Wearing earplugs every night may disrupt the ear's natural cleaning

Otolaryngologists say earplugs are useful for temporary noisy situations but regular nightly use can disturb epithelial migration that clears earwax, potentially causing impaction or raising the risk of outer-ear infection.

Earplugs can reduce nighttime noise, but several otolaryngologists say they are not intended for nightly use. They described the ear canal as a small ecosystem that moves wax outward through a process called epithelial migration. Repeated insertion of earplugs, AirPods, or cotton swabs can interrupt that movement. Doctors reported that such disruption can lead to stuck wax or, in some cases, an outer-ear infection. Key findings: - Ear, nose, and throat specialists agree earplugs are appropriate for temporary noisy environments but advised against nightly use. - The ear canal has tiny hairs and glands that produce and move wax outward through epithelial migration. - Repeatedly placing objects into the ear canal can disrupt that process and has been reported to cause cerumen impaction, with symptoms like itchiness, ear pain, or temporary hearing changes. - Foam earplugs require compression before insertion, and handling them with unclean hands can introduce bacteria or irritate the skin. - Disruption of the skin barrier in the ear canal has been associated with otitis externa in reported cases. Summary: Using earplugs every night can interfere with the ear's natural wax clearance and has been reported to lead to cerumen impaction and possible outer-ear infection. Undetermined at this time.