ears 3

[coey]

is there anyone else that cant pop there ears by holding there nostrils etc and if there is how do you pop your ears on a aeroplane

[nigidivitch]

I pop them by sort of swallowing - it's kind of a half-swallow whilst opening my mouth and moving my jaw backwards!!  It lets me - for want of a better expression - "flex" my eardrums?!!!!!  Seems to work...

A beginner might just want to try swallowing or they might do themselves an injury!!!!

[Tim Baxter]

Going up, to equalise the pressure you need to pressurise your inner ear. This is done by forcing air from the back of your throat, up your eustachian tubes which lead to the inner ear.  So, hold your nose, close your throat (tongue on roof of mouth) and compress your lungs (breath out gently).  Descending, it's the opposite, generally swallowing, yawning or sucking a sweet deforms the tubes' opening to the throat and allows excess air to escape thus equalising pressure.