there are plenty of home remedies for an ear infection in adults. Here, doctors share the best ways to treat infections at home, plus advice on when you should see a doctor. 

What causes an ear infection in adults? 

Ear pain can come from various factors, including an “ear infection, which typically refers to otitis media, an infection of the middle ear, and not otitis externa, which is an external ear infection (commonly known as swimmer’s ear),” explains Brynna Connor, MD, Healthcare Ambassador at NorthWestPharmacy.com. “These two conditions are caused by very different types of bacteria, and the course of treatment/treatment protocols are different.”

Dr. Connor notes that symptoms for an internal ear infection include pain, fluid drainage and a sense of fullness or pressure in the ear. A common cold, flu, viral infections, allergies or sinus infection can all cause a middle ear infection.

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A less-common outer ear infection can be caused by excessive wetness (such as when swimming) spending time in warm, humid places, harshly cleaning the ear canal and trauma to the ear canal. Symptoms include redness, itching and pain.

Home remedies for treating ear infections in adults

Typically, ear infections go away on their own within a week or two, though sometimes doctors recommend antibiotics to speed up the healing process. In the meantime, these home remedies for a middle ear infection in adults can soothe symptoms while your body heals. 

Apply a warm compress 

“A warm compress can help an ear infection by relaxing the muscles around the ear canal, helping to promote efficient drainage of the infection and any potential mucus building in the inner ear,” says Dr. Connor. “It can also aid in pain relief, as warmth increases blood flow, along with the delivery of oxygen and nutrients, to the affected ear.”

Dr. Connor suggests making the compress warm instead of hot to avoid burning the sensitive skin in and around your ears. You’ll want to apply a warm, damp washcloth to the affected area three to four times a day for 10-15 minutes, or until the compress is no longer warm.

Tip: If a warm compress isn’t bringing the relief you’d hoped, try using a cold compress instead.  “A cold compress can also have a soothing effect and can help to lessen any swelling or inflammation caused by the infection,” says Dr. Connor.  The cold compress should be wrapped in a protective covering to avoid any damage to the skin. You can use it three times a day for five to 20 minutes at a time. 

Swap your sleep position 

If you have a middle ear infection and are experiencing pressure and fullness, avoiding sleeping on the affected ear is helpful, says Omid Moshtaghi, MD, resident physician at ENT Associates of San Diego. “By sleeping on the good ear, it reduces blood flow to the eustachian tube orifice of your bad ear, allowing more air to be introduced to your ear as the tube opens up and releases the pressure.”

Raj Dasgupta, MD, chief medical advisor for Fortune Recommends, also suggests sleeping with more pillows to elevate the affected ear. “This helps drain fluid from the affected ear and reduces pain, hopefully making you feel a bit better by morning.”

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Stretch out your neck

When you’re suffering from an ear infection, the inflammation and swelling can affect your ear, jaw and neck. “This can cause radiating neck pain and great discomfort, so doing a series of neck exercises can significantly alleviate those,” says Dr. Moshtaghi. 

He suggests starting with neck rotations: Turn your head all the way to the right and hold it for five breaths, then turn to the left and repeat 10 times. You can also rotate your head in the full range of motion and increase the intensity with each rotation.

Another easy exercise to relieve pain? A neck flexion. Simply tilt your head toward your right shoulder and hold this position for five seconds. Then tilt your head toward your left shoulder and hold for another five seconds. 

Try hydrogen peroxide ‘ear drops’ 

Hydrogen peroxide can sometimes help with ear infections, but Dr. Dasgupta doesn’t recommend using it regularly. Using hydrogen peroxide helps by “dislodging debris and loosening up earwax and other gunk that might be adding to the ear discomfort,” says Dr. Dasgupta. 

To do:

• Tilt your head to the side, with the affected ear facing up.
• Use a dropper and place a few drops of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide into the affected ear canal. 
• Keep your head tilted for one to two minutes to allow the hydrogen peroxide to work. Then, tilt your head the other way to let the solution, debris and any fluid drain out into the sink or onto a towel.

When adults should see a doctor for an ear infection 

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If your ear infection is causing persistent pain (pain that lasts several days without getting any better), the pain becomes severe or the pain is accompanied by green or yellow discharge, you should see a doctor. “This is typically a sign of a bacterial infection or bloody drainage, which could indicate structural damage to the ear, such as a ruptured/perforated eardrum due to pressure from a bacterial infection,” says Dr. Connor. 

Other symptoms to look out for include fever, hearing loss and dizziness or balance issues, as Dr. Connor says these could also signal a more serious bacterial infection.