Health - Wellness
How To Pop Your Ears And Relieve Pressure
By ERIN MARIE
Airplane ear, or ear barotrauma, happens due to elevation changes during activities like flying, scuba diving, and more. An imbalance of air pressure between the surrounding environment and the middle ear leads to ear discomfort, mild hearing loss, or a feeling of fullness in the air, but there are ways to relieve these symptoms.
Different methods can "pop" ear barotrauma and restore the balance of air pressure. You can try the Valsalva maneuver, or holding the nostrils and mouth closed while gently exhaling, which creates space for the build-up of pressure to escape out of the eustachian tube; a simpler and even more common method is to swallow or flex your jaw muscles.
Blowing up a balloon is another method to relieve pressure in the ears, and if you're flying, stay awake during takeoff and landing instead of falling asleep. For kids, having some gum or hard candy, sipping on a drink, or using a straw to blow bubbles into the beverage helps, and you can try a pacifier, bottle, or breastfeeding for even younger children.