How To Make Your Ears Pop After A Flight [ 2026 ]

We’ve all been there. The plane touches down, the seatbelt sign dings off, and everyone leaps into the aisle to grab their overhead luggage. You’re back on solid ground, but your head feels like it’s still at 35,000 feet.

If you are currently standing in the terminal feeling stuffed up, try these techniques in order of intensity.

Before you fix it, it helps to understand what’s broken. Your ear has a drainage tube called the , which connects your middle ear to the back of your nose and throat. Its job is to equalize pressure. how to make your ears pop after a flight

Place a warm washcloth over the clogged ear for 5-10 minutes. Use a saline nasal spray to clear out any mucus.

Chew gum during descent (the last 30 minutes before landing) and avoid sleeping through the pressure change. That’s when ears get clogged most often. We’ve all been there

Your hearing is muffled, as if you’re listening to the world through a thick wool blanket. There might be a slight tickle, a sensation of fullness, or—if you’re particularly unlucky—a sharp pain. Welcome to the world of "airplane ear," or as medics call it, barotrauma.

Sometimes you don't need force; you just need movement. If you are currently standing in the terminal

This is the yoga approach to ear popping.