Ear blockage after a change in air pressure is normal and something most of us have experienced to some extent. My recent experience, however, left me grounded with pain for a couple of hours, so I decided to share the methods I tried here. Hopefully, someone else facing this issue can resolve it quickly.

Note:

Usually, ear blockage resolves shortly after swallowing saliva or adjusting pressure. But if you are extremely tired and even asleep during landing, you may experience a situation like mine, where my ears remained blocked for up to 8 hours after the flight.

Method 1: Swallowing saliva or sucking candy
Likelihood of success: very low

Method 2: Pinching your nose and swallowing saliva
Likelihood of success: slightly better than very low

Method 3: Pinching your nose and pushing air from your lungs out (be careful not to pop your eyes out)
Likelihood of success: high (my left ear cleared with this method)

Method 4: Pinching your nose and repeatedly trying to pronounce the letter “K”
Likelihood of success: very high (my right ear cleared after 8 hours with this method)

Important tip: Keep your head tilted upward while performing these techniques.