Your ear feels sealed shut, as if a cup were pressed over it, and yet nothing actually hurts. Voices sound far away while your own voice booms inside your head, and you keep swallowing for a pop that does not arrive. Behind that odd, stuffed feeling is usually a simple imbalance: air pressure on one side of the eardrum no longer matches the other side, because the small tube that should even it out has not opened [1].

We have spent more than 35 years making natural remedies for families at The Relief Products, and ear comfort has long been part of that work. We also know that a blocked ear rarely needs anything from a bottle at first, and we would rather you start with the steps that cost nothing.

By the end of this guide, you will be able to clear most blocked ears on your own and recognize the few cases that belong with a clinician.

What Ear Pressure Is and Why It Happens

Each middle ear connects to the back of the nose and upper throat through a narrow channel called the eustachian tube. When you swallow or yawn, the tube opens for a moment and lets air move in or out, which keeps the pressure on both sides of the eardrum equal. When the tube stays shut, the pressure difference builds, and the eardrum feels tight.

St. Louis Children’s Hospital describes what happens on a plane. As the plane climbs, cabin pressure drops and the eardrum bulges outward. Once the difference reaches about 15 mmHg, the tubes open with a pop, roughly once every 500 to 1,000 feet of ascent. On the way down, rising pressure pulls the eardrum inward, and you may need to help the tube open with deliberate steps [2].

The usual triggers fall into a handful of groups:

• Altitude changes. Flights, mountain drives and diving all change the pressure around you faster than a sluggish tube can keep up.
• Colds and congestion. Swollen tissue in the nose and throat can squeeze the tube closed.
• Allergies. Allergy congestion swells the same tissue and raises the odds of a blocked ear.
• Earwax buildup. A plug of wax can create a full, plugged feeling that mimics pressure.
• Jaw tension. The jaw joint (TMJ) sits right beside the ear, and trouble there can bring ear-area symptoms such as ringing, hearing changes or dizziness.

The feeling itself is familiar: fullness or pressure, muffled hearing, clicking or popping, ear pain, and sometimes a touch of dizziness. Most of the time it passes once the tube opens again.

Gentle Steps That Help First

The best first moves are also the simplest, and they all work by coaxing that tube to open on its own. Try them in roughly this order:

1. Swallow often. Each swallow briefly opens the tube, so sip water or simply swallow on purpose a few times.
2. Yawn, or fake one. A wide yawn stretches the muscles around the tube and can open it more fully than a swallow.
3. Chew sugar-free gum or suck on a hard candy. Both keep you swallowing without having to think about it.
4. Try a gentle exhale. Take a breath, pinch your nostrils closed, keep your mouth shut and blow out gently through your nose. A soft pop means it worked [3]. Gently is the whole technique here, so stop if it hurts.
5. Swallow while holding your nose. Pinch your nostrils and swallow a sip of water. Some people find this pops their ears when the exhale does not.
6. Add warmth and moisture. A warm compress held against the nose and forehead, or a few minutes in a steamy shower, can make congestion-related pressure more comfortable.

Staying well hydrated and sitting upright rather than lying flat can also help when a stuffy nose is behind the blocked feeling. A saline rinse or spray for the nose is another gentle option when the pressure seems tied to your sinuses.

Each of these steps suits a different situation, and a few come with a reason to pass:

Ear Pressure on a Flight, Drive or Dive

On a flight, descent is when the tube has to let air back in to even out the pressure, so start working on your ears as soon as the plane begins to come down, and keep going. FAA aviation medicine guidance says equalizing should not be put off until it becomes painful [4].

A few habits make landings easier:

• Stay awake as the plane prepares to land, since you swallow less while you sleep.
• Wake sleeping travelers in your group before descent starts.
• Chew gum for the whole climb and descent, since steady chewing keeps you swallowing.
• Keep babies and toddlers swallowing during descent, as the section on children below describes.

Mountain driving follows the same rule. Swallow, sip water or chew as the road climbs and drops, and pull over if the pressure turns painful.

Some people get blocked ears on almost every flight. MedlinePlus notes that people who always have this trouble may take a decongestant about an hour before the flight [5]. Ask a pharmacist or clinician first, especially if you have high blood pressure, a heart condition or are pregnant.

Flying with a cold or a blocked nose can make all of this harder [6]. If you are congested and your trip is flexible, it is worth asking a clinician whether to reschedule.

Divers face the same pressure change, only faster. The Divers Alert Network advises equalizing gently and regularly, never forcing through pain, and ending the dive if you cannot equalize after a few attempts, because a forceful effort may injure the inner ear [7].

When Congestion or Allergies Are Behind the Pressure

Away from planes and mountains, congestion is a frequent reason an ear feels plugged. During a cold, the tissue around the opening of the tube swells and blocks it. As that swelling goes down, the blockage usually clears on its own.

While you wait, these comfort steps can help:

• Breathe in steam from a warm shower.
• Use a saline rinse or spray to loosen what is sitting in the nose.
• Rest with your head raised on an extra pillow.
• Hold a warm compress against the nose and forehead.

Nasal decongestant sprays can help too, but only for a short stretch of a few days, and using one longer than directed can make congestion come back.

If you prefer a natural option for the stuffiness itself, our Mucus & Sinus Spray is a homeopathic oral spray made with 100% natural active ingredients. It provides temporary relief from mucus build-up and sinus congestion, so it may help ease the stuffiness that often sits behind ear pressure. You spray it 2 to 3 times into the mouth, up to 6 times a day. It is taken orally, never in the nose or eyes, it has a black cherry flavor, and it is for adults and children 12 and up.

Allergies can drive the same blockage, so a blocked ear that returns every spring may have more to do with pollen than with travel. For more natural ideas on clearing a stuffy head, see our roundup of homeopathic remedies for sinus congestion.

Habits to Skip When Your Ears Feel Blocked

A plugged ear makes people want to do something, and a few common instincts tend to backfire. Each of these is worth leaving out:

• Cotton swabs, hairpins or anything else in the ear. Cotton-tipped swabs and other objects can irritate the ear canal, so keep them out. Over-the-counter ear drops are a choice only when the eardrum is not ruptured [8].
• Ear candles. There is no good evidence they help, and they bring an open flame close to the face.
• Forceful blowing with the nose pinched. A hard exhale puts too much force on the eardrum and can even perforate it [5]. Keep it gentle every time.
• Sleeping through a landing. Fewer swallows during descent means more pressure builds up.
• Pushing through pain on a descent. Pain is the signal to slow down, ease off, or end the dive [7].
• Using a decongestant spray past the label. A few days is the limit, and longer use can leave your nose stuffier than before.

None of this means avoiding medicine or a doctor’s advice. It simply means choosing gentle steps over forceful ones.

Where Our Ear Care Fits In

We want to be honest about this part. Ear pressure itself is usually a mechanical problem, a tube that needs to open, and the gentle steps above are the right place to start. Our ear products are made for the discomfort that can come with it, such as ear pain, throbbing or irritation that lingers after a flight or a swim.

Every product in our ear care line uses 100% natural active ingredients and is manufactured under CGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) standards. Our products are FDA-registered as OTC medicines and are gentle on the body.

These products provide temporary relief of symptoms. They are not a treatment or cure for a condition and are meant to complement, not replace, medical care.

Our Fast Dissolving Tablets™ are often the easier choice for children who squirm away from a dropper, since nothing goes into the ear at all. Whichever product you pick, read its label before you start, because directions and age ranges differ across the line. You can learn more about our ear care products and compare them side by side.

Ear Pressure in Children and Infants

Children often have a harder time with pressure changes than adults do. Infants and toddlers have smaller eustachian tubes [6], and children are less skilled at equalizing their ear pressure [2]. A toddler cannot follow instructions to pinch and blow, so the goal is to get them swallowing.

Here is what helps at each age:

• Babies. Offer a bottle or pacifier during descent to keep them swallowing [4]. Sips of a drink work for babies who take a cup.
• Toddlers and young children. Offer a drink or a snack to keep them swallowing, and save gum for when they are old enough to chew it safely.
• Older children. Gum, hard candy and yawning all work, and many kids can learn the gentle exhale with a little practice.

Keep any product use within the label ages. Our EarAche Drops are for children over 2, and our Mucus & Sinus Spray is for ages 12 and up. If your child’s ear seems to hurt rather than just feel full, our guide to earache relief at home without making the pain worse walks through comfort steps for little ones.

When to Call a Doctor

Most blocked ears clear within minutes or hours. Some situations call for a clinician instead of more home care:

• Discomfort that does not ease within a few hours of home care, or that is severe [1]
• Plugged ears that last more than two weeks [3]
• Fluid, pus or blood draining from the ear, or a fever
• Sudden or noticeable hearing loss
• Dizziness that makes the room spin
• Severe ear pain that suddenly stops, which can signal a ruptured eardrum [8]
• Pressure that keeps coming back again and again

A clinician can look at the eardrum and the tube in a way you cannot at home, and calling early is never an overreaction.

For everything else, return to the first move: swallow, yawn and chew, gently and early. Stay Healthy, Naturally® has always meant pairing simple habits with good medical care, and if discomfort lingers after the pressure eases, you can explore our ear care line.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get rid of ear pressure pain?

Start with swallowing, yawning or chewing sugar-free gum to open the tube. If that does not work, pinch your nose, close your mouth and exhale gently until you feel a pop. Pain that is severe or does not ease within a few hours is a reason to call a clinician.

Why is the pressure in my ear not going away?

Lingering pressure often comes from congestion that keeps the tube swollen shut, and it usually clears as the cold settles. If your ears stay plugged for more than two weeks, call a clinician.

How do you unclog your ears?

For pressure, use the gentle steps: swallow, yawn, chew gum, then try a soft exhale with your nose pinched. Keep swabs and other objects out of the ear, since they can irritate the ear canal.

Why does my ear feel blocked but I don’t have any pain?

A blocked feeling without pain usually means the pressure on either side of the eardrum is slightly off, often from altitude, a cold or allergies. It tends to clear once the tube opens again.

References

[1] Ashutosh Kacker, MD (reviewer). “Ear barotrauma.” MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, April 29, 2026. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001064.htm

[2] St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “Medical Animation: Ear Pressure.” St. Louis Children’s Hospital, n.d. https://www.stlouischildrens.org/health-resources/pulse/medical-animation-ear-pressure

[3] Mayo Clinic Staff. “Plugged ears: What is the remedy?” Mayo Clinic, April 24, 2024. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/expert-answers/plugged-ears/faq-20058092

[4] Roger A. Storey. “Trapped Gas.” FAA Airman Education Programs, Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, November 18, 2010. https://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/airman_education/topics_of_interest/trapped_gas

[5] MedlinePlus. “Ear – blocked at high altitudes.” MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, April 29, 2026. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002077.htm

[6] Bhattacharya S, Singh A, Marzo RR. “‘Airplane Ear’: A Neglected Yet Preventable Problem.” AIMS Public Health 6(3):320-325, 2019. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6779601/

[7] Divers Alert Network. “Ears and Diving: DAN Dive Medical Reference.” Divers Alert Network, 2020. https://dan.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Ears-and-Diving-DAN-Dive-Medical-Reference.pdf

[8] Charles I. Schwartz, MD, FAAP. “Earache.” MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, January 17, 2025. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003046.htm