To make your ears pop, pinch your nose shut, close your mouth, and gently blow as if trying to exhale through your nose. This is the most common technique, called the Valsalva maneuver, and it works by pushing a small puff of air up through the tubes that connect your throat to your middle ears. If that doesn’t work on the first try, swallowing or yawning with your nose pinched can be even more effective. The key word in all of these methods is “gentle.” Forcing it can cause real damage.
Why Your Ears Feel Clogged
Your middle ear is connected to the back of your nose and throat by a narrow channel made of bone and cartilage, roughly 36 mm long. This tube opens briefly every time you swallow or yawn, letting a tiny amount of air in so the pressure on both sides of your eardrum stays equal. When the tube stays shut, or when outside pressure changes faster than the tube can keep up (like during a flight descent or driving through mountains), pressure builds against your eardrum. That’s the stuffed, muffled feeling you’re trying to relieve.
Colds, allergies, and sinus infections can swell the lining of this tube, making it harder to open. That’s why ear clogging tends to happen more when you’re congested.
Five Ways to Pop Your Ears
Pinch and Blow (Valsalva Maneuver)
Pinch your nostrils closed, keep your mouth shut, and blow gently as though you’re trying to push air out through your nose. You should feel a soft pop or click in one or both ears. Use light, steady pressure. If it doesn’t work after a second or two, stop and try again in a moment rather than blowing harder. Blowing too forcefully can rupture an eardrum.
Pinch and Swallow (Toynbee Maneuver)
Pinch your nose and swallow at the same time. Swallowing activates the small muscle that physically pulls your ear tube open, which makes this technique more targeted than blowing alone. Taking a sip of water while pinching your nose makes it easier to trigger a full swallow. This method is generally considered gentler because you’re using a natural motion rather than creating pressure with your lungs.
Jaw and Throat Movements
Yawning and chewing gum both open the ear tubes without any nose pinching. Yawning is particularly effective because it stretches a wider area of the throat. If you can’t trigger a real yawn, mimicking the motion with an exaggerated jaw opening can sometimes do the trick. Chewing gum works well as a sustained, passive approach during flights.
The Tongue Piston Method (Frenzel Maneuver)
Pinch your nose, trap a small amount of air in your mouth, then use your tongue like a piston to push that air toward the back of your throat. This is the technique scuba divers prefer because it’s more controlled than blowing from the lungs. It creates less overall pressure, which makes it safer for repeated use. It takes some practice to learn, but once you have it down, it’s the most precise way to equalize.
Nasal Balloon Devices
Over-the-counter autoinflation devices (sold under names like Otovent) work by having you inflate a small balloon using one nostril. The back-pressure gently forces the ear tube open. Clinical trials in children with persistent fluid behind the eardrum found that 65% of ears improved after just two weeks of regular use, compared to 15% improvement without treatment. These devices are most useful for people dealing with recurring clogged ears rather than a one-time event on a plane.
How to Prevent Clogged Ears on Flights
The worst ear pressure during a flight happens on descent, when cabin pressure rises faster than your ear tubes can adjust. Start swallowing frequently or chewing gum about 30 minutes before landing, and keep it up until you’re on the ground. Stay awake during descent: you swallow far less often while sleeping, which means your ears can’t keep up with the pressure changes.
If you’re flying with a cold or allergies, an oral decongestant taken two to three hours before your expected arrival time can reduce swelling in the tube lining. A nasal decongestant spray works faster and should be used about one hour before landing. Timing them for peak activity during descent is what matters.
Drinking water throughout the flight also helps. Each sip triggers a swallow, and staying hydrated keeps your mucous membranes from drying out and swelling.
You may see pressure-regulating earplugs marketed for flying. Opinions are mixed on these. They sit in the ear canal, but ear pressure is actually regulated through the tube in your throat, not through the canal. Some travelers report they reduce discomfort, possibly by slowing how fast pressure hits the eardrum. They’re not a substitute for swallowing techniques or decongestants, but they’re inexpensive enough to try alongside other methods.
Helping Babies and Young Children
Infants and toddlers can’t pop their ears on command, so the goal is to encourage swallowing during takeoff and landing. Breastfeeding, bottle-feeding (with the baby sitting upright), or offering a pacifier all work well. For children over three, hard candy or gum can keep them swallowing steadily. The most important rule: try to keep young children awake during takeoff and descent, since sleeping reduces swallowing frequency.
What Not to Do
The biggest mistake is blowing too hard when pinching your nose. Excessive force can perforate your eardrum or push infected material into the middle ear if you have a sinus infection. If a gentle blow doesn’t work, switch to swallowing-based techniques instead of increasing the pressure.
People with high blood pressure, a history of heart arrhythmias, or stroke risk should avoid the Valsalva maneuver entirely. The bearing-down pressure it creates affects blood flow and heart rhythm, not just your ears. The Toynbee maneuver (pinch and swallow) or simple jaw movements are safer alternatives.
When Clogged Ears Signal Something More
A temporary plugged feeling during a flight or a head cold is normal and usually resolves within a few hours. But certain symptoms point to actual injury or a condition that needs attention: severe ear pain that doesn’t let up, dizziness or spinning sensations, noticeable hearing loss, nausea, or any fluid draining from the ear. These can indicate barotrauma, where the pressure difference has damaged the eardrum or inner ear structures.
If the clogged feeling persists for more than three months, keeps coming back, or only affects one ear, it may be eustachian tube dysfunction rather than a simple pressure issue. A doctor can check for fluid behind the eardrum or negative pressure using a quick, painless test called tympanometry. It’s also worth noting that jaw joint problems can mimic ear fullness, so if you also have jaw pain or a clenching habit, that could be the real source.