That plugged, full feeling in your ears happens when air pressure gets trapped unevenly on either side of your eardrum. The fix is opening your Eustachian tubes, two narrow passages that connect your middle ears to the back of your throat. These tubes normally open briefly when you swallow or yawn, letting a small puff of air in to equalize pressure. When they stay shut or get swollen, pressure builds and your hearing sounds muffled.
Most of the time, you can clear your ears in seconds with a simple technique. Sometimes it takes a bit more effort.
Try Swallowing or Yawning First
The safest way to equalize your ears uses the muscles you already have. Swallowing pulls the Eustachian tubes open naturally, and yawning does the same thing with even more force. If plain swallowing doesn’t work, try drinking water in steady sips or chewing gum. Both encourage repeated swallowing, which gives the tubes more chances to pop open. The key is frequency: one swallow might not do it, but ten in a row often will.
The Valsalva Maneuver
This is the classic “pop your ears” technique. Pinch your nostrils shut, close your mouth, and gently blow as if you’re trying to push air out through your nose. You should feel a soft pop or click as air pushes through the Eustachian tubes and equalizes the pressure.
The critical word here is “gently.” You’re not trying to force anything. A light, steady push of air is all it takes. Blowing too hard can potentially injure your eardrum. If the first attempt doesn’t work, wait a few seconds and try again rather than increasing the force.
The Toynbee Maneuver
This technique works in the opposite direction from the Valsalva and is particularly useful when descending in an airplane. Pinch your nostrils closed and swallow at the same time. The swallowing motion pulls the Eustachian tubes open while the closed nose compresses air against them, helping pressure equalize from the inside. Some people find this more effective than the Valsalva, especially if their ears feel stuffy from a cold or allergies.
The Jaw Thrust Method
If neither of the above works, try tensing the muscles in the back of your throat while pushing your jaw forward and down, as if starting a big yawn. This motion physically pulls the Eustachian tubes open without requiring you to blow any air at all. Divers use this technique because it’s one of the gentlest methods available and can be done hands-free.
Steam and Warm Compresses
When your ears feel clogged because of sinus congestion or a cold, the Eustachian tubes are likely swollen, and no amount of swallowing will force them open. In this case, thinning the mucus and reducing inflammation is the real solution.
Warm steam loosens thick mucus inside the sinuses and relaxes the surrounding tissue. A long, hot shower works well. So does leaning over a bowl of warm water with a towel draped over your head to trap the steam. Many people notice their ear pressure temporarily improves right after a shower. A warm, damp washcloth held against the ear can also help by increasing blood flow to the area.
If you live in a dry climate or run your heating system overnight, a bedroom humidifier can make a noticeable difference by morning. Dry air thickens mucus and irritates already-inflamed sinuses, which keeps the Eustachian tubes swollen shut.
Over-the-Counter Medications
When congestion is the root cause, decongestants reduce swelling in the nasal passages and Eustachian tubes. Oral options containing pseudoephedrine (sold as Sudafed) and nasal spray decongestants both work for short-term relief. Nasal spray decongestants act faster but should not be used for more than three consecutive days, as they can cause rebound congestion that makes the problem worse.
If allergies are driving the swelling, antihistamines or steroid nasal sprays can help lower inflammation over time. Steroid sprays are especially useful for ongoing stuffiness from seasonal or year-round allergies. One note: in some cases, decongestants or antihistamines can actually worsen Eustachian tube dysfunction by drying out the mucus too much, making it harder to drain. If they don’t help after a few days, stop taking them.
Clearing Ears During Flights
Airplane ear happens because cabin pressure changes rapidly during takeoff and especially during descent. The key is timing: start swallowing, yawning, or doing the Valsalva maneuver before the pressure difference builds up, not after your ears already feel locked. During landing, try gentle nose-blowing with pinched nostrils every few seconds as the plane descends.
Stay awake during takeoff and landing. During sleep, you swallow far less often, which means the Eustachian tubes stay closed while pressure shifts around them. Drinking water throughout the flight encourages regular swallowing.
Filtered earplugs, available at most drugstores and airport shops, slow the rate of pressure change reaching your eardrum. They help but don’t replace active equalizing. You’ll still need to swallow and yawn alongside them.
Helping Babies and Small Children
Young children can’t do the Valsalva maneuver or follow instructions to swallow on command, which makes flights and ear infections especially miserable for them. The workaround is triggering the swallowing reflex. Breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, or offering a pacifier during takeoff and landing all encourage swallowing. Keep the baby sitting upright during bottle-feeding so fluid drains properly. Offering frequent sips of water to toddlers throughout the flight helps too.
The same rule applies to children as to adults: keep them awake during takeoff and landing so they swallow regularly.
When Ears Won’t Clear
If your ears stay clogged for more than a few days despite trying these techniques, you may have Eustachian tube dysfunction, where the tubes don’t open or close normally. This can stem from chronic allergies, sinus infections, or structural issues. Symptoms include persistent fullness, muffled hearing, and ongoing popping or clicking sensations.
Sudden hearing loss in one ear, sharp or severe pain, fluid or blood draining from the ear, or dizziness that won’t resolve are all signs of something beyond a simple pressure imbalance. These warrant a visit to an ear, nose, and throat specialist rather than continued home remedies. For chronic cases that don’t respond to medications or standard procedures, balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube is a minimally invasive option that physically widens the passage to restore normal airflow.