What causes coughing after picking earwax

Many people will associate certain symptoms when something happens to their body. If this continues for a long time, they will become paranoid. Some people find that they often cough when picking their ears. So what causes coughing when picking earwax? In fact, there is no direct connection between these two situations. This situation may be a stimulant reaction of the body and may happen occasionally, so don't worry too much.

1. Pick your ears and cough

Whenever we feel earwax in our ears, we can't help but dig it out. However, some friends start coughing when digging their ears. What is the reason for this? Let's take a look at it together.

The earwax in the ear is also called cerumen, which has a protective effect on the eardrum. It can prevent foreign objects and small insects from directly invading the eardrum. In addition, earwax contains oil, which can protect the skin of the external auditory canal. Under normal circumstances, small pieces of earwax formed by dry cerumen can fall out of the ear by themselves as you speak, chew, and move your head.

Some people find it very comfortable and hygienic to clean their ears. In fact, the ear itself has a self-cleaning function, and the secretions will naturally fall out of the ear. It is recommended not to pick them out frequently. On the contrary, if you pick your ears frequently, improper stimulation may cause a dry cough or a strange feeling in your nose. I am the same. For many years, I would cough for a long time every time I cleaned my ears. It was very uncomfortable, so I didn't dare to clean my ears casually later. It wasn't until today that I finally understood the reason for coughing when picking my ears. Friends who are confused about this, do you also want to know?

According to experts, coughing, itchy throat, etc. caused by ear picking are mostly due to stimulation of the vagus nerve. That's why these symptoms occur.

2. Reasons for coughing after picking your ears

1. It turns out that the skin of the human ear canal and the throat mucosa have a "kinship" relationship in terms of nerve distribution. The 10th pair of cranial nerves in the human body (there are 2 pairs of cranial nerves in total), also known as the vagus nerve, contains both motor and sensory nerve fibers. Compared with other cranial nerves, the vagus nerve has the longest course and the widest distribution.

2. From the motor organs to the sensory organs, from the neck to the chest cavity, and to the abdominal cavity, it is called the vagus nerve because it "travels far away" and "gets lost easily." It not only branches out to deal with the sensations from the laryngeal mucosa, but also sends out small branches to the external auditory canal. In particular, there are many small branches on the skin of the posterior wall of the external auditory canal. The conduction pathways of human nerves are more complex than the wiring of any precision circuit. When any branch of the nerve "main cable" is stimulated, other parts may be affected at the same time.

3. When some people pick their ears, they stimulate the tiny branches of the vagus nerve in the skin of the ear canal, and the brain mistakenly believes that other branches of the vagus nerve are also stimulated. This makes people feel as if something is irritating and itching in the throat, and the "false information" is transmitted to the brain, which causes coughing to clear out the "foreign objects" or "phlegm" that may have broken in.