A clogged ear after flying usually clears on its own within minutes to a few hours, but sometimes the pressure gets stuck and needs a little help. The sensation happens because the small tube connecting your middle ear to the back of your throat didn’t open wide enough to equalize pressure as the plane descended. The good news: several simple techniques can pop your ears open at home, and most people feel relief quickly.
Why Your Ears Clog During Descent
A narrow tube called the eustachian tube runs from the space behind your eardrum to the back of your nose and throat. Its job is to keep air pressure equal on both sides of your eardrum. At rest, this tube stays closed. It only opens briefly when you swallow, yawn, or chew, thanks to two small muscles in your palate that pull it open.
When a plane descends, cabin pressure rises faster than your middle ear can adjust. If the eustachian tube doesn’t open often or wide enough, a pressure vacuum forms behind the eardrum. That vacuum pulls the eardrum inward, creating the muffled hearing, fullness, and sometimes sharp pain people describe as “airplane ear.” Anything that narrows the tube, like a cold, allergies, or sinus congestion, makes the problem worse because swollen tissue can physically block the tube from opening at all.
Techniques to Clear the Pressure
Try these in order, starting with the gentlest options. Give each one a minute or two before moving on.
Swallowing and Yawning
Swallowing activates the muscles that pull the eustachian tube open. Sip water, chew gum, or suck on hard candy to trigger repeated swallowing. Yawning works the same muscles even more forcefully. If a real yawn won’t come, fake one with your mouth wide open. These simple actions are enough to clear mild blockages for most people.
The Toynbee Maneuver
Pinch your nostrils closed and swallow at the same time. Swallowing opens the eustachian tubes while your closed nose compresses a small pocket of air against them, nudging the pressure to equalize. This is gentler than blowing and works well for moderate clogging. Repeat several times if needed.
The Valsalva Maneuver
Pinch your nostrils shut, close your mouth, and blow gently through your nose. You should feel a soft pop or click as air pushes into the middle ear. This is the most well-known technique, but it comes with an important caution: don’t blow hard, and don’t hold the pressure for more than five seconds. Blowing too forcefully can raise fluid pressure in the inner ear and, in rare cases, rupture delicate membranes called the round and oval windows. A gentle, steady puff is all you need. If it doesn’t work on the first try, wait a few seconds and try again rather than pushing harder.
Warm Compress
Hold a warm, damp washcloth over the affected ear for five to ten minutes. The warmth can help relax tissue around the eustachian tube and encourage it to open. This pairs well with the swallowing techniques above.
Using Decongestants to Help
If the manual techniques aren’t working, an over-the-counter decongestant can reduce swelling in the tissue surrounding the eustachian tube. A nasal decongestant spray containing oxymetazoline acts quickly, usually within a few minutes, and targets the area directly. An oral decongestant containing pseudoephedrine takes longer to kick in but provides broader relief, which is helpful if sinus congestion contributed to the problem.
Research comparing the two found that oral pseudoephedrine taken at least 30 minutes before a flight reduced the rate of ear barotrauma. If you’re already on the ground with clogged ears, a nasal spray will work faster. Use either option for a day or two at most, since nasal sprays can cause rebound congestion with prolonged use.
How Long the Clogged Feeling Lasts
Most post-flight ear clogging resolves within a few minutes to a few hours once you’re back on the ground and actively swallowing or using the techniques above. If your ears still feel full after a day, keep working the swallowing and Toynbee techniques periodically. According to the Mayo Clinic, ear fullness or muffled hearing that persists beyond a few days warrants a medical visit, as you may have fluid trapped behind the eardrum that needs professional treatment.
Signs of Something More Serious
Occasionally, the pressure difference is severe enough to injure the ear, a condition called barotrauma. Watch for these symptoms, which suggest you need to see a doctor promptly:
- Significant hearing loss that doesn’t improve within a few hours
- Vertigo or dizziness, especially spinning sensations or trouble walking steadily
- Ringing in the ear (tinnitus) that persists
- Fluid or blood draining from the ear canal
- Nausea or vomiting paired with dizziness
New-onset vertigo or sudden hearing loss after a pressure change can indicate inner ear barotrauma, which may involve a tear in the membranes separating the middle and inner ear. This is uncommon but requires evaluation by an ear, nose, and throat specialist.
Helping Kids With Clogged Ears
Young children can’t perform the Valsalva or Toynbee maneuvers, and their eustachian tubes are shorter and more horizontal, making them more prone to clogging. For babies, offer a bottle, pacifier, or breastfeed to encourage swallowing. Toddlers and older kids can drink water frequently, chew gum (if over age 3), or try exaggerated yawning. Keeping children awake during takeoff and landing helps too, since we swallow far less often during sleep, giving the eustachian tube fewer chances to open.
Preventing It on Future Flights
Once you know you’re prone to airplane ear, a few strategies can keep it from happening again.
Start swallowing frequently about 30 minutes before the plane begins its descent. Chew gum, sip water steadily, or eat a snack. The goal is to open the eustachian tube repeatedly before the pressure differential builds up. If you have a cold or allergies, taking an oral decongestant 30 minutes before departure can reduce tissue swelling enough to keep the tubes functional throughout the flight.
Pressure-regulating earplugs, sold at most pharmacies, use a small filter to slow the rate of pressure change reaching your eardrum. They don’t improve eustachian tube function, but testing in a pressure chamber found that people wearing them reported significantly less discomfort during sudden pressure changes compared to flying without them. They’re inexpensive and worth trying if you fly often.
Avoid sleeping through descent. Set an alarm or ask a travel companion to wake you so you can actively swallow and equalize. And stay hydrated throughout the flight. Dry cabin air can thicken mucus and make the eustachian tube stickier, so drinking water regularly keeps things moving.