How to Pop Your Ears on a Plane?
QUICK ANSWER
Your ears pop on a plane because the air pressure in the cabin changes and your ears work to equalize it. To pop them, swallow, yawn, chew gum, or gently blow while pinching your nose and closing your mouth. Do this actively during descent, when pressure changes most.
That plugged, achy feeling in your ears during takeoff and landing is one of flying's small miseries, but it is easy to manage once you know what is happening. A few simple tricks clear it in seconds. Here is why your ears pop on a plane and the best ways to relieve the pressure.
Why do your ears pop on a plane?
Your ears pop because of changing air pressure and your body's effort to keep up with it. Behind each eardrum is a small air-filled space connected to the back of your throat by a narrow passage called the Eustachian tube. Normally, the pressure on both sides of the eardrum stays balanced. But as a plane climbs and descends, the cabin pressure changes quickly, creating a difference between the air trapped behind your eardrum and the air in the cabin. That difference makes your ears feel full or blocked, and the pop you feel is the Eustachian tube briefly opening to let air move and equalize the pressure. The effect is usually strongest during descent, when pressure is rising.
How do you pop your ears?
The goal is to open those Eustachian tubes so air can flow and equalize the pressure. The easiest methods are swallowing, yawning, and chewing gum, all of which flex the muscles that open the tubes; sipping water or sucking on a hard candy works the same way. If those are not enough, try the gentle Valsalva maneuver: pinch your nose shut, close your mouth, and blow softly as if gently trying to breathe out through your nose, until you feel your ears pop. Do this gently, not forcefully, to avoid straining your ears. Repeating any of these a few times as the pressure changes usually clears the blocked feeling quickly.
How do you relieve ear pain from flying?
Timing and steady effort make the difference, especially during descent. Start equalizing early and often as the plane begins its descent rather than waiting until your ears already ache, since it is easier to keep up with the pressure than to fix a big imbalance. Stay awake for takeoff and landing so you can actively swallow and yawn, because you do not equalize as well while asleep. Chewing gum or sucking candy through the descent keeps the tubes working. For babies and young children, who cannot do these tricks on cue, feeding them a bottle, breastfeeding, or offering a pacifier or drink during descent encourages the swallowing that clears their ears.
What if your ears won't pop?
Congestion is usually the culprit. A cold, allergies, or a sinus infection swells the tissue around the Eustachian tubes and makes them harder to open, so your ears may stay blocked or painful. If you know you will be congested, using a decongestant or a nasal spray before the flight, according to the product's directions, can help the tubes open more easily; a filtered earplug designed for flying can also slow the pressure change. Keep trying the swallowing, yawning, and gentle Valsalva techniques. Most blocked ears clear within a while after landing. If you have severe pain, dizziness, hearing loss, or a blocked feeling that lasts for days after the flight, it is worth seeing a doctor.
Your ears pop on a plane as they equalize the changing cabin pressure through the Eustachian tubes. To clear them, swallow, yawn, chew gum, or gently blow with your nose pinched, starting early in the descent. Congestion makes it harder, so a decongestant can help, and see a doctor if pain or blockage lasts after the flight.
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