For those of us who sauna frequently, it is not uncommon for our ears to suffer Repetitive-Cold-Plunge-Between-Sauna-Round-Syndrome.
You know the feeling: ringing, coupled with itching in the air canal, and then possibly the dreaded inflammation and then, ouch! pain.
We check in with Dr. Brennan T. Dodson, MD, FARS from Bridger Ear, Nose and Throat. Dr. Dodson followed along with the SaunaTimes DIY ebook to build his own sauna last year. He and his family are avid sauna enthusiasts. Dr. Dodson shares his diagnosis with us.
With all this lake swimming and cold plunging between rounds, what’s going on inside our ears?
We call this otitis externa. Think ear, inflammation, external. Anyway, the fix: it’s all about re-acidifying (normally ear wax does this) and de-watering the ear canal.
What’s the best recipe for treatment?
Acutely, post sauna/plunge x 4, 7 days a week, I’d do distilled vinegar (acidifying, anti bacterial, anti fungal) +rubbing alcohol (the drying agent) drops, fill the ear canal, let it sit for 1 minute then cotton ball in the ear and turn upright and let it drain out. Repeat on the other ear.
BUT, once it gets painful, this means bacterial infection (probably), then RX antibiotic ear drops (like I gave you) should be used.
Alternative meds—Garlic oil drops. Both aqueous garlic extract (AGE) and concentrated garlic oil (CGO) have been shown to have antifungal properties. Added benefit of being oil maybe in water proofing. In theory…never tried it- but it makes sense. Could be a preventative treatment if the ear canal is dry. If the ear canal is wet, the oil might result in too much of an ear canal “salad dressing” and not dry out in the ear canal properly.
Is sauna and repeated swimming making our ears vulnerable to infection?
I think the root issue might be sauna heat plus water exposure might be causing a decrease in ear wax production or something.
Sort of like my anti-Q-tip message to my patients — your ears have taken care of themselves for millions of years, they don’t need your help.
In general, we cause our own ear problems.
For example, say our sauna is 180°f., and say we are sitting in the hot room for 15 minutes, do you think our overall core body temp rises more than a degree or two?
Yeah, I think it does. One study, by Ashley Mason (using thermotherapy for clinical depression), used 135°f. for an average of 82 min to get a core temp of 101.3°f.. Consequently, participants had reduction in depressive symptoms in the study period.
However, they used the Clearlight Curve Sauna Dome which is an infrared-emitting sauna tube into which you stick your body- kinda like a sleeping bag. I think you could argue a traditional wood-fired or electric sauna, heated to 160-180°f. could elevate core temp with shorter exposure, especially with repeated short exposures, especially since, in this situation, you’re breathing hot air too.
What temperature do our inner ears get up to while we sit the sauna bench?
Skin surface temp definitely increases- my son and I were playing around with our infrared temp gun (you know the type you check your boiler pipe temps with)- we were shooting the sauna heater rocks, etc- skin surface temp was around 106°f. I think skin surface temp increases earlier and higher due to infrared radiation.
And could this ear temperature be destabilizing our natural ear wax levels?
Ear canal temp is going to keep a fairly close pace with core body temp. Think about those tympanic ear thermometers- granted those are using infrared to sample the ear drum surface, not the ear canal. Ear wax gets less viscous at increased temp, so it would make sense increase ear canal temp would alter ear canal (and wax) homeostasis.
Bonus question: Could tinnitus be related to repetitive cold plunge between sauna round syndrome?
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when there is no external source, and it’s often described as ringing in the ears.
Great question!
Stay tuned for part two, where we discuss the ringing in our ears.
5 thoughts on “Do your ears suffer from repetitive cold plunge between sauna round syndrome?”
I have just been diagnosed with “Surfer’s Ear”, a benign bony growth in the external ear canal related to cold water exposure. Apparently it is seen in many people who surf and swim in cold waters over years. I have never surfed, but swim and cold plunge in Canadian lakes frequently. It seems to rarely lead to serious problems but possibly can increase the risk of ear canal infections.
It makes sense! Next month we are going to talk Tinnitus. Not sure it’s relationship to any of above or you’re surfers ear.
Great insights on ear care and sauna use! I have a quick question: Is there any evidence linking tinnitus directly to the repetitive cold plunges between sauna rounds? Could the temperature changes impact tinnitus or make it worse? Thanks!
I also have surfers ear. Not surprised I swim in Wisconsin Lakes year round, cold plunge several times a week and swim daily. My Dr. was unable to diagnose and sent me to a specialist who was very excited since I was the first case he has seen in IL. It can lead to more frequent ear infections due to water being trapped in the ear. My simple solution (Stopping cold plunge is not an option) I picked up reusable ear plugs from Walgreens and use them when swimming or cold plunging, the Dr. said I could also just plug my ears with my fingers. So far no ear infections at all this summer which is uncommon for me!
Same here Kev! I’m batting 1,000. I realize a big culprit for my ear infections was diving off the dock. Now, thanks to the reverse belly flop method, i’m not getting much force of water inside my ears. It doesn’t look too elegant and it does make for a big splash, but at my age, it’s all about function.. not form.