Blocked Ears (Eustachian Tube Dysfunction)
The tube between your middle ear and the back of your nose isn’t opening properly. Ears feel full, muffled or crackly. Usually follows a cold or hay fever and settles in a few weeks.
Quick answer: Blocked ears after a cold or hay fever usually settle on their own within a few weeks. Swallowing, yawning, chewing gum and gently popping your ears help, and so does treating a blocked nose. See your GP if it lasts more than 6 weeks, and a doctor the same day for sudden hearing loss or severe dizziness.
The blocked ears ladder
Most people never get past step 2. Fix the nose and the ears usually follow.
- Step 1 · Self-careSwallow, yawn and gently pop your earsChew gum, yawn, or pinch your nose, close your mouth and blow gently until you feel a pop.
- Works
- Not tested in trials; most cases after a cold settle within a few weeks
- Cost
- Free
- How long
- Several times a day until it settles
- Watch for
- Blow gently. Stop if it hurts.
You’re popping an ear, not inflating a jumping castle.
- Step 2 · PharmacySaline spray or rinseSalt water to clear a blocked, snotty nose.
- Works
- Evidence weak but low risk: clears the nose; little direct evidence for ears
- Cost
- About $8–20
- How long
- 1–3 times a day while the nose is blocked
- Watch for
- Use cooled boiled or sterile water for rinses, never straight from the tap.
Cheap, safe and underrated.
- Step 3 · PharmacyNasal balloon (autoinflation)Inflate a balloon with your nose to push air up the tube.
- Works
- Kids with glue ear: about 5 in 10 cleared at 3 months vs 4 in 10 without; less evidence in adults
- Cost
- About $20–30 for a kit
- How long
- 2–3 times a day for up to 1–3 months
- Watch for
- Not during an ear infection. Kids need to be old enough to do it.
Possibly the only time blowing up a balloon with your nose is medical advice.
- Step 4 · PharmacySteroid nasal sprayCalms a swollen nose lining.
- Works
- Helps if hay fever or sinus problems are the cause; no better than a dummy treatment for other blocked ears in trials
- Cost
- About $15–25 a bottle
- How long
- Daily for at least 2–4 weeks
- Watch for
- Nosebleeds and dryness. Aim away from the middle of the nose.
Not a quick fix. Daily or don’t bother.
- Step 5 · PharmacyDecongestant nasal spray, short termShrinks a blocked nose fast, e.g. before a flight.
- Works
- Quick, short-term relief for a blocked nose; little trial evidence for ears
- Cost
- About $8–15
- How long
- No more than 3–5 days
- Watch for
- Longer use makes the nose more blocked. Makes the “stuck open” kind of tube worse.
Day 6 is where the rebound starts. Your nose keeps count.
- Step 6 · SpecialistENT treatment: grommet or balloon dilationA tiny tube in the eardrum, or widening the Eustachian tube with a balloon.
- Works
- Balloon: normal ear pressure in about 1 in 2 at 6 weeks, vs about 1 in 7 on medical treatment alone
- Cost
- Free as a public patient (waits vary); private costs vary, so get a quote
- How long
- Day procedure; grommets usually fall out by themselves in 6–18 months
- Watch for
- Grommets: ear discharge, keep water out if advised. Balloon: small risk of bleeding or surgical emphysema.
For months-long problems, not a week of muffled ears after a cold.
Save your money
Popular, heavily marketed or often asked about, but the evidence is weak or says no.
- Ear candlingDoesn’t create suction or pull anything out, and can burn your ear or drip wax into it. A fire hazard with a spa playlist.
- AntibioticsBlocked ears after a cold usually aren’t an infection, so antibiotics don’t help, but the side effects still turn up.
- Antihistamine tabletsDon’t help blocked ears unless hay fever is behind it, and even then a steroid nasal spray works better.
- Decongestant tabletsLittle evidence they help blocked ears, and they can raise blood pressure, cause jitters and wreck sleep.
What you can do
- Swallow, yawn or chew gum often.
- Flying: swallow, chew or suck a lolly during descent and stay awake for it. Feed babies or give a dummy for take-off and landing.
- Blocked nose before a flight? A decongestant spray about 30 minutes before descent may help.
- Don’t smoke or vape: smoke irritates the tube.
- Hearing your own voice or breathing loudly, better lying down? The tube may be stuck open instead. Tell your GP; decongestants make that worse.
See your GP if
- Symptoms last more than 6 weeks, or keep coming back
- Ear pain, discharge or fever
- Only one ear is affected for a long time
See a doctor the same day for sudden hearing loss, severe dizziness or spinning, or severe ear pain after flying or diving.
Common questions
How do I unblock my ears?
Swallow, yawn or chew gum often. You can also gently pinch your nose, close your mouth and blow until you feel a pop, or use a nasal balloon from the pharmacy. Treating a blocked nose helps too.
How long do blocked ears last after a cold?
Usually a few weeks, settling on their own. See your GP if symptoms last more than 6 weeks or keep coming back.
Do nasal sprays help blocked ears?
A steroid nasal spray helps if hay fever or sinus problems are the cause, but needs daily use for several weeks. Decongestant sprays help short term, for no more than 3 to 5 days.
How do I stop my ears blocking on a plane?
Swallow, yawn, chew or suck a lolly during descent and stay awake for it. If your nose is blocked, a decongestant spray about 30 minutes before descent may help. Avoid flying with a bad cold if you can.
Helpful resources
- NHS leaflet: Eustachian tube dysfunctionSimple blowing exercises and ear-popping techniques, with pictures. Free.
- NHS Wales: How to use a nasal balloonStep-by-step instructions for autoinflation balloons, and when not to use one. Free leaflet; the balloon kit is cheap from pharmacies.
Evidence and more information
- Healthify NZ: Blocked ears
- NICE: Balloon dilation for Eustachian tube dysfunction
- NICE: Nasal balloon autoinflation (Otovent) evidence
- Poe et al: Balloon dilation randomised trial (2018)
maladywise.com/eustachian-tube/