What Happens When Your Ears Pop?

If you have flown in an airplane or suffered a throbbing head cold, you may have experienced the unpleasant, and sometimes painful, situation of blocked ears. Relief comes when your ears finally "pop."

Cause

• Your ear pops when your middle ear zone, supplied with air via the eustachian tube located at back of the nose and connected to your middle ear, is blocked and then opened.

Middle Ear

• When you swallow, a small air bubble travels up the eustachian tube and comes to rest at the middle ear. This equalizes pressure on both sides of the eardrum, which separates the middle ear from the ear canal.

Air Pressure

• When the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum is not equal, the ear feels blocked. This can be caused by such stressors as colds, sinus infections, nasal allergies or rapid atmospheric pressure changes.

Blockage

• When your ear is blocked, the air inside the middle ear has been absorbed by surrounding membranes. This produces a vacuum that pulls the eardrum inward, stretching it and distorting normal sound vibrations.

Popping

• Swallowing and yawning activate the muscle that controls the eustachian tube, sending air into the middle ear to equalize the pressure. The popping sound you hear occurs when your ear returns to its customary pressurization.