Originally Posted by greenfrog

I suspect this isn't strictly a TBI question, but last night I took a bath before going to bed, then put in earplugs to block out neighbour noise (I've been taking a couple of baths a day, and sometimes wear earplugs at night, but this time I put in the earplugs fairly soon after taking the bath). I vaguely remember taking them out in the middle of the night.

When I woke up this morning, my left ear felt congested / muffled / stuffed up. No pain, but it is annoying and is also making my tinnitus / noise sensitivity somewhat worse.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? Is this likely swimmer's ear or some other common ear issue that will go away on its own? I would prefer to avoid the trek to see my doctor unless I have to.