The fastest way to pop your ears on a plane is to pinch your nose shut and gently blow until you feel the pressure release. This works because it forces air up the narrow tubes connecting your throat to your middle ear, equalizing the pressure on both sides of your eardrum. But that’s just one technique, and it doesn’t always work on the first try. Here’s what’s actually happening in your ears during a flight and several reliable ways to fix it.
Why Your Ears Feel Blocked During Flights
Your middle ear is a small, air-filled space sealed off from the outside world by your eardrum. The only way air gets in or out is through the Eustachian tube, a pencil-thin passage that runs from your middle ear down to the back of your throat. Normally it opens briefly when you swallow or yawn, keeping pressure balanced without you ever noticing.
On a plane, cabin pressure changes faster than your Eustachian tubes can keep up. As the aircraft climbs, cabin pressure drops and the air trapped in your middle ear expands outward, which usually resolves on its own. The real problem is descent. As the plane comes down, cabin pressure rises and pushes your eardrum inward. If the Eustachian tube doesn’t open to let air back into the middle ear, you get that familiar stuffed, painful feeling. Cabin altitude typically changes at around 400 to 500 feet per minute during a normal descent, and the pressurization system begins adjusting as soon as the aircraft starts descending. That means you may need to equalize repeatedly over the final 15 to 20 minutes of a flight.
Three Maneuvers That Work
Each of these techniques forces air into your Eustachian tubes from a slightly different angle. If one doesn’t work, try the next.
The Valsalva Maneuver
Pinch your nostrils closed and gently blow through your nose, keeping your mouth shut. You should feel a soft pop or click as air pushes into the middle ear. The key word is gently. Blowing too hard can damage your eardrum or push fluid into your middle ear. If it doesn’t work after a light effort, stop and try a different method rather than blowing harder.
The Toynbee Maneuver
Pinch your nostrils closed and swallow. Swallowing pulls your Eustachian tubes open while the movement of your tongue, with your nose sealed, compresses air against the tube openings. This one works well during descent because you can repeat it every few seconds with sips of water.
The Frenzel Maneuver
Pinch your nostrils closed, close the back of your throat as if you’re about to lift something heavy, then make the sound of the letter “K.” This pushes the back of your tongue upward, compressing air against the Eustachian tube openings. Divers use this technique constantly because it’s precise and requires very little force. It takes a bit of practice to get the coordination right, but once you have it, it’s the most controlled option.
Simpler Methods That Help
You don’t always need a specific maneuver. Anything that makes you swallow frequently can keep your Eustachian tubes opening and closing during pressure changes. Chewing gum, sucking on hard candy, or taking small sips of water throughout descent all work. Yawning is effective too, since it stretches the muscles around the Eustachian tubes and pulls them open wider than a normal swallow.
The trick is timing. Don’t wait until your ears are already blocked and painful. Start swallowing or chewing as soon as you feel the plane begin its descent, and keep going until you’re on the ground. If the captain announces the initial descent, that’s your cue.
What to Do if You’re Congested
A cold, sinus infection, or allergies can swell the tissue around your Eustachian tubes, making them much harder to open. This is when flying gets genuinely painful. If you know you’ll be congested, a nasal decongestant spray used 30 minutes to an hour before takeoff and again before descent can shrink that swelling enough to let air through. Don’t use nasal sprays for more than three to four days in a row, though, as they can cause rebound congestion that makes things worse.
Oral decongestant pills are another option, taken 30 minutes to an hour before the flight. They’re not appropriate for everyone. People with heart disease, high blood pressure, heart rhythm disorders, or those who are pregnant should avoid them.
Helping Babies and Young Children
Babies and toddlers can’t perform the Valsalva maneuver or chew gum, and their Eustachian tubes are narrower and more horizontal than an adult’s, making them more prone to ear pain during flights. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends having babies drink from a breast or bottle, or suck on a pacifier, during takeoff and landing. The sucking and swallowing motion keeps their Eustachian tubes working.
For older toddlers, a sippy cup or snack that requires chewing can serve the same purpose. Time feedings so you have one ready for descent. Decongestants are not recommended for young children.
When Ears Won’t Pop After Landing
Most ear pressure resolves within a few minutes to a few hours after landing. If your ears still feel blocked, keep trying the Valsalva or Toynbee maneuver periodically. A hot shower can help too, since the steam and warmth can reduce swelling around the Eustachian tubes.
For people who deal with persistent ear pressure problems after flying, autoinflation devices exist that work by inflating a small balloon through one nostril. The brand Otovent is the most widely studied. Clinical trials have found no significant side effects from using them, and compliance is generally good, though some people (particularly young children) find the technique difficult to master. A battery-operated device called the EarPopper works on a similar principle, delivering a steady flow of air into the nose while you swallow. These are more commonly used for chronic middle ear fluid problems, but the mechanism is the same one you need after a flight: getting air through the Eustachian tube to equalize pressure.
If you still have muffled hearing, significant pain, or ringing in your ears more than a day or two after flying, you may have barotrauma, which is actual damage to the eardrum or middle ear structures from the pressure difference. This is uncommon in casual flyers but more likely if you flew with a severe cold or upper respiratory infection. It typically heals on its own, though persistent symptoms warrant a professional evaluation to check for fluid buildup or eardrum damage.