You can open your eustachian tubes using simple physical maneuvers like swallowing, yawning, or gently blowing against pinched nostrils. These techniques work because the eustachian tubes are normally closed at rest and only open when specific muscles in your throat and palate contract, allowing air to flow into the middle ear and equalize pressure. If your tubes are stubbornly blocked due to congestion or inflammation, over-the-counter medications and nasal devices can help. Here’s what actually works and how to do each technique properly.
Why Your Eustachian Tubes Get Stuck
Your eustachian tubes are narrow passages connecting the back of your nose to your middle ear. They stay closed most of the time, relying on two key muscles to pull them open: one that dilates the tube wall, and another that lifts the soft palate out of the way. These muscles fire automatically every time you swallow or yawn, letting a small puff of air through to balance the pressure on both sides of your eardrum.
When the tissue lining these tubes swells from a cold, allergies, or sinus infection, the muscles can’t pull the walls apart effectively. The result is that familiar plugged feeling, muffled hearing, or even pain. Less commonly, the tubes can get stuck open (called patulous dysfunction), which causes a different set of symptoms like hearing your own breathing or voice too loudly. The techniques below target the far more common problem: tubes that won’t open.
Swallowing and Yawning
The simplest approach is also the most natural. Swallowing activates both muscles that open the eustachian tube simultaneously, briefly letting air pass through. You can trigger more frequent swallowing by sipping water, sucking on hard candy, or chewing gum. Yawning produces an even stronger muscle contraction and a wider opening, so if you can force a yawn, it often works better than swallowing alone.
For babies and toddlers who can’t follow instructions, feeding with a bottle or offering a pacifier during pressure changes (like airplane descent) accomplishes the same thing by encouraging swallowing.
The Valsalva Maneuver
This is the classic “pop your ears” technique. Pinch your nostrils shut, close your mouth, and blow gently as if trying to exhale through your nose. The increased air pressure in your nasal passages pushes air up into the eustachian tubes and forces them open. You should feel a soft pop or click in one or both ears when it works.
The key word is gently. You’re not trying to blow as hard as you can. A moderate, steady effort for a few seconds is enough. Blowing too forcefully can push infected mucus from your nose into the middle ear or, in rare cases, damage structures in the ear. If you don’t feel a pop after a gentle attempt, try swallowing while maintaining light pressure, or wait and try again rather than increasing the force. People with heart conditions, eye problems like retinopathy, or recent eye surgery should avoid this technique, as it temporarily raises pressure throughout the body.
The Toynbee Maneuver
This is a gentler alternative to the Valsalva. Pinch your nostrils shut and swallow at the same time. Swallowing with your nose sealed creates a brief negative pressure in the nasal passages that helps pull the eustachian tubes open. Many people find this more comfortable and easier to repeat, especially when the Valsalva feels too forceful or isn’t working.
You can combine methods: try a gentle Valsalva followed immediately by a swallow while still holding your nose. This one-two approach often succeeds when either technique alone doesn’t.
Nasal Balloon Devices
An Otovent balloon is a small balloon you inflate using one nostril at a time. It works on the same principle as the Valsalva maneuver but provides consistent, controlled pressure that’s easier to get right, especially for children ages 3 and up. You press one nostril closed, insert the balloon nozzle into the other, and inflate the balloon using only nasal airflow.
The recommended starting protocol is 3 times a day, inflating once through each nostril per session. After the first week, you can reduce to twice daily. A typical course lasts 2 to 3 weeks. These devices are available without a prescription in most countries and are particularly useful for persistent fluid behind the eardrum.
Nasal Steroid Sprays
If your tubes are blocked because of swelling from allergies or chronic congestion, a steroid nasal spray can reduce the inflammation around the tube opening. Sprays containing fluticasone are available over the counter. The standard approach is 2 sprays in each nostril once a day.
Technique matters more than most people realize. Tilt your head back slightly, insert the nozzle, and breathe in gently through the nostril as you spray. Hold your breath briefly, then exhale through your mouth. Don’t blow your nose or tilt your head back afterward. These sprays take several days of consistent use to reach full effect, so they’re not a quick fix for acute blockage, but they’re one of the most effective tools for recurring problems.
Decongestants for Travel
Oral decongestants can shrink the swollen tissue around the eustachian tube opening, making it easier for air to pass through. They’re especially useful before flying. Take one before boarding, and if it’s a long flight, take another dose at least an hour before landing, since descent is when pressure changes are most likely to cause problems. Follow the dosing instructions on the package.
Decongestant nasal sprays work faster but shouldn’t be used for more than 3 consecutive days, as they cause rebound congestion that can make things worse. Oral decongestants are a better choice for anything beyond a single flight or a brief cold.
Steam and Warm Compresses
Inhaling steam from a hot shower, a bowl of hot water, or a facial steamer can help thin mucus and reduce swelling around the eustachian tube. This doesn’t force the tubes open mechanically, but it creates better conditions for the other techniques to succeed. Breathing in steam for 5 to 10 minutes, then trying to swallow or perform a Valsalva, often works when dry attempts have failed.
A warm, damp cloth held over the affected ear can also help by improving blood flow to the area and providing mild pain relief while you work on clearing the blockage.
Signs That Something More Serious Is Happening
Most eustachian tube blockage resolves within a few days, especially once the underlying cold or allergy flare passes. But certain symptoms suggest the pressure has caused actual damage. Sharp ear pain that suddenly stops can mean the eardrum has ruptured. Fluid draining from the ear, whether clear, bloody, or pus-like, points to the same thing. Sudden hearing loss, ringing in the ear, dizziness, or nausea are also warning signs.
If your ears have stayed blocked for more than a couple of weeks despite trying these techniques, or if blockage keeps coming back, the problem likely needs more than home management. There are three recognized subtypes of eustachian tube dysfunction, and each requires different treatment. For persistent cases that don’t respond to medications, balloon dilation is a minimally invasive procedure where a small balloon is threaded into the eustachian tube and inflated to widen it. In clinical trials, about 79% of patients with abnormal eardrum positioning saw it normalize within 12 months, and roughly 56% showed improved pressure readings on objective testing. It’s a relatively new option but one with growing evidence behind it.