What Causes Ear Blockage With Bleeding During Severe Cold?

Hello, I read your message and understood your medical problem. Ear blockage is quite common during or after a cold. It happens due to the blockage of the Eustachus tube that is a communication between the throat and the ear cavity. When it is blocked due to inflammation or mucus it causes an elevation in ear pressure. A higher ear pressure makes the eardrum less flexible and the sounds can not be heard properly. This will give the sense that the ear is blocked. Finding blood marks in your ear buds after using them may be because of a bruise of the ear canal walls or because of a damage of the eardrum which may be serious and leads to permanent hear loss. During the flights, the pressure in the ears increases more due to a higher atmospheric pressure. Do not block your ears with cotton while sleeping. It not a smart action. It does not help in ear pressure and pieces of cotton can be left inside the ear. My advice is that you must see an ENT doctor. He will see if there is any damage in the eardrum membrane or not. To unblock the Eustachus tube you can try the Valsalva maneuver. Take a deep breath and hold it by keeping your mouth and nostrils closed with your hand then try to blow air from your nose while keeping the nostrils closed. If you hear a popping sound in the ear means that the maneuver was a success. If you can not perform this maneuver than you can try to blow a balloon with your nose. Nasal sprays, decongestants, and mucolytics may be helpful. Put warm compresses near to your ear. If you have any ear infection you may need antibiotics too. Hope this is helpful.