10 Tips On How to Pop Your Ears
When there’s a sudden change in the pneumatic pressure in your ears, for instance when jumping or flying, the ears tend to create a stuffed or a popped feeling when the tubes are blocked. In most cases, this happens when you are flying and the plane is descending or ascending. And yes, the feeling is a close second to flight delay or lost luggage.
If this happens to you or someone you know, do not suffer in agony. Try out these 10 tips On How to Pop Your Ears and all will be well within no time!
Table of Contents
Pop your ear by swallowing
Although this might sound a little strange, swallowing might just be the thing that gets you past that irksome pressure filling in the ear. On a normal day you might not notice the pressure change when you swallow, but after a flight or at any time when you need to pop your ears, the effect will be real.
Swallowing causes pressure that opens up the Eustachian tube. With an open Eustachian tube pressure in your body equalizes and your resume to your normal self in no time. Be warned however that at times, it might be hard to swallow because of too much pressure. The trick, however, is to try drinking some water to assist in the swallowing.
Try not to sleep
Sleeping during a flight or a trip can be a very cozy experience. Most people prefer to sleep through the whole trip to relax their minds. This, however, is the cause of the problem. Whenever you sleep on a flight or in a moving car, pressure builds up in your body every time the car or the plane ascends or descends.
Also, it is hard to swallow or chew when you are asleep, meaning there is nothing to help you balance out the pressure. If you really need to sleep, make sure you are in a place that won’t cause much pressure difference. It might be a good idea to keep yourself busy especially during the ascend and descend.
Try to yawn
Have you ever tried to force yourself to yawn? if you have then you know how difficult it can be. Yawning is a quick and natural way of popping your ears. Some people feel the urge to yawn by only watching other people yawn. Others will yawn by simply reading the word yawn. Try out these simple techniques to see if you can get yourself to yawn. If you think about yawning, it is likely that you will get the urge to yawn and pop your ears while you are at it.
Start to Chew
Chewing is one of the fastest ways to get rid of that terrible feeling that takes over your ears when leaving the plane or alighting a bus from a long trip. Before a flight get yourself a pack of chewing gums to keep you busy throughout your flight. You can also chew on the food you have if you do not have chewing gums. It is advisable to chew reputedly until the pain goes away. If you have run out of things to chew, you can still pop your ears by depicting the movement of a chewing mouth, before you know it your ears will pop.
Take some candy
Sometimes all you need to help you swallow some more and pop your ear is candy. Eating hard candy will trigger faster swallowing and as a result, relieve you of the air pressure in your ear. Be careful however not to eat too much of the candy as it can be unhealthy for your teeth.
Pop your ears with some Nasal Spray
The nose is usually connected to the ear, making the use of a nasal spray very useful when trying to get rid of the pressure build-up in your ear. You can choose to buy a nasal spray from a drugstore while preparing for your trip or flight. The other alternative is to come up with your own nasal spray by mixing salt and water and putting the spray tip on your nose. Spray whenever you get the feeling of unpopped ears. Be careful not to overuse the nasal spray as it can clog the ear overused.
Try pinching your nostrils
If you breathe out while pinching the nostrils, you can manage to pop your ears and get comfortable again quickly. The trick is to put your index finger and your thumb on your nose, then breathing out without blowing too hard. In fact, you get to feel and hear a soft pop on both your ears to know it has worked.
Take a warm bath
At times the steam that comes from a hot shower can assist in better breathing resulting in reduced pressure in your body. You most likely be able to pop your ear while taking a 20 or 10-minute bath after a long trip or flight.
Try some head rotation
This trick involves a variation of filling your lungs with air while holding your nose. It is a wonderful method that will alternatively keep you from causing harm to your eardrums. You start by holding your nose with your mouth closed. Then you turn your head to the left and swallow as hard as you can to pop the left ear. Do the same for the right ear and repeat the exercise as many times as necessary to restore normal body pressure.
Try using a decongestant
Sometimes the pressure that is felt in the ear is usually a result of some form of inflammation. Getting rid of the inflammation can lead to your ears popping and getting relieved from the pain. The work of decongestants is to get rid of the pain while your ears are popping. There are a couple of decongestants including, acetaminophen and ibuprofen that you can buy from a drug store to help you relieve the pain.
Conclusion
In the rare occasion that you have tried everything you can and the discomfort persists, it is recommended for you to pay a visit to your doctor. The doctor might need you to recall when the blocking happened and some of the quick remedies you have already tried to pop your ears. Be sure to follow your doctor’s instructions and take the required medication if available.
Go ahead and share this article with people in your circle so that they benefit from it as well. Do not forget to comment in the comment box below if you have any concern and I will address it as soon as possible.
