Five simple maneuvers can pop open clogged ears by pushing a small burst of air through the Eustachian tube while you swallow.
Story Snapshot
- Doctor Cliff lists five ways to equalize ear pressure: Valsalva, Lowry, yawning, assisted nasal air, and the Eustachi device.
- The shared goal is to move air through the Eustachian tube during a swallow to rebalance pressure.
- These tips target pressure problems, not earwax or infection; those need different care.
- One method involves another person blowing into your nose and is flagged as risky; use caution.
Five named ways to clear pressure, not wax
Doctor Cliff, an audiologist, lays out five methods to unclog ears when pressure is the cause: the Valsalva maneuver, the Lowry method, yawning, assisted nasal air, and a handheld tool called Eustachi. Each method aims to open the Eustachian tube and shift air into the middle ear while you swallow. This can relieve the full, underwater feeling that comes with pressure mismatch. The video shows step-by-step moves a viewer can try at home, one side at a time.
The Valsalva and Lowry methods use a gentle nose pinch and a controlled effort to blow, timed with a swallow. Yawning moves the jaw and soft palate, which can also open the tube. The assisted nasal air method has another person blow into your nose as you swallow. The Eustachi device pushes a small stream of air into one nostril while you swallow, then you switch sides. Doctor Cliff advises having water nearby if swallowing is hard.
Why swallowing matters for equalizing
The Eustachian tube is a narrow hallway that links the middle ear to the back of the nose. It stays closed most of the time. Swallowing makes small muscles pull it open for a second. When you add a slight pressure boost in the nose at that moment, air slips through that hallway and into the middle ear. That air balances the pressure on both sides of the eardrum, which can cut the clogged, muffled sensation fast.
That pressure fix is narrow but useful. It helps when flying, driving over a mountain, or after a cold leaves the tube sticky. It does not melt wax, kill germs, or drain an infected ear on its own. Earwax and ear infections are different problems with different fixes. Ear, nose, and throat guidance tells people to get checked when hearing loss or fullness is not clearly from wax, or when there is pain, drainage, or bleeding. That is common sense and protects your hearing.
What to try first, and how to do it safely
Start with the easy moves. Yawn wide and swallow a few times. Next, try Valsalva the safe way: pinch your nose, close your mouth, and puff gently as if to fog a mirror, then swallow. Do not strain. For the Lowry method, make a small swallow while holding a light pressure with your pinched nose. Switch sides and repeat. If you use a device like Eustachi, seal one nostril, keep the other open to the tip, start the airflow, then swallow, and repeat on the other side.
Skip the assisted blow method unless you accept the risk. The video notes it can be dangerous, and that risk rises if someone blows too hard or you have an ear problem you do not know about. Some people should be extra careful with the Valsalva maneuver due to heart or eye concerns; talk with your clinician if you have those conditions. Stop if you feel sharp pain, spinning, or drainage. Seek care if symptoms persist, or if you suspect wax, infection, or sudden hearing loss.
How this fits with broader ear-care guidance
Autoinflation—raising gentle pressure in the nose to open the Eustachian tube—has a long track record in clinic teaching. Guidance documents and reviews describe it as a way to help middle-ear ventilation and sometimes fluid movement in select cases. The United States Food and Drug Administration lists Eustachi as intended to treat negative middle ear pressure, although its filing notes no clinical outcome data in that submission. That aligns with the video’s practical, try-it-now framing, not a promise of cure.
The takeaway is simple. If your ears feel plugged from pressure, you have five clear tools to try at home, anchored by a swallow. Use light pressure, never force. If red flags show up, or if relief does not last, pivot from do-it-yourself to a proper exam. That is the common-sense line between smart self-care and needless risk—one any busy adult can follow without a medical degree.
Sources:
youtube.com, eguideline.guidelinecentral.com, helpingmehear.com, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, cdn.clinicaltrials.gov
