I get this about once a year, one morning I wake up and can't hear anything out of one ear. Wax builds down near the ear drum where you can't reach it, and that's what causes the block up. Hygiene doesn't have anything to do with it, some people's bodies just produce more of it.
You can buy Otex ear drops, and put a few drops in every day.. it never does anything for me though, so you have to go see the nurse. It might work for you though, and can't hurt to try. You will feel a bubbling sensation as it dissolves the wax inside your ear.
If that fails the nurse will have a long thin tube that squirts warm water out, and they put that inside your ear and it clears out all the hardened wax. It's a weird feeling and doesn't hurt or anything.
It's quite common I think, it's best to get it sorted by a nurse, as poking around in your inner ear with Q-tips or cotton buds might damage your ear if you put them inside too deep. The ear drum is a sensitive thing
