How to Pop Your Ears on a Plane: 9 Tricks for Relieving Ear Pressure, According to Medical Experts

09.04.2024 - 16:41 / cntraveler.com

The aircraft has hit cruising altitude, there’s no turbulence, and you’re settled comfortably in your seat, eager to give the in-flight entertainment your full attention. There’s just one problem: You’re unable to clear your ears.

Sometimes known as “airplane ear,” this condition occurs when there is an imbalance in air pressure between that of the airplane cabin and the pressure in your middle ear, causing the uncomfortable sensation of your ears feeling full or plugged. According to the Cleveland Clinic, ear barotrauma, as it’s also called in clinical terms, is the most common form of barotraumas, which are medical conditions that occur when your body experiences a sudden or large shift in water or air pressure. (Barotraumas can also happen while diving or swimming, or even riding an elevator.)

“It’s very common to get that ear fullness when on planes because of the change in air pressure,” explains Dr. Kimberly Lee, a Los Angeles-based board-certified plastic surgeon and assistant clinical professor in the Division of Head and Neck Surgery at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. “When the pressures on the inside and outside of the eardrum aren’t the same, the eardrum acts like a suction cup causing the dreaded sensation of ear fullness and discomfort that makes you want to pop the ears.”

The good news? Clearing your ears can be quick and painless, and we've got several expert-recommended tips and tricks to safely put discomfort at bay. For some travelers, such as babies and young children, and anyone with sinus problems, a little extra vigilance and measures may be required.

Here, we offer a guide with everything you need to know about one of the most common annoyances of air travel, including why your ears pop in the first place, and how to clear them safely.

First, a little biology lesson. Airplane ear occurs when the air pressure in the middle ear and the air pressure in the environment don’t match, preventing your eardrum (in science-speak, it’s the tympanic membrane) from vibrating normally. That’s because the Eustachian tube, a narrow passage connected to the middle ear that regulates air pressure by slowly releasing it, can’t keep up with the change in pressure quickly enough.

Colds or allergies, which trigger inflammation in mucus membranes, are often to blame when ears don’t clear easily. That inflammation then causes the Eustachian tube to become clogged, inhibiting it from opening and closing properly. When this happens, flying can be painful. At worst, you may rupture your eardrum or bleed into the space behind it.

“The worse the cold is, the higher the risk that you end up with an ear problem,” says Dr. Alicia M. Quesnel, an otologist and neurotologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. If