How to Unpop Your Ears

From time to time, especially when there is a sudden change in air pressure (such as when flying or diving), your ears may develop a feeling of being stuffed up or needing to “pop.” This uncomfortable condition is called ear barotrauma. Barotrauma happens when the air pressure on either side of your eardrum becomes imbalanced. In order to regain this balance, the Eustachian tubes, which link your middle ear to the back of your throat, need to be opened up.[1] If you experience barotrauma, relieve the pressure by doing simple facial exercises for immediate relief. If your ears are frequently stuffed up, try treating the underlying cause of the condition, or using home remedies or alternative treatments.

Part 1 - Unpopping Your Ears Quickly

1

→ Open your mouth slightly and yawn. Open it about as far as you would to say "ahhh," and attempt a yawn. Keep open your mouth slowly with your mouth in an "O" shape, until you break into a full yawn.

→ Stop when you have felt your ears un-pop. Repeat if the first yawn didn't work. You will know it when the pressure re-balances. You'll not only hear and feel a pop, you'll suddenly hear much more clearly than you did when your ears were clogged.

2

→ Tilt your head back and thrust your jaw forward. Looking to the sky will put your Eustachian tubes into the proper position. Thrusting your jaw forward may help promote a yawn, and may open your Eustachian tubes and relieve the pressure.

3

→ Chew a piece of gum. If yawning doesn't work, chewing gum—or even mimicking the act of chewing gum—might. The movement helps equalize the pressure between the inside and outside of your ear. You can also chew gum to prevent your ears from becoming stuffed up. Start chewing a stick of gum when you know you'll be dealing with altitude changes, and head the blockage off at the pass.

→ Chew a large piece of gum. The chewing motion needs to be large enough to open your throat and equalize the pressure in your ears. If you don't have anything to chew, make exaggerated fake chewing motions, as if you'd bitten off more than you could chew. Literally.

4

→ Suck on hard candies or lozenges. Sucking for a while on a hard candy, mint, or some kind of lozenge can equalize the pressure. Don't chew it–you're not just eating candy!–but suck on it for a while to create the pressurizing effect.

5

→ Drink a large glass of water. The drinking motion combines many of the already-effective techniques all in one. Pour yourself a large glass of water, tilt your head back to position your Eustachian tubes, and take large gulps to help equalize the pressure in your ears. If done correctly, you should feel your ears unpop and any pain should be relieved.

6

→ Create some pressure, very carefully, if you've got water in your ears. If you've just gotten out of the water and feel that irritating water-pressure-pain, you can use gravity by bending over at the waist with the popped ear parallel to the ground. Place the pad of one of your fingers across–not in–your ear, moving it on and off, like a toilet plunger. This can help to gently change the pressure in your ear and unpop them or change the pressure enough to expel any water that's gotten caught.

→ Never stick your finger into your ear. You're not trying to dig the water out, you're just trying to change the pressure. Sticking your finger too far into your ear can cause hearing damage.

7

→ Perform the Valsalva maneuver. Sounds complicated, but it's simple. The concept of the Valsalva maneuver is to apply counter pressure to the Eustachian tubes by exhaling gently. Pinch your nose, close your mouth, and gently attempt to exhale through your nose. This should open your ears up and allow the pressure to equalize.

→ Be extremely gentle. The Valsalva maneuver does not need to be forced. If done too hard and too frequently, it can irritate and inflame the Eustachian tubes, which will make it that much harder to clear them.

→ For some people, it helps to bend over while doing this to get it to work. Bend down as if you were stretching by touching your toes. Alternately try the Valsalva maneuver, then release the pinch on your nose and suck in a big breath of air. Continue alternating these two things, while bent down, to help relieve pressure and pop your ears.

Part 2 - Relieving Congestion

1

→ Don't be afraid to call the doctor. If your ears frequently feel stuffed up or like they need to be popped, your condition could be from a more serious sinus problem which is causing persistent inflammation. See your doctor, who may suggest that you take an over-the-counter pain medication, a nasal spray, or an antibiotic. In the meantime, take steps to reduce your ear pain or infection.

→ If you think the pain might be a result of TMJ pain (a problem with the joint that connects your jaw to your cranium), it might also be useful to visit a dentist, oral surgeon, or ear-nose-throat specialist.

2

→ Get a prescription ear popper from a doctor. If you still can't un-pop your ears, talk to your doctor about an ear popper. The ear popper helps to equalize pressure on the inside and outside of your eardrum, thus un-popping it. While it's expensive, and may need to be acquired by prescription, it may be just what the doctor ordered.

3

→ Flush your sinuses regularly. If you're experiencing congested sinuses as a result of cold or allergy, your ears can become plugged and throw your equilibrium off balance, making them feel as if they need to pop. To correct the issue, address your congestion by flushing your sinuses regularly and gently with warm salty water. Using sinus rinses as directed can be safe and effective, but keep in mind that they need to be cleaned and used properly to avoid infection or other complications.

→ Neti-pots are widely available and can be used by filling with warm, distilled water mixed with a little salt. Tilt your head over the sink and pour water into one nostril, so it flows through your sinus cavity and out the other nostril. It feels kind of funky the first time, but offers serious relief to a clogged sinus.

→ If your sinuses are so plugged the water has trouble making it all the way through, the change in pressure might still be enough to relieve the congestion and relieve the clogged sensation in your ears.

→ Make sure you clean your neti-pot after each use and use only distilled or sterile water to avoid introducing any harmful bacteria into your system.

4

→ Take an antihistamine or decongestant before your symptoms worsen. Be proactive in protecting yourself against clogged sinuses and plugged-up ears. If you regularly struggle with your sinuses, don't wait until you've got a powerful pain and pressure in your ears to figure out how to unpop them. Head that pressure off at the pass by addressing your sinus issues with over-the-counter medication.

5

→ Take a warm bath and submerge your ears. If you're sick and want some relief for clogged ears, draw a warm bath and lay back with your ears under the surface of the water. Tilt your chin back and swallow hard a few times to see if your ears can unpop that way. The change in pressure can help to equalize your ears, and the steam from the hot water can also help to relieve your congestion issues. After you get out of the bath, if you're still feeling pressure, bend over so your ear is parallel to the ground and press your finger over the entrance to your ear canal to create some pressure.

→ If you have an ear infection or swimmer’s ear, skip submerging your ears, as this can make the infection worse. However, the steam from a warm bath or shower may still help reduce your congestion and open up your ears.

6

→ Blow your nose gently. Blowing your nose is essentially a version of the Valsalva maneuver, with the added benefit of relieving a stuffed-up nose. Use a tissue and plug one nostril at a time, blowing very gently out of the other. This should help to equalize the pressure in your ears.

→ It's important to be extremely gentle. Making a big nose trumpet into a tissue can make it worse, potentially rupturing your eardrums or making your pain worse. Be very gentle.

Part 3 - Using Home Remedies

1

→ Gargle warm, salted water. Try to get the water you gargle as warm as possible without burning the inside of your mouth. Add about a teaspoon (5 ml) of salt to a coffee mug of water and dissolve. Gargle repeatedly, taking one minute breaks in between gargles. Finish the entire mug of warm water and then take at least a 30 minute break before trying again.

2

→ Unplug your ears with vinegar and rubbing alcohol. If you suspect that the pressure imbalance in your middle ear is due to a buildup of earwax, it could be helpful to unplug your ear before trying other methods. If you suspect an ear infection, consult a doctor before trying this method. Here's how you do it:

→ Mix equal parts vinegar and 70% isopropyl alcohol. This solution will help loosen up the wax in your ear and unblock it.

→ Lean your head gently to the side and apply a few drops of the vinegar solution into the ear with a medicine dropper.

→ Keep your head tilted for a short while and then return it to its normal position. You may feel the vinegar solution run back down out of your ear. Repeat with the other ear.

3

→ Flush your ear out with water after using vinegar and alcohol. While the vinegar solution will evaporate because of the alcohol content, it's probably a good idea to flush the ears afterwards. Apply a few drops of water in a medicine dropper to the ears while your head is tilted sideways before tilting the head over to encourage discharge.

4

→ Eat something super spicy, like a jalapeno pepper. It's not the most pleasant taste or sensation, but it sure will get your mucus running. Blow your nose and move your jaw around when the mucus really starts flowing. You may experience a popping in your ears.

Part 4 - Using Alternative Medicine

1

→ Try craniosacral therapy. Developed at the turn of the 20th century, craniosacral therapy seeks to re-balance the "natural rhythm of cerebrospinal flow." Although it's used for a wide range of disorders and therapies, it may be helpful in correcting the pressure imbalance in the Eustachian tubes that creates congestion in ears.

→ Many of craniosacral therapy's claims are unproven. If you're desperate for alternatives though, it can't do any harm.

2

→ Visit a chiropractor. If your ear discomfort stems from a problem in your neck or jaw, a good chiropractor may be able to make adjustments that will help. Consult with a licensed chiropractor, and tell them that you are looking for help with ear pain or discomfort.

TIPS

→ Frozen foods can help. For example, try ice cream or frozen yogurt. Any type of food that can get your jaw moving can also be helpful. Try something that requires vigorous chewing.

→ Gently pull your ear tip and move it in circles.

→ Swallowing helps. Often chewing gum makes this much easier as it stimulates the release of saliva.

→ If you are constantly getting popped ears or a muffled sounding voice (sounds muffled to yourself only) this could be a sign of sinusitis or a sinus infection.

→ Plug your nose and blow out underwater.

→ For a good way to not blow your nose with your popped ear, is to get one tissue and put a little in your nose, not all the way, make sure it is still connected to the tissue so that if you lose the tissue, you can pull it back down.