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I wear ear plugs while sleeping every night. Is such long-term use of ear plugs harmful in any way?

I have been doing so the past 5 years without any noticeable problems or effects.

2 Answers2

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According to one site:

studies show that long-term use of foam earplugs can cause earwax to build up or become impacted. Earplugs block the outward flow of earwax that our bodies naturally produce in order to self-clean the ears. Foam plugs are often pushed in too far, which can also pack the wax deep inside your ear canal, and possibly against the eardrum. You'll end up with constant ringing of the ears (tinnitus), pain, or hearing loss. What's more — not to gross you out — bacteria thrive on warm, moist, foam earplugs, and since they can't be thoroughly cleaned, people often end up with ear infections.

Using store-bought foam earplugs that don't fit your ear perfectly can also irritate the skin, another cause of infection, so if you only use them every so often, it's best to invest in a custom-molded pair. These will fit your ears like a glove, and reduce the risk of being pushed in too far. They're also easier to keep clean, so your risk of infection is greatly reduced.

Community
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Wearing ear plugs every night might be dangerous particularly if you're prone to produce a lot of earwax naturally.

Earwax is a natural protection for the external ear canal, and regular use of ear plugs (as well as cotton swabs) can push the earwax towards the walls of the canal and the eardrum, making it more sticky and more hard, and incapable of being expelled spontaneously. In the long term, this may cause you a feeling of 'fullness' inside your ear, a slight hearing loss and tinnitus, making it also more difficult for the doctor to remove it (and more painful for you). Also be careful to keep them clean and change them often, since they can carry bacteria which would lead to external ear infections that might also affect the middle ear.

I'm attending a ward in the ENT department for my medical degree and I see this quite often, and the patients are never happy to have their earwax removed with a pointy metal object :)

Ozymandias
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    Hmm, I have removed lots of impacted wax from the ears of people, and the last thing in the world I would remove it with is a pointed metal object. (That would have some very serious repercussions, besides being totally ineffective at removing wax of any consistency from a narrow ear canal.) Impacted cerumen removal is carried out quite differently, at least in the US and Great Britain. – anongoodnurse Jan 16 '16 at 20:26
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    Also, sorry to be picky, but you state, "external ear infections that might also affect the middle ear." How does that actually happen (there is a physical barrier between the two compartments), and how frequently does otitis externa leading to otitis media? (I assume that's what you mean?) – anongoodnurse Jan 16 '16 at 20:34
  • Of course the first thing doctors use to remove earwax will be a water syringe that will push it outside, but when earwax is difficult to remove here in my hospital (Nort Italy) they use a 'L-shaped metal object (sorry, I don't know the English name) with a very thin point at the end to detach it from the external auditory canal, especially after applying some oxygenated water to soften earwax. – Ozymandias Jan 17 '16 at 15:36
  • And of course, an otitis externa could spread to the midde ear if there is a perforation of the tympanic membrane. – Ozymandias Jan 17 '16 at 15:38
  • Of course, to keep still enough to have a thin metal blade pushing between the hard cerumen and the sensitive ear canal, someone would practically have to be under general anesthesia so as not to move/flinch. Maybe there are more people with perforated eardrums in Italy. I don't know. – anongoodnurse Jan 17 '16 at 19:39
  • @anongoodnurse manual remove of ear wax with is a valid treatment in the US: http://m.oto.sagepub.com/content/139/3_suppl_1/S1.full#T5 – StrongBad Mar 31 '16 at 23:11
  • @StrongBad - of course it's valid; I had the need to do so after causing (stupidly through the retrospectroscope) a bilateral cerumen impaction on myself. What I said was, "the last thing in the world I would remove it with is a pointed metal object." Does that not seem prudent to you? – anongoodnurse Apr 01 '16 at 00:21
  • @anongoodnurse I would describe a right angle hook, a standard tool for the job, as a pointed metal object. Further, I have never seen anesthesia used for wax removal. – StrongBad Apr 01 '16 at 00:34
  • @StrongBad - Most ear curettes are rounded. You can use whatever you think is appropriate. I have never seen nor used anesthesia used for wax removal either. I can imagine some situations where it would be useful, though. What is the point you're trying to make, exactly, that ear wax should be removed at home with pointy objects? – anongoodnurse Apr 01 '16 at 00:37
  • @anongoodnurse I did not say a curette, which I agree is rounded, I said a right angle hook, which is listed in the clinical practice guidelines. You said the patient would need to be "practically under general anesthesia". – StrongBad Apr 01 '16 at 00:41
  • @StrongBad - I can't prevent you from taking my words out of context. – anongoodnurse Apr 01 '16 at 00:42
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat. – StrongBad Apr 01 '16 at 00:42