Ear popping on a plane happens because the air pressure in your middle ear falls out of sync with the cabin pressure as the aircraft climbs or descends. A narrow tube connecting your middle ear to the back of your throat, called the eustachian tube, normally keeps pressure balanced. But during rapid altitude changes, it can’t adjust fast enough, leaving your eardrum stretched and uncomfortable. The good news: a few simple techniques can keep that tube open and prevent the problem almost entirely.
Why Your Ears Pop During Flights
Your middle ear is a small, sealed space behind the eardrum. It’s connected to your throat by the eustachian tube, which opens briefly every time you swallow or yawn to let air flow in or out and equalize pressure. On the ground, this happens so seamlessly you never notice it.
When a plane climbs, cabin pressure drops. When it descends, cabin pressure rises. These shifts happen faster than the eustachian tube can compensate for on its own, so the air trapped in your middle ear pushes or pulls against the eardrum. That’s the stuffed, muffled feeling you get, and the “pop” is the moment the tube finally opens enough to let pressure equalize. Descent is usually worse than ascent because rising external pressure pushes the eustachian tube closed, making it harder for air to flow in.
Techniques That Work During the Flight
Start equalizing before you feel pain. Once the eardrum is already stretched and swollen, clearing becomes much harder. Begin these techniques as soon as the plane starts its climb, and again about 30 minutes before landing when the captain announces the initial descent.
Swallowing and Yawning
The simplest method. Swallowing activates the muscles that pull the eustachian tube open. Chewing gum, sipping water, or sucking on hard candy all work because they keep you swallowing repeatedly. Yawning has the same effect but is harder to do on command. If you can’t trigger a real yawn, mimicking the wide jaw motion still helps.
The Valsalva Maneuver
Pinch your nostrils shut, close your mouth, and gently blow as if trying to push air out through your nose. You should feel a soft pop as air is forced up through the eustachian tubes into your middle ears. The key word is “gently.” Blowing too hard can damage your inner ear. If it doesn’t work on the first try, wait a few seconds and try again rather than increasing the force.
The Toynbee Maneuver
Pinch your nostrils shut and swallow at the same time. Swallowing pulls the eustachian tube open while your pinched nose creates a slight pressure change that helps air move into the middle ear. Some people find this more comfortable and easier to control than the Valsalva technique.
The Frenzel Maneuver
Pinch your nostrils, close the back of your throat as though you’re about to lift something heavy, then make the sound of the letter “K.” This uses your tongue as a piston to compress air upward into the eustachian tubes. It’s the preferred technique among scuba divers because it’s precise and low-force, though it takes a bit of practice to learn.
Decongestants and Nasal Sprays
If you’re congested or you’ve historically had trouble equalizing, an oral decongestant taken about 30 minutes before takeoff can make a meaningful difference. In clinical studies, roughly 3 in 10 adults who took a decongestant experienced ear pain during a flight, compared with 5 to 7 in 10 who took nothing. That’s a significant reduction.
Decongestant nasal sprays are widely used for the same purpose, but there’s actually no research confirming they help with ear pain specifically during flights. They do reduce nasal swelling, which may make the physical maneuvers easier to perform, so they’re not a bad idea as a complement. Just don’t rely on a spray alone if you’re prone to serious discomfort. Use it before both takeoff and the start of descent if you choose to try it.
Pressure-Regulating Earplugs
Filtered earplugs designed for flying (often sold under brand names like EarPlanes) contain a ceramic filter that slows the rate at which external pressure changes reach your eardrum. They don’t block the pressure change entirely. Instead, they delay it by about 7 minutes, giving your eustachian tube more time to catch up naturally.
Testing in a pressure chamber found that the earplugs didn’t actually improve eustachian tube function, and people wearing them still needed to perform the same number of clearing maneuvers. But they did significantly improve how comfortable people felt during sudden pressure shifts. Think of them as a buffer that smooths out the pressure curve rather than a fix on their own. They’re inexpensive, widely available at airport pharmacies, and worth trying if you regularly fly with ear discomfort.
Autoinflation Balloon Devices
Devices like the Otovent consist of a small balloon attached to a nasal adapter. You place the adapter against one nostril and inflate the balloon using your nose, which creates positive pressure in the back of your throat and forces air into the eustachian tubes. It’s essentially a hands-free, controlled version of the Valsalva maneuver.
In one study of air passengers, 43% of adults used the device during descent, and of those who did, 76% reported relief from pressure symptoms. The device is compact enough to carry in a pocket and can be used repeatedly throughout descent. It’s especially helpful for people who struggle with the Valsalva technique or find it hard to generate enough pressure on their own. One caveat: children in the study weren’t trained to use the device, so there’s no data on how well it works for kids.
Helping Babies and Young Children
Young children and infants can’t perform clearing maneuvers on command, and their eustachian tubes are narrower, making them more prone to ear pain during flights. The most effective approach is to get them swallowing during takeoff and landing. Breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or offering a pacifier all create the sucking and swallowing motion that opens the eustachian tube.
Timing matters. Try to line up a feeding with takeoff, and keep a bottle or pacifier ready for descent. If your baby falls asleep during the climb, that’s usually fine since swallowing still occurs during sleep, though descent tends to cause more discomfort. For toddlers who are past the pacifier stage, a sippy cup with water or a small snack that requires chewing serves the same purpose.
Flying With a Cold or Sinus Infection
Congestion from a cold, sinus infection, or allergies swells the tissue around the eustachian tube, making it much harder to equalize. Flying in this state increases the risk of barotrauma, a painful condition caused by pressure buildup that can lead to fluid in the middle ear or, in serious cases, a ruptured eardrum.
If you can postpone a flight until you’ve fully recovered, that’s the safest option. If you can’t, combine an oral decongestant with a nasal spray before each segment of the flight, and equalize early and often during ascent and descent. Don’t wait until you feel pressure building.
When Ear Pain After a Flight Needs Attention
Mild fullness or muffled hearing that lasts a few hours after landing is common and usually resolves on its own. Continue swallowing, yawning, or performing the Valsalva maneuver, and give it time. If the discomfort hasn’t cleared after several hours, it’s worth getting checked out.
Certain symptoms signal something more serious: drainage or bleeding from the ear, a sudden drop in hearing that doesn’t bounce back, severe pain that worsens rather than improves, or fever. These can indicate a ruptured eardrum or middle ear damage that needs treatment.