Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow to Pop Your EarsWhy Your Ears Won’t PopWhen to See a ProviderPreventing Blocked Ears
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How to Pop Your Ears
Why Your Ears Won’t Pop
When to See a Provider
Preventing Blocked Ears
There are many ways to relieve pressure in your ears. Swallowing,yawning, sucking on hard candy, or chewing gum can make your ears pop. These remedies are generally safe if your ears get blocked while at a high altitude or flying in an airplane.
An over the counter (OTC) decongestant or a warm compress can help equalize pressure in the middle ear. If you’ve tried everything and your ears still won’t pop, you may need to see a healthcare provider to diagnose the cause of the congestion in your middle ear.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
Effective Ways to Pop Your Ears
If your ears won’t pop, it is because something is interfering with the systems that equalize pressure on both sides of youreardrum. If the pressure is really unequal, it might even cause ear pain. This can lead to a condition calledmiddle ear barotraumain which the unrelenting pressure can damage and even rupture the eardrum.
Pressure can build up in your ears with sudden changes in atmospheric pressure, such as with scuba diving, flying in an airplane, or even driving up or down a steep mountain. The problem is centered on theEustachian tubes, which connect themiddle earto the back of your nose and the upper part of your throat.Any medical condition that affects your Eustachian tubes can prevent you from being able to pop your ears.
Pressure can build up in your ears with sudden changes in atmospheric pressure, such as with scuba diving, flying in an airplane, or even driving up or down a steep mountain. The problem is centered on theEustachian tubes, which connect themiddle earto the back of your nose and the upper part of your throat.
Any medical condition that affects your Eustachian tubes can prevent you from being able to pop your ears.
Popping your ears is a way to force a change in air pressure. Simple maneuvers can usually help your ears pop, but sometimes you need to take additional steps.
Simple Maneuvers
If the congestion is mild, you can often use simple maneuvers to quickly alter the pressure in your middle ear, such as:
Similar methods can be used on children. If traveling with an infant or toddler, try giving them a bottle, pacifier, or something to drink or suck on.
Reduce the Swelling
If these methods alone don’t help, there are a few other ways to unblock ears that won’t pop:
In some cases, these interventions will cause the ears will pop without trying. If they don’t, give it 20 minutes and see if swallowing, yawning, chewing gum, or sucking on hard candy helps.
Decongestants should not be used in children under two years of age.
Advanced Maneuvers
These three other strategies may help you pop a stubborn ear:
To do theValsalva maneuver:
ComplicationsTake care when performing the Valsalva maneuver or other strategies that produce sudden, high pressure. It is possible for this increase in pressure to burst or rupture your eardrum. A burst eardrum can cause complications such as:Hearing lossEar infectionDizziness and/or vertigoChronic pain
Complications
Take care when performing the Valsalva maneuver or other strategies that produce sudden, high pressure. It is possible for this increase in pressure to burst or rupture your eardrum. A burst eardrum can cause complications such as:Hearing lossEar infectionDizziness and/or vertigoChronic pain
Take care when performing the Valsalva maneuver or other strategies that produce sudden, high pressure. It is possible for this increase in pressure to burst or rupture your eardrum. A burst eardrum can cause complications such as:
To do theToynbee maneuver:
The Toynbee maneuver may be safer than the Valsalva maneuver, espcially if you’ve had a previous eardrum injury.
To do theFrenzel maneuver:
If your ears won’t pop after trying everything above, there may be a medical reason. Many conditions can affect the Eustachian tubes directly or indirectly. Some cause congestion (the swelling and narrowing of a passage) while others cause compression (exerting external pressure that causes the passage to collapse).
Nasal Congestion
If your ears won’t pop and you’ve had a cold recently, you may have mucus in your ears. Too much mucus can make it hard to maintain pressure in the middle ear.
If you haveallergies, taking a decongestant before boarding a flight can often help. Cold viruses also cause congestion and may also benefit from a decongestant.
Can COVID-19 Cause Plugged Ears?COVID-19 has been associated with ear infections, which can cause you to feel like your ears are clogged.However, other illnesses such as a sinus infection or another type of ear infection are more likely to cause ear pressure. Speak with your healthcare provider.
Can COVID-19 Cause Plugged Ears?
COVID-19 has been associated with ear infections, which can cause you to feel like your ears are clogged.However, other illnesses such as a sinus infection or another type of ear infection are more likely to cause ear pressure. Speak with your healthcare provider.
Middle Ear Infection
If your ears won’t pop, it may be because you have fluid in your ears. Thickened fluid can block the Eustachian tube and prevents the fluid from draining into the back of the throat. This often happens with a middle ear infection (otitis media).
Frequent bouts of serous otitis media can be treated with the surgical insertion of ear tubes (tympanostomy tubes) into the eardrum (tympanic membrane). These let the ear drain and equalize pressure.
Enlarged Adenoids
Theadenoidsare tissues located high in your throat that are part of your body’slymphatic system. When they become enlarged, they can block the Eustachian tubes and causefluid in the middle ear. This can also happen when the tissues in your nasal passages become swollen.
Excessive Earwax
There are several ways that your healthcare provider canremove earwax. This includes special ear drops that dissolve the wax. The wax can also be flushed out with water. The healthcare provider may also use a special instrument called a cerumen spoon to manually remove the wax.
Avoid Cotton Swabs
Patulous Eustachian Tube
Sometimes, having ears that won’t pop is a sign that something is wrong with your Eustachian tubes. One example is a rare disorder calledpatulous Eustachian tubesin which the tubes always remain open.
Symptoms include:
Patulous Eustachian tubes can sometimes be managed withnasal sprays(including saline, antihistamine, decongestant, and steroid nasal sprays). It is also important to drink plenty of water and use a humidifier at night to keep the Eustachian tubes moist and prevent irritation.
Other options include ear tubes and/or the narrowing of the Eustachian tubes withelectrocautery(heat) or injected fillers.
Other Causes
Other causes of Eustachian tube dysfunction include:
An ENT specialist is trained to manage and treat all of these conditions either with medications, therapies, orsurgerywhen needed.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If after a few days your ear still won’t pop, it hurts, or your symptoms worsen, it may be because you have a sinus or ear infection.
Call your healthcare provider if your experience the following signs and symptoms:
When to Seek Emergency Care
A ruptured eardrum is serious and can cause permanent hearing loss if left untreated. Seek immediate care if you have the following signs and symptoms of a ruptured eardrum:
You may be able to prevent blocked ears with a few different strategies. For example, if you are scuba diving, be sure to equalize the pressure in your ears as you descend. If you’re planning to fly, bring hard candy to suck on. If you smoke, quitting can reduce the risk of developing severely blocked ears.
Summary
The sensation of clogged ears happens when your body can’t equalize the pressure in your ears because your Eustachian tubes are blocked. Some of the best ways to pop your ears are yawning, swallowing, or chewing. Taking decongestants or using a warm compress can also help.
There are a number of conditions that can cause clogged ears, including middle ear infections, excessive earwax, and nasal congestion. Some conditions like enlarged adenoids, serous otitis media, and patulous Eustachian tubes may require specialist treatments or surgery.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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