The most effective way to relieve ear pressure on a plane is to actively equalize the pressure in your middle ear during descent, when the discomfort is worst. Swallowing, yawning, and specific breathing techniques all force open the small tube connecting your middle ear to your throat, letting air flow in to match the rising cabin pressure. Most people can prevent or resolve that painful, plugged feeling entirely with the right timing and technique.
Why Your Ears Hurt on Planes
Your middle ear is a small, sealed space behind your eardrum. It connects to the back of your throat through a narrow channel called the Eustachian tube, which opens briefly when you swallow or yawn. On the ground, this system works quietly in the background. In the air, cabin pressure drops during ascent and rises quickly during descent, creating a mismatch between the air pressure outside your eardrum and the trapped air behind it.
That mismatch pushes your eardrum inward or outward, causing the familiar fullness, muffled hearing, and pain. Descent is typically worse than ascent because the Eustachian tube has a harder time letting air into the middle ear than letting it escape. Anything that narrows or clogs the tube, like swelling from a cold, allergies, or thick mucus, makes equalizing harder and the pain more intense.
Three Maneuvers That Work
These techniques physically open or pressurize the Eustachian tube. Start using them as soon as the plane begins its descent, not after your ears already hurt.
Valsalva maneuver: Close your mouth, pinch your nose shut, and gently blow as if inflating a balloon. You should feel a soft pop as air pushes into your middle ear. Don’t blow hard. Gentle, steady pressure is enough, and forcing it can cause damage.
Toynbee maneuver: Pinch your nose shut and swallow. The swallowing motion compresses air against the Eustachian tube and nudges it open. This one is useful if the Valsalva feels too forceful or isn’t working.
Frenzel maneuver: Close your mouth and nose (or pinch your nose), then make the sound of the letter “K” at the back of your throat. This contracts the muscles in your mouth and upper throat, pushing air up into both Eustachian tubes. Divers use this technique because it can be done hands-free with a nose clip and doesn’t require a full breath.
You can alternate between these or stick with whichever one gives you a pop. The key is frequency: equalize every few seconds during descent rather than waiting for the pressure to build up.
Simpler Strategies for Mild Discomfort
If your ears are only mildly uncomfortable, less deliberate methods often do the job. Chewing gum, sucking on hard candy, or sipping water all encourage swallowing, which opens the Eustachian tube naturally. These are especially useful during takeoff, when the pressure change is more gradual and easier for your body to handle on its own.
Yawning works the same way. Even a forced yawn stretches the muscles around the Eustachian tube enough to let air pass through. Staying awake during takeoff and landing matters, too. You swallow far less often while asleep, so the pressure difference can build up without you noticing until you wake with significant pain.
Decongestants and Nasal Sprays
If you’re congested or have a history of ear trouble on flights, an oral decongestant taken before departure can make a real difference. A clinical trial comparing pseudoephedrine to a placebo found that 34% of passengers who took the decongestant reported barotrauma symptoms, compared to 71% in the placebo group, cutting the risk roughly in half. The dose was taken 30 minutes before departure.
Nasal decongestant sprays performed less impressively in the same study. The spray group still had a 64% symptom rate, only slightly better than placebo. If you use a spray, it may help most as a supplement to an oral decongestant rather than a replacement. The CDC notes that a vasoconstricting nasal spray used right before flying can help people with preexisting Eustachian tube problems, so it’s not useless, but oral decongestants appear to be the stronger option.
Look for pseudoephedrine-based products at the pharmacy counter. Take it at least 30 minutes before your flight so it has time to reduce swelling in the nasal passages and around the Eustachian tube opening.
Pressure-Regulating Earplugs
Specialty earplugs designed for flying contain a small ceramic filter or membrane that slows the rate of pressure change reaching your eardrum. They don’t block the change entirely. Instead, they give your ears more time to adjust gradually, reducing the pop and discomfort during takeoff and landing. You can find them at most pharmacies and airport shops, often for under $10. Put them in before the plane begins its descent for the best effect. They’re a good passive option if you tend to forget to swallow or if the maneuvers above don’t fully resolve your discomfort.
Helping Babies and Young Children
Infants and toddlers can’t perform a Valsalva maneuver, so the goal is to get them swallowing as often as possible during pressure changes. Breastfeeding or bottle-feeding during takeoff and landing is the most reliable approach. If your baby takes a pacifier, that works too. Keep the baby sitting upright while drinking to help the Eustachian tube function properly.
For older toddlers, offer water or a snack that requires chewing. Encourage frequent sips throughout the flight, not just during ascent and descent, since staying hydrated helps keep the mucus lining of the Eustachian tube thin and functional. The most important rule: try to keep your child awake during takeoff and landing. A sleeping child isn’t swallowing enough to equalize, and they may wake up in significant pain with pressure already built up behind the eardrum.
Flying With a Cold or Allergies
Congestion is the single biggest risk factor for ear barotrauma on planes. Swollen nasal passages and thick mucus physically narrow or block the Eustachian tube, making it harder (or impossible) to equalize. Flying with an upper respiratory infection increases the risk of not just ear pain but also sinus barotrauma and middle ear infections triggered by the pressure changes.
If you must fly while congested, combine strategies: take an oral decongestant 30 minutes before departure, use a nasal spray shortly before descent begins, and perform equalization maneuvers frequently throughout the pressure changes. Drinking plenty of water helps thin mucus. If you have severe congestion with complete nasal blockage, the risk of barotrauma is high enough that postponing your flight is worth considering if possible.
Signs of a More Serious Problem
Most airplane ear resolves within minutes to hours after landing. A lingering sense of fullness that clears within a day is normal. But certain symptoms point to actual injury rather than temporary discomfort. Hearing loss that doesn’t resolve, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), dizziness or vertigo, nausea, or any fluid draining from the ear canal all warrant a visit to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. These can indicate damage to the inner ear or a tear in the eardrum.
New-onset vertigo or balance problems after a flight are particularly important to get checked. These symptoms can signal inner ear barotrauma, which sometimes requires surgical repair. A small eardrum perforation often heals on its own, but a large one or one that isn’t improving after a few weeks may need medical intervention.