The fastest way to pop your ears is to pinch your nose shut, close your mouth, and gently blow until you feel a soft pop. This is called the Valsalva maneuver, and it works by pushing air up through narrow tubes that connect your throat to your middle ears. If that doesn’t work on the first try, there are several other techniques, home remedies, and over-the-counter options that can help.
Why Your Ears Feel Plugged
Your middle ears are connected to the back of your throat by small passages called eustachian tubes. These tubes open briefly every time you swallow or yawn, letting in a tiny puff of air that keeps the pressure on both sides of your eardrum equal. When the tubes swell shut or can’t keep up with a rapid pressure change (like during a flight or while driving through mountains), pressure builds on one side of the eardrum. That imbalance is what creates the stuffy, muffled feeling.
Anything that causes swelling around the tubes can trigger the problem: a cold, allergies, a sinus infection, or even just dry cabin air on a long flight. The “pop” you’re trying to produce is simply air finally passing through the tube and equalizing the pressure.
Three Maneuvers That Work
Each of these techniques forces air into the eustachian tubes in a slightly different way. If one doesn’t work, try the next.
Valsalva maneuver. Pinch your nostrils closed, keep your mouth shut, and blow gently through your nose. You should feel a soft pop or click in one or both ears. The key word is gently. Blowing too hard won’t speed things up and can actually hurt your eardrums.
Toynbee maneuver. Pinch your nostrils closed and swallow. Swallowing pulls the eustachian tubes open while your closed nose compresses a small pocket of air against them. This one works well for people who find the Valsalva too forceful.
Frenzel maneuver. Pinch your nose, close the back of your throat (as if you’re about to lift something heavy), and make the sound of the letter “K.” The back of your tongue acts like a piston, pushing air upward toward the tube openings. Scuba divers prefer this method because it uses very little force.
Simple Fixes You Can Try Right Now
If the maneuvers above aren’t doing the trick, these everyday actions also help open the eustachian tubes:
- Yawn widely. A real yawn stretches the muscles around the tubes more than a fake one, but even a forced yawn can help.
- Chew gum or suck on hard candy. The repeated swallowing motion keeps the tubes cycling open and closed.
- Take a hot shower or hold a warm washcloth over your ear. Warm, moist air can reduce swelling and loosen mucus that may be blocking the tube.
- Drink water in small, frequent sips. Each swallow is another chance for the tube to open.
When Congestion Is the Problem
If your ears won’t pop because you’re congested from a cold or allergies, the eustachian tubes are likely swollen shut. No amount of swallowing will force them open until you reduce that swelling. An oral decongestant containing pseudoephedrine (the kind you ask for at the pharmacy counter) can help. The typical adult dose is 60 mg every four to six hours, up to 240 mg in 24 hours. Children ages 6 to 12 take half that amount.
A nasal spray decongestant works faster, usually within minutes, because it targets the swollen tissue directly. These sprays should not be used for more than three consecutive days, since longer use can cause rebound congestion that makes things worse. A saline nasal rinse is a gentler alternative that flushes out mucus without medication.
Keeping Your Ears Clear on a Flight
Airplane ear happens most often during descent, when cabin pressure rises quickly and your eustachian tubes can’t keep up. The best strategy is to start equalizing before you feel the pressure build.
Begin swallowing, yawning, or performing the Valsalva maneuver as soon as the plane starts its descent. Repeat every few seconds. Chewing gum works well here because it forces continuous swallowing without much thought. If you know you’re prone to ear trouble on flights, consider taking an oral decongestant about 30 minutes before landing or using a nasal spray just before descent begins.
Filtered earplugs, sold at most drugstores and airport shops, slow the rate of pressure change reaching your eardrum. They help, but they don’t replace active equalizing. You’ll still need to swallow and yawn.
Helping Babies and Toddlers
Young children can’t perform any of these maneuvers on command. The best approach is to have them drink from a bottle or breastfeed during takeoff and landing. A pacifier also works. The sucking and swallowing motions open the eustachian tubes the same way chewing gum does for adults. If your child has a cold or ear infection, an age-appropriate pain reliever given before the flight can reduce discomfort.
Devices That Help With Chronic Pressure
If you deal with plugged ears regularly, two over-the-counter devices are worth knowing about. The Otovent is a small balloon you inflate with your nose. You blow it up through one nostril, then let it deflate, which pushes air into the eustachian tube. The EarPopper is a battery-operated device that delivers a steady stream of air into the nose while you swallow. Both have been studied in clinical settings. A Cochrane review found that autoinflation devices like these were roughly twice as likely to improve middle ear pressure compared to no treatment when used consistently for more than a month. No serious complications were observed across multiple studies.
Signs You’re Pushing Too Hard
Forceful attempts to pop your ears carry real risks. Blowing too hard during a Valsalva can push infected mucus into the middle ear or, in rare cases, rupture the eardrum. Warning signs of barotrauma (pressure injury) include sharp ear pain, dizziness, noticeable hearing loss, ringing in the ear, or a nosebleed. If you see blood behind the eardrum or experience sudden hearing changes, that suggests the eardrum may be bruised or torn.
A good rule: if gentle pressure doesn’t produce a pop within a few seconds, stop and try a different technique or wait a few minutes. Pushing harder almost never helps and increases the chance of injury.
When Ears Won’t Pop for Weeks
Occasional ear pressure that resolves within a few hours is normal. Persistent fullness, muffled hearing, or mild ear pain lasting three months or longer points to chronic eustachian tube dysfunction. This affects a significant number of people and can be diagnosed with a simple hearing test and pressure measurement of the eardrum.
For cases that don’t respond to decongestants or autoinflation devices, a procedure called balloon dilation can open the eustachian tube. A small balloon is threaded into the tube under local anesthesia and inflated briefly to widen the passage. Most people return to normal activities within 24 hours. Clinical trials have found that 87% of adults experience lasting improvement at seven months, and the procedure generally takes under 10 minutes. It’s typically reserved for people who have tried conservative treatments without success for at least three months.