The Top 11 Reasons Your Ear Feels Clogged

Have you ever had that uncomfortable feeling when your ear won't pop, and you’ve tried everything? You swallow and yawn repeatedly, but your hearing still feels muffled. The sensation of blocked or full ears is a common problem, and most people have it at one time or another. But, if your ears feel clogged more often than not, then there may be an underlying reason. 

Why does my ear feel clogged?

There are several reasons your ears may feel plugged or clogged. Many are related to problems with the eustachian tube. The eustachian tube connects the middle ear and the back of the nose and throat. The middle ear is the part of the ear located between the brain and the eardrum.

This tube opens when you yawn, sneeze, and swallow. This stops pressure from building up inside the middle ear. But, when the tube is irritated, swollen, or narrowed, it can’t open as well to do its job. 

The most common reason for eustachian tube swelling is inflammation. Less commonly, the eustachian tube may have a growth or an abnormal shape. And there are also causes that have nothing to do with the eustachian tube at all, like earwax, swimmer’s ear, or hearing loss. 

Some people are more likely to have problems with their eustachian tubes. For example, children have shorter eustachian tubes than adults. And a shorter tube is more likely to get blocked or infected. Also, people who smoke are more likely to get a buildup of mucus in their eustachian tubes.

Let’s take a closer look at 11 common reasons for clogged ears, as well as treatment options.

1. Upper respiratory tract infections, including COVID-19

Various types of upper respiratory infections, including common respiratory viruses and COVID-19, can cause nasal and sinus inflammation. And this swelling of the lining of the upper airways can cause swelling and narrowing of the eustachian tubes. 

Inflammation can affect how the eustachian tubes open and close. This is why people with an upper respiratory tract infection may also experience:

• Ear pressure

• Ear fullness

• Muffled sounds

• Ear pain

2. Allergic rhinitis (seasonal and environmental allergies)

Seasonal allergies — and allergies to other irritants — are another common cause of nasal and sinus congestion. People with nasal allergies have long-lasting swelling of the upper airways, including in their sinuses. This can lead to short- or long-term eustachian tube problems. 

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3. Otitis media (infection in the middle ear)

Fluid from the throat or sinuses can travel up the eustachian tubes and get stuck. This can cause otitis media (a middle ear infection). Otitis media is quite common in young children. 

Swelling from allergies and viruses makes it even more likely that otitis media will occur. Fluid in the ear can also build up after an infection has passed. Either way, when the middle ear is full of fluid, it can lead to a feeling of being clogged.

4. Sinusitis

When fluid builds up in the sinuses, bacteria and other germs can grow there. This causes swelling, which prevents air and fluid from passing through the system normally. When the infection and swelling extend into the eustachian tube, your ears can feel blocked.

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5. Eustachian tube dysfunction

Sometimes the problem is the eustachian tube itself. Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) occurs when the eustachian tube doesn’t open and close as it should. Usually ETD happens because the eustachian tube is too narrow or too floppy. This dysfunction keeps the air pressure inside the middle ears from being able to equalize with the air pressure outside. 

ETD can lead to symptoms such as:

• A feeling of fullness in the ears

• Popping noises in the ears

• Hearing loss

• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

• Ear pain

• Dizziness

• Autophony (when your own voice sounds extra loud to you)

ETD can affect up to 9 in 10 children before they start school. But it can also happen in adults, and it’s often related to allergies or upper respiratory infections.

6. Pregnancy and other hormonal states

High levels of the hormone estrogen can cause swelling of the eustachian tube. This is common in pregnancy, but it can also happen with some contraceptive pills. This swelling may also be a side effect of some hormone-blocking prostate cancer treatments. 

7. High altitude

Altitude changes, like with air travel or scuba diving, can cause plugged ears. This is especially true for people with underlying eustachian tube problems. It happens because pressure changes too quickly for the ears to be able to equalize. 

8. Otitis externa (swimmer’s ear)

Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa) is an infection of the outer ear canal. It causes inflammation and swelling in the part of the ear canal you can see with a flashlight.

Like its name suggests, swimmer’s ear often occurs after swimming, showering, or playing water sports. Water in the outer ear can irritate the skin and allow bacteria or fungi to grow in the outer ear canal. In addition to being painful, if the ear canal becomes swollen, it can also feel plugged.

9. Earwax

Some cerumen (earwax) is normal and healthy. But when too much earwax builds up in the outer ear, it can get impacted or blocked. This can cause muffled hearing and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Earwax impaction affects up to 5% of healthy adults and more than half of older adults in nursing homes.

You may be able to safely remove earwax at home with ear drops or irrigation. Although it’s tempting, using Q-tips to clean out your ears can damage the eardrum or ear canal. Q-tips can also push earwax farther into your ear. Your primary care provider can easily check for and treat earwax buildup. 

10. Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD)

Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) affect the muscles and joints of the jaw. Often the cause is bruxism (teeth grinding). While pain or clicking in the jaw are the most common symptoms, people with TMD can also feel ear fullness and pain. 

A variety of treatments are available to help manage TMD.

11. Hearing loss

Ear fullness or a sensation of “stuffiness” can be a symptom of true hearing loss — also called sensorineural hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is caused by damage to the inner parts of the ear or the auditory nerve. It usually comes on gradually with age, but it can also happen in younger folks. Hearing loss that happens suddenly can be one sign of a bigger problem.

Causes of hearing loss include:

• Some viral infections

• Exposure to sudden, loud noises

• Head injuries

• Autoimmune inner ear disease

• Meniere’s disease

• Stroke

If you have sudden or new hearing loss, visit your primary care provider right away.

How to unclog your ears at home

There are a few strategies you can try at home to unclog your ears. For newly clogged ears, you can try some of these tricks:

• Chewing gum

• Yawning

• Swallowing 

• The Valsalva maneuver (Take a deep breath and blow out of your nose gently while pinching your nostrils closed and keeping your mouth shut.) 

• Steam inhalation, if mucus congestion is a cause

If these approaches don’t work, consider some of the treatments below. You may need to get help treating the underlying cause of clogged ears, if you have an ear infection or nasal congestion, for example.

Treatment for clogged ears

Clogged ears often improve on their own over time. But there are many treatment options available, depending on the cause. A good first step is to visit a healthcare professional to figure out what’s causing your symptoms. 

Depending on the cause, treatment options for clogged ears can include: 

• Decongestants: Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is a type of decongestant that can cause blood vessels in the nose and the eustachian tubes to narrow. This helps to reduce swelling and congestion. Decongestants work quickly and last for up to 6 hours. 

• Nasal steroid sprays: Fluticasone (Flonase) or mometasone (Nasonex) can help if your clogged ears are due to allergies and nasal congestion. They work by reducing inflammation of the lining of the nose. You often need to use nasal sprays for about 2 weeks before they really begin to work. 

• Antihistamines: Loratadine (Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec), or fexofenadine (Allegra) can help if you have congestion caused by allergies.

• Oral steroid pills: Prednisone or methylprednisolone can be a step-up treatment for persistent swelling when other options have failed.

• Antibiotics: If you have a sinus infection or an ear infection, antibiotics may be necessary. There are also ear drops and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, such as pain relievers, that can help with symptoms of an ear infection. 

• Allergy shots: For seasonal or environmental allergies, allergy shots can be helpful. But these can take a long time to show improvements. 

• Ear drops: If earwax is the cause of your symptoms, ear drops to remove earwax can be helpful. Carbamide peroxide (Debrox) or hydrogen peroxide drops can break up and soften the impacted earwax. In some cases, a healthcare professional may need to flush out or remove excess earwax. 

There are also surgical procedures that can help with severe cases of ETD, including: 

• Balloon catheter dilation: This involves inflating a balloon to open up the eustachian tube.

• Myringotomy: This is a surgical incision in the eardrum.

• Tympanostomy: This is the surgical placement of ear tubes.

What to do if your ears won’t pop and you feel constant pressure

Typically, clogged ears will ease up within a few days. Symptoms may last a little longer if you have a head cold, COVID infection, or allergies. But, if clogged ears continue beyond a few days, it may be time to see a healthcare professional about your treatment options.

Although serious problems are rare, growths or tumors can sometimes occur in the eustachian tube or on the nerves around it. These problems might not show other symptoms right away, so it’s important to get a medical opinion if your clogged ears don’t get better over time.

Get medical attention if you have any of the following symptoms: 

• Ear pain

• Fever

• Ear discharge

• Ear ringing

• Hearing loss

• Problems with balance or vertigo

• Clogged ears that don’t get better after a few days

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Written by:

Kerry R. McGee, MD, FAAP

Kerry McGee, MD, FAAP, has over a decade of experience caring for babies, children, and teenagers as a primary care pediatrician. She has a special interest in adolescent health, particularly in adolescent mental health.

Edited by:

Sophie Vergnaud, MD

Sophie Vergnaud, MD, is the Senior Medical Director for GoodRx Health. A pulmonologist and hospitalist, she practiced and taught clinical medicine at hospitals in London for a decade before entering a career in health education and technology.

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