Toynbee maneuver
How to pop your ears: Eight effective methods
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A number of strategies can help when a person’s ears feel full or clogged and needing to pop. Yawning, swallowing, and chewing gum can often solve this problem. Certain maneuvers may help, and medical devices are also available.
Ear barotrauma usually happens when a person is sick or changing altitude, such as when they are flying on an airplane, driving up a mountain, or descending at the beginning of a scuba dive.
What is this sensation and how can a person make their ears pop? Read on for more information about this common experience.
Popping the ears helps to open the eustachian tubes and regulate the pressure in the middle ear.
There are many strategies people can use to help pop their ears safely and effectively:
Yawn
Yawning helps to open the eustachian tubes. Try forcing a yawn several times until the ears pop open.
Swallow
Swallowing helps to activate the muscles that open the eustachian tube. Sipping water or sucking on hard candy can help to increase the need to swallow.
Valsalva maneuver
If yawning and swallowing do not work, take a deep breath and pinch the nose shut. Keeping the mouth closed, try to blow air through the nose gently.
It is best to be cautious when performing this maneuver because there is a small risk of rupturing the eardrum.
Toynbee maneuver
To do the Toynbee maneuver, pinch the nose closed and close the mouth, then try swallowing. Having a mouthful of water may make it a little easier.
Frenzel maneuver
To perform this maneuver, pinch the nose closed and use the tongue to make a clicking or “K” sound.
Chewing gum
Chewing gum helps increase swallowing because it stimulates saliva production. Also, the chewing motion can also help to open the eustachian tubes.
Try special devices
There are devices available that can help to clear the ears. These are especially useful for people who are not able to use or perform the above maneuvers safely or effectively.
There are three types of devices:
- Special earplugs: These special earplugs claim to help to regulate the flow of air from the environment into the ear. It is not clear whether they are truly effective, but they are inexpensive and risk-free.
- Otovent: The Otovent and similar devices mimic the motions used in the Valsalva maneuver. To use it, insert the nozzle into one nostril. At the other end is a deflated balloon. Pinch the open nostril closed and blow up the balloon using the nozzle in the first nostril. This device can be especially helpful in children or other people who are not able to use the Valsalva correctly.
- EarPopper: The EarPopper is a prescription device that can help to open the eustachian tubes. Simply insert the device into one nostril, close the other, and push a button. The device releases small puffs of air through the nose and into the eustachian tubes.
Many devices are available to buy online to help people pop their ears safely.
Medication
Seasoned travelers often take a decongestant when they fly. Both pills and intranasal sprays can work, though an older study found oral medication to be more effective.
Taking the medicine 30 minutes before take-off or landing can help to shrink the mucous membranes in the nose and eustachian tubes, making it easier to clear the ears.
While flying, it is important to avoid sleeping during the descent and landing. It is more likely for the ears to become clogged at this point and infrequent swallowing during sleep may not be enough to clear them.
Infants sometimes find it difficult to clear their ears, as they are not able to intentionally swallow or pop their ears.
Feeding (either at the breast or with a bottle) or providing a pacifier can help the baby suck and swallow in order to clear their ears. This may mean waking the baby during descent to avoid later discomfort.
Everything You Need to Know About Popping Your Ears
Having clogged ears can be uncomfortable and may muffle your hearing. When this happens, popping your ears may help.
Popping your ears is generally safe. It usually requires little more than moving your mouth muscles. Regardless of the technique you try, it’s important to be gentle. If your symptoms worsen, it’s a good idea to stop trying to clear your ears and consult your doctor.
If you try to unclog your ears with an over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medication, avoid using it for longer than directed on the package. If your symptoms persist, talk with your doctor.
There are several techniques you can try to unclog or pop your ears:
Swallowing
When you swallow, your muscles automatically work to open your eustachian tube. This tube connects the middle ear to the back of your nose. Opening the eustachian tube allows pressure to equalize in your middle ear, causing the popping feeling.
Chewing gum or sucking on hard candy can also help activate this response.
Yawning
Yawning also helps open the eustachian tube. If you can’t yawn on cue, try a fake yawn. Open your mouth wide while breathing in and out. This may have the same result. Try “yawning” every few minutes until your ear pops.
Valsalva maneuver
Pinch your nostrils closed with your fingers. Try to keep your cheeks neutral or pulled in rather than puffed out. Next, blow air gently through your nostrils. This generates pressure in the back of the nose, which may help open the eustachian tube.
Toynbee maneuver
For this technique, pinch your nostrils closed with your fingers while swallowing. A small 2017 study indicated that the Toynbee maneuver may be less effective than the Valsalva maneuver. However, you may want to try both to determine which method works best for you.
Applying a warm washcloth
Holding a warm washcloth or covered heating pad against your ear may help reduce pain if you have an ear infection. Placing it on your face may also help ease sinus pressure in the case of a sinus infection, a condition that can lead to feelings of fullness in your ears.
Nasal decongestants
Unclogging your nasal passageways can help with clogged ears. If you use an OTC nasal decongestant, it’s best to avoid taking it for more than 3 days in a row. You may want to try the Valsalva or Toynbee maneuver after using a decongestant.
Nasal corticosteroids
There are many OTC nasal steroids you can try. Nasal steroids may help unclog your ears by reducing the amount of inflammation in the nasal passages. This can help air move more freely through both eustachian tubes, equalizing the pressure in your ears.
Nasal steroids may be effective if your ears feel full as a result of a sinus infection. However, research indicates that they may not work for chronically clogged ears caused by eustachian tube dysfunction, also known as blocked eustachian tubes.
Ventilation tubes
In extreme cases, your doctor may recommend this simple surgical technique to ease pain and reduce pressure.
For the procedure, your doctor will likely use local anesthesia to numb the area around your ears. Then, they’ll insert thin ventilation tubes, also known as pressure equalizing tubes or tympanostomy tubes, in one or both of your ears to drain fluid from behind the eardrum.
Healthcare professionals usually perform the procedure in a doctor’s office for adults. They may also perform it in a hospital. Manufacturers design ventilation tubes to fall out on their own. This typically happens after around 1 year.
The eustachian tube supplies air to the middle ear. This helps maintain equal amounts of pressure on both sides of the eardrum.
If there’s a difference in pressure, your eardrum may bulge inward or outward in response. The pressure difference can cause that familiar feeling of fullness in the ear.
Popping your ears involves opening both eustachian tubes to relieve the imbalance of pressure, ending or reducing your discomfort.
The eustachian tubes typically open automatically when you swallow, chew, or yawn. When you do these motions, you’ll often hear a clicking, or popping, noise. Air entering the middle ear through the eustachian tubes in each ear causes the noise.
If the tubes do not open easily, they may have obstructions. Fluid, mucus, or inflammation usually cause them.
Tinnitus occurs when you experience ringing, buzzing, or other sounds that do not exist externally. Tinnitus can occur from the following causes:
- sinus or ear infections
- earwax obstructing the ear canal
- blocked eustachian tubes
- brain tumors
- hearing loss
- thyroid issues
Often, it may not be possible to identify the cause of tinnitus.
You can often still pop your ears if you have tinnitus. But if the cause of tinnitus is blockage of the eustachian tubes, the tubes may be unable to open to pop your ears.
Sometimes your ears may clog and unclog themselves naturally. This usually happens because of changes in the surrounding air pressure.
If you climb to a high altitude — for example, fly on an airplane or drive up a high mountain range — your ears may pop as they adjust to the air pressure around you. Diving underwater also leads to pressure changes that cause your ears to pop.
If your ears don’t pop on their own when you fly on a plane or change elevation, you may be able to clear them by chewing gum or yawning.
Sometimes, instead of your eustachian tubes being blocked and unable to open, they might have trouble closing. This condition, called patulous eustachian tube dysfunction, often makes your voice and breathing sound unusually loud in your ears. It can also cause you to hear crackling or popping sounds.
A buildup of fluid in the middle ear is another condition that can cause the feeling of clogged ears and popping.
In both cases, treating or recovering from the condition may ease your symptoms.
Your ears may clear up on their own, but it’s important to call a doctor if you develop any of the following:
- pus or discharge draining from your ear
- hearing loss
- fever
- ear pain
- ringing in your ears
Your doctor can rule out any underlying conditions that may contribute to clogged ears and other symptoms. The following might cause feelings of ear fullness:
- enlarged adenoids, also known as swollen tissue at the back of the throat
- sinus or ear infection
- allergies
- earwax buildup
- common cold
- temporomandibular joint disorders
A clogged eardrum can sometimes bulge to the bursting point, leading to a perforated eardrum. This may occur from:
- an ear infection
- activities involving rapid pressure changes, such as air travel
- head trauma
A perforated eardrum requires a doctor’s care. This condition typically heals by itself within a few weeks. Some cases may require surgery.
Popping your ears is often safe and effective, as long as you’re gentle. Ear popping usually works within a few tries. If you have a cold or sinus congestion, medication may also be helpful.
Last medically reviewed on May 6, 2022
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