Chewing gum, sucking a mint, making a few exaggerated yawns—when a plane takes off or touches down, travelers often will try these strategies to ward off that weird ear pop that happens as we change altitude. The good news is that the uncomfortable sensation is simply a normal, protective bodily function.

“It’s absolutely a natural way that your body is supposed to equalize that pressure,” says Patricia Gaffney, an audiologist and president of the American Academy of Audiology. And in most cases, the process resolves quickly and without complications.

But what exactly makes that popping sound, and why? Gaffney shared the details about what’s going on in our ears during flight.

Why do ears pop? 

Our ears are made up of three parts: the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The outer ear includes the visible earlobe and ear canal. The eardrum separates the outer ear from the air-filled middle ear, which includes three tiny bones and the Eustachian tube, a narrow passageway that connects the middle ear to the upper throat, or nasopharynx. The inner ear is home to the cochlea, our hearing organ, and the vestibular system, which controls balance.

When our ears pop, the sensation comes from the Eustachian tube.

“[The Eustachian tube]’s whole job is to help keep the pressure equalized from the outer portion of the ear to the middle portion of the ear,” says Gaffney, who is also a professor of audiology at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. 

The air pressure balance between the middle ear and outside environment is critical for our ears to properly function. When the pressure in the middle ear is lower than the outside air pressure, that can create negative pressure. That negative pressure can draw the eardrum inward, reducing its ability to vibrate and make our hearing seem muffled until the pressure equalizes 

During our normal activities, the Eustachian tube opens briefly when we swallow, yawn, or talk, helping to balance these small changes in air pressure. But a rapid altitude change on a flight—or while we scuba dive or climb up a mountain—presents a different scenario. Those changes can create significant differences as the external air pressure changes more quickly than the pressure inside the middle ear, Gaffney says. The Eustachian tube responds by forcibly opening to equalize these pressures, creating that familiar “popping” sound.

How to manage popping ears

Travelers can use several tried-and-true strategies to manage ear pressure and get their Eustachian tube to open on its own. For babies and young children, sucking on a pacifier or feeding during takeoff and landing can help relieve pressure in their tiny ears and make them more comfortable. For older kids and adults, chewing gum, sucking on a candy, and yawning deliberately can help, Gaffney says. 

Travelers also can attempt to force open their own Eustachian tube using the so-called Valsalva maneuver, Gaffney says. To do it, take a breath, close your mouth, pinch your nose, and gently blow out your nose. “Sometimes, if [the Eustachian tube is] really tight, you’ll even hear a little squeak as a little bit of air rushes in,” Gaffney says. 

An over-the-counter product called EarPlanes also could help, she says. The specialized earplugs help to equalize pressure. “Some people have really good success with it,” she says, though others “don’t find it helps very much.”

When the pressure is too much

Certain conditions can make it harder for your Eustachian tube to stabilize a pressure imbalance. The bottom of the tube—where it normally closes—can become irritated or inflamed, especially when we have a cold or upper respiratory infection. That inflammation makes it harder for the tube to open and close, which is why people often say their ears feel blocked or won’t pop when they’re sick, Gaffney says. 

If someone with a cold or allergy symptoms flies, the pressure changes during takeoff and landing can make equalizing ear pressure more difficult. In severe cases, when the pressure difference becomes too great and the tube can’t open properly, it may even lead to a ruptured eardrum, Gaffney says.

But she emphasizes, “that’s on the rare side, and it’s usually associated with somebody who already has a cold or some sort of upper respiratory infection.” 

When she flew recently with the sniffles, Gaffney fell back on the Valsalva maneuver to try and get some relief. “I was on the verge of being sick, and my ears were hurting,” Gaffney says. “The whole flight, I’m just trying to Valsalva” to balance the pressure in my ears.

For those experiencing persistent ear pressure issues, an ear, nose, and throat doctor can evaluate them for Eustachian tube dysfunction. Patients with chronic problems might receive treatments like nasal sprays to reduce inflammation, she says. 

But, bottom line, while ear popping might feel a little odd, it’s usually just a brief side effect of flying. So grab some gum, practice your yawns and let your Eustachian tubes do the job they were designed for.  

 

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