How To Pop Your Ears: Common Causes And Methods To Try

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HealthlineSubscribeEverything You Need to Know About Popping Your Ears

Medically reviewed by Meredith Goodwin, MD, FAAFP — Written by Corey Whelan — Updated on June 9, 2025

Is it safe?
How to pop your ears
How does it work?
Popping your ears with tinnitus
What else causes ear popping?
How to stop popping
Speak with a doctor
FAQ
Takeaway

Popping your ears is usually safe and can help you feel more comfortable. Swallowing, sucking on candy, and yawning are some ways to safely pop your ears.

Clogged ears can happen when there are changes in air pressure. Having clogged ears can be uncomfortable and may muffle your hearing. When this happens, popping your ears may help.

Is it safe to pop your ears?

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.

What is the easiest way to pop your ears?

There are several techniques you can try to unclog or pop your ears:

Illustrations of ways to pop ears — Illustrated by Jason Hoffman

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.

Top tip

You can even try watching a video of someone else yawning to trigger one for yourself.

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.

Drinking warm liquids can also help due to the steam moistening and loosening any blockage.

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, some research indicates that they may not work for chronically clogged ears caused by eustachian tube dysfunction (blocked eustachian tubes).

Nasal steroids also don’t work immediately. In the meantime, saline nasal sprays may help give you some relief.

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.

How does ear-popping work?

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 causes them.

Can you pop your ears if you have tinnitus?

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.

What else causes ear popping?

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.

How to get your ears to stop popping

Sometimes, instead of being blocked and unable to open, your eustachian tubes 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.

What do you do if your ears won’t pop?

If your ears don’t pop, 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.

Frequently asked questions

Read on for the answers to common questions people have.

How can I naturally unblock my ear?

Natural ways to help you pop your ears include using a warm washcloth against your ear, yawning, swallowing, using a saltwater nasal spray, and rinsing your sinuses.

How do you pop your ears while sick?

Many of the same remedies for popping your ears can help you when you’re sick. If they don’t help, you may need medical treatment.

How do you clear ear pressure?

Popping your ears may help you clear ear pressure. However, it’s not always possible to prevent pain when you pop your ear because the pain results from a change in pressure. Some ways to clear ear pressure include chewing gum, yawning, swallowing, and trying the Valsalva and Toynbee maneuvers.

The bottom line

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.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Casale J, et al. (2023). Physiology, eustachian tube function.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532284/
Dolhi N, et al. (2023). Tympanic membrane perforations.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557887/
Mehta NK, et al. (2021). Medical management for eustachian tube dysfunction in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lary.29878
Searight FT, et al. (2023). Otitis media with effusion.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538293/
Smith ME, et al. (2017). Tests of eustachian tube function: The effect of testing technique on tube opening in healthy ears.https://journals.lww.com/otology-neurotology/Abstract/2017/06000/Tests_of_Eustachian_Tube_Function__the_Effect_of.17.aspx
Spaw M, et al. (2024). Tympanostomy tube.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK565858/
Tinnitus. (2023).https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus

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Medically reviewed by Meredith Goodwin, MD, FAAFP — Written by Corey Whelan — Updated on June 9, 2025

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