I can "pop" my ears at will - unusual?

[EdwardLost]

I can open my eustachian tubes by flexing some muscles at the back of my jaw. I'm pretty sure that's what's happening because I hear a "click" or "snap" sound in my ears and the pressure in my ears equalizes with that in my mouth.

I know some people can't do this because they complain about their ears hurting on airplanes and such.

Can most people do this, or is it uncommon? Can you do it?

[Folly]

I can do the same thing, but I don't know if it's unusual or not.

[johnpost]

Originally Posted by EdwardLost

I can open my eustachian tubes by flexing some muscles at the back of my jaw. I'm pretty sure that's what's happening because I hear a "click" or "snap" sound in my ears and the pressure in my ears equalizes with that in my mouth.

I know some people can't do this because they complain about their ears hurting on airplanes and such.

i think that they are always open, that is why they exist, and when they aren't you can have problems with pressure buildup on either side. for example a cold which might cause them to plug gives you reduced hearing and a strange sensation.

you might cause them to open more than usual.

that pop isn't likely pressure equalizing but joint and ligament noises.

[EdwardLost]

Originally Posted by johnpost

i think that they are always open, that is why they exist, and when they aren't you can have problems with pressure buildup on either side. for example a cold which might cause them to plug gives you reduced hearing and a strange sensation.

you might cause them to open more than usual.

that pop isn't likely pressure equalizing but joint and ligament noises.

Maybe if anything is unusual about me is that my eustachian tubes are normally closed. I can reduce the pressure inside my ears (by opening the tubes briefly while sucking in) and it will stay that way until I pop the tubes open again.

And, true, the clicking sound is not from equalization; they "click" even if the pressure is already equal.

[Turek]

Any one who scuba dives can do this to an extent, else they'd burst their eardrums after about 10 feet.

[smiling bandit]

I can do that, too.

[Broomstick]

I can do it, and it's not unusual among pilots who, like scuba divers, get to "enjoy" frequent pressure changes.

I suspect that, like wiggling your ears or making the Vulcan salute, it's something most people can do but it requires some practice and most never bother.

[Jormungandr]

I've been able to do it since I was little. However, when I mentioned it to other people, I got a "yeah right' response. I can do it multiple times, I just did 10 of the right now right that, but there are times when I'm able to do only one of them.

[QuercusMax]

I've been able to do this for a very long time (since I was a small child). It drives me crazy when I have head congestion and can't equalize the pressure.

[Bootis]

There was a thread a few months ago about something similar- being able to flex an ear muscle at will which causes a rumbling sound inside the head. I wonder if the ability is related at all? Apparently its fairly rare.

[jjimm]

Me too.

Used to have to move my jaw, now I can just do it without moving anything else.

Having control, and an awareness, of my eustachean tubes has helped me with swimming and diving immensely. But sucks when I have a cold.

[jjimm]

BTW my ex not only couldn't do this, she actually couldn't understand what I meant when I mentioned it. Further, she didn't have the ability to switch her nose breathing off at the back of her throat, nor make the requisite adjustments required to equalize pressure when diving. She only managed two diving classes before having to give up. It struck me as weird that someone wouldn't have any of this awareness of any of this at all - but maybe some people haven't experienced the sort of things required to learn this, when they were children.

[EdwardLost]

Hey, so I'm not the only one!

I also have been able to do it since I was a kid. And I also lose the control when I get congested (which is a bitch).

Another thing about it: I often keep a little negative pressure in my ears during the day. It seems to deaden background noises. If I'm straining to hear a faint sound I'll pop the tubes wide open.

[Tamex]

Originally Posted by Bootis

There was a thread a few months ago about something similar- being able to flex an ear muscle at will which causes a rumbling sound inside the head. I wonder if the ability is related at all? Apparently its fairly rare.

I can do both. I grew up in Montana, where even a short road trip could subject me to enough change in altitude to make my ears pop. However, I don't know if this explains the ability to do it at will. I've never asked my sister if she could do it. My daughter, born in Minnesota, cannot pop her ears and has a miserable time on airplanes, even when she is chewing gum.

[QuercusMax]

Originally Posted by EdwardLost

Another thing about it: I often keep a little negative pressure in my ears during the day. It seems to deaden background noises. If I'm straining to hear a faint sound I'll pop the tubes wide open.

I was going to say the same thing, but didn't. I used to do it a lot, when I was little.

[Mangetout]

I can do it - and I started a thread asking much the same question as this one, some time ago (might be the thread Bootis is remembering, or not - I can't find it though.

[Marley23]

Originally Posted by EdwardLost

Can you do it?

Yes. When I was a kid I popped my ears a lot. They also pop when I chew, but I don't notice unless I'm really paying attention - it's not as loud as the chewing and isn't painful. I thought I once heard that this is technically a mild form of tinnitus.

[Marley23]

Here is Mangetout's thread on this topic. Bob Scene may have come up with the answer as to how it works.

I found this thread while I was searching. It's got no bearing on the topic but it's an interesting look back in time.

[TheFatKid]

I can do it, but I don't use any muscles in my jaw. I just exhale while constricting the flow of air from my nose, using some muscles in my head/face, I don't know which ones. The pressure in my ears changes and everything gets louder.

To reverse the process, I just restrict the airflow and inhale. The pressure changes and everything gets quiet.

I spend most all my time in quiet mode. What's really nice is that I can change air pressure at will when I'm on airplanes. I can even fine-tune how loud things sound by adjusting the pressure in my ears along the continuum from fully pressurized to fully depressurized.

[EdwardLost]

Originally Posted by TheFatKid

I can do it, but I don't use any muscles in my jaw. I just exhale while constricting the flow of air from my nose, using some muscles in my head/face, I don't know which ones. The pressure in my ears changes and everything gets louder.

To reverse the process, I just restrict the airflow and inhale. The pressure changes and everything gets quiet.

I spend most all my time in quiet mode. What's really nice is that I can change air pressure at will when I'm on airplanes. I can even fine-tune how loud things sound by adjusting the pressure in my ears along the continuum from fully pressurized to fully depressurized.

Sounds like we do pretty much the same thing.

The muscle I pull to open the tubes feels like it's at the back of my jaw bone, but doesn't move the jaw itself.

[Chessic Sense]

I can hold my tubes open for as long as I want. Well, I can't really inhale while doing it, so I guess I can only go 'til I suffocate.

For about two weeks, I could breathe through my ears though. When I was a kid, I had several sets of tubes to treat ear infections. Apparently, these left a weak spot/scar on my eardrums. Fast-forward 18 years and I'm diving into a pool. I shot down about 10 feet. The air bubbles left my ears and were replaced with water rushing in, propelled by 10 feet of pressure. It caused a "thunderclap" that popped my eardrums. If I sealed my mouth and nose, my diaphram could contract hard enough to pull air through the holes in my ears, down the Eustachian tubes, and into my lungs. It was like breathing through a pinhole, though, so I couldn't actually survive on it. Cool partlor trick though!

[Sandlegs]

i can do this every time i swallow if i wish. it is helpful on airplanes

[TheFatKid]

Originally Posted by EdwardLost

Sounds like we do pretty much the same thing.

The muscle I pull to open the tubes feels like it's at the back of my jaw bone, but doesn't move the jaw itself.

My jaw muscles aren't involved at all. All I have to do is slightly restrict the airflow through my nose. I don't know which muscles are involved in that.

[TheFatKid]

Originally Posted by Chessic Sense

When I was a kid, I had several sets of tubes to treat ear infections.

I did, too. Wonder if there's a connection?

[enipla]

I can too. I was told by an ENT that I souldn't regularly do it unless I have a need to equalize. Don't know what is up with that. I do have some pretty serious tinitus.

[Jormungandr]

Hmm...pinches nose...I can still do it. However, when I place my fingers just inside of my jaw near the back, (If someone knows anatomy, it's where the jaw meets the neck. There's a soft area and then moving forward, a hard structure) I do feel some slight movement. I never had tubes in my ears, despite having ear infections into adulthood, which seemed unusual to my doctor as I didn't swim.

[TheFatKid]

Originally Posted by enipla

I do have some pretty serious tinitus.

Ditto there, as well. For the last 30 years.

[CalMeacham]

I can do the pressure equalizing thing , too. I used to think everyone could, until I heard that some people needed to chew gum or something to equalize the pressure.

[Pushkin]

Originally Posted by EdwardLost

The muscle I pull to open the tubes feels like it's at the back of my jaw bone, but doesn't move the jaw itself.

I know what you mean, I had a feel around when doing it myself and couldn't feel any muscle on or just below the surface move.

The sound itself, I read somewhere that it's the sound of air moving in the tubes, correct?

[TheFatKid]

Does everyone else get the volume-change effect? Increase internal pressure, things get louder. Decrease internal pressure, things get quieter.

[johnpost]

Originally Posted by enipla

I can too. I was told by an ENT that I souldn't regularly do it unless I have a need to equalize. Don't know what is up with that. I do have some pretty serious tinitus.

the tubes are there to equalize pressure on both sides of the eardrum. since your mouth is mostly closed and your nose restricted your eardrum can react to sound. too much pressure on either side could harm the eardrum or other hearing structures.

i think tinnitus can have multiple causes. one is damage to some of the the hairs that sense fluid movement which is caused by sound.

[nidexob]

hey found this on wiki gives a gd description:

"Normally the human Eustachian tube is closed, but it can open to let a small amount of air through to equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere. When this happens we hear a small pop or squeezie sound, an event familiar to aircraft passengers or drivers in mountainous regions. Yawning or swallowing (ear clearing) can pull on muscles in the neck, causing the tube to open. Without this airway, air would be unable to escape from one's ear, the middle ear would be isolated from the atmosphere, and could be easily damaged by pressure changes.

Some people are born with an ability to voluntarily contract just these muscles called Voluntary Tubal Opening, similar to the ability of those who can wiggle their ears. Those who have this ability can hear "pop" or "click" sound in the middle ear when actuating these muscles, and are able to hold the muscle contraction (some refer to this as 'clicking your ears to equalize the pressure').[citation needed] Doing so will make one's voice sound louder to oneself. This ability allows such people to voluntarily equalize pressures at will when making rapid ascents or descents, typically in aircraft flights or large elevation changes in either tall buildings or mountainous treks. When the breath (inhale or exhale) is controlled, air pressure can be intentionally increased or decreased in the middle ear (breathing through the nose only or mouth), where the feeling of a cool air breeze can be felt inside the eustachian tube.

Occasionally, if the voluntary contraction timing is missed during a rapid pressure change, a slight yawning (opening of the jaw) action combines to assist in pressure equalization.

I can do it too from i was little.

[Mississippienne]

I can do it, in fact almost anytime I swallow I can hear my ears pop a little bit. I can pop them at will within moving my jaw.

[EdwardLost]

Originally Posted by nidexob

Some people are born with an ability to voluntarily contract just these muscles called Voluntary Tubal Opening,

I can do it too from i was little.

So we are not freaks! Maybe we should wear a lapel pin in the shape of an inner ear to identify ourselves to others in our clan.

[ToeJam]

Yup, I can do this as well as that rumbly-noised thing. I had to start doing it due to hearing aids- you gotta pop your ears to equalize the pressure cuz stuff just starts to sound wonky after a while. So I got used to popping them to try to improve hearing and to break that pressure buildup from jamming them in there as a kid.

[BigT]

Originally Posted by nidexob

hey found this on wiki gives a gd description:

"Normally the human Eustachian tube is closed, but it can open to let a small amount of air through to equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere. When this happens we hear a small pop or squeezie sound, an event familiar to aircraft passengers or drivers in mountainous regions. Yawning or swallowing (ear clearing) can pull on muscles in the neck, causing the tube to open. Without this airway, air would be unable to escape from one's ear, the middle ear would be isolated from the atmosphere, and could be easily damaged by pressure changes.

Some people are born with an ability to voluntarily contract just these muscles called Voluntary Tubal Opening, similar to the ability of those who can wiggle their ears. Those who have this ability can hear "pop" or "click" sound in the middle ear when actuating these muscles, and are able to hold the muscle contraction (some refer to this as 'clicking your ears to equalize the pressure').[citation needed] Doing so will make one's voice sound louder to oneself. This ability allows such people to voluntarily equalize pressures at will when making rapid ascents or descents, typically in aircraft flights or large elevation changes in either tall buildings or mountainous treks. When the breath (inhale or exhale) is controlled, air pressure can be intentionally increased or decreased in the middle ear (breathing through the nose only or mouth), where the feeling of a cool air breeze can be felt inside the eustachian tube.

Occasionally, if the voluntary contraction timing is missed during a rapid pressure change, a slight yawning (opening of the jaw) action combines to assist in pressure equalization.

I can do it too from i was little.

We're really big on sourcing things around here. And I believe the Wikipedia license requires it.

In other words, which article is this from?

[Napier]

Voluntary Tubal Opening, huh? Satisfying to hear that it has a name.

I've always been able to do this easily and without any other movement. It also happens whenever I swallow, but in early adulthood while playing with all the knobs, switches and levers inside my Brain Control Room discovered how to swallow without doing it (but this takes a little concentration). If I work this motion only partway without going to the open state, I hear a little rumbling. If I work this motion as hard as it will go, which is opening and then some, I hear a louder and differently toned rumbling.

Pressure changes are pretty noticeable to me. I think the creek valley I cross on my commute is only about 200 feet deep, but it's annoying enough that I reset my ears at the bottom and do it again on the far side. I understand how to change the pressure to muffle sound, and it works, but it is much too uncomfortable to use as a tool.

If my doctor made me try to stop doing this throughout the day, I think I'd have nightmares.

[solarnator]

Some people can curl their tongue like a "U" and some can not. its a genetic thing and the "ear popping" is probably the same. Since it helps equalize pressure in the ear, its probably a good thing. Consider it like someone having blue eyes and someone having brown eyes. You can't change the color of your eyes...not without contacts anyways.

I can do it too and for a while I didn't know why others didn't do it until I realized, genetically, they probably don't have the gene for it and simply just can't do it. I consider it a really cool thing because I never have to worry about pressure causing me pain like I see in others. I usually ask a person why they don't do it and if they can't, I say its probably because they lack the genes for it.

don't quote me, I am no scientist, just all guess work.

[Snickers]

Yep, I can do it at will as well, and it happens every time I swallow. I think I developed the skill because on airplanes, I was always deathly afraid of not being able to pop my ears and so would clear them as much as possible.

I've no idea what muscle I flex to do this, though. I don't move my jaw at all, instead it seems to involve the back of my throat or soft palette.

[teela brown]

I can do it to, either without moving any other muscles or by yawning.

A couple of years ago, I went through a period of having my eustachian tubes "stuck" open for a couple of hours every morning starting at about 9 a.m. I could hear my breath roaring back and forth and my voice was uncomfortably loud. I googled about it, and found it was something that could happen after weight loss (I had just lost 40 pounds) or after caffeine intake (I'm an espresso drinker). Wish I could remember the term - it was applied both to eustachian tubes and to urethras.

ETA: Hah! Found the term. "Patulous".

[WWHY]

this happens to me too. it doesn't quite hurt... but i find it annoying that i keep doing it, its a bad habit for me.

[Kimstu]

This effect can be achieved by the Valsalva maneuver, but I think those of us who can do the Voluntary Tubal Opening thing aren't resorting to exhaling against pinched-shut nostrils, we're just clicking our tubes.

[snailboy]

I can do it. Not only does my voice get louder, but external noises get quieter. I'll sometimes use the technique to quiet some loud noise. It only works temporarily though. The muscle gets tired after a few seconds for me.

[TheFatKid]

Originally Posted by ToeJam

Yup, I can do this as well as that rumbly-noised thing.

I can't find the previous reference to the "rumbly-noised thing". Do you mean tensing the muscles in your ears to make a sound like a cattle stampede? Cause I can do that, too. I thought everyone could. Is it just us?

[Interconnected Series of Tubes]

Count me in with the Voluntary Tubal Opening...

Sometimes when I'm exercising really hard they're kind of get 'stuck' open like teela brown. This is excruciatingly distracting and a little uncomfortable (I feel like the base of my tubes are getting dried out and cold from my breath.)

[TheFatKid]

Originally Posted by snailboy

I can do it. Not only does my voice get louder, but external noises get quieter. I'll sometimes use the technique to quiet some loud noise. It only works temporarily though. The muscle gets tired after a few seconds for me.

Reading thru the thread, I'm not sure that anyone else here can do precisely what I do.

That would be disturbing, so I hope I'm wrong.

Can anyone else change their ear pressure -- and the volume of external sounds -- without tensing their jaw at all, and without pinching their nostrils, but simply by breathing in (to make things quiet) or out (to make things louder) through the nose in a particular way?

I wish I could get more exact than "in a particular way" but I can't. I can do it with my mouth closed or open, jaw tensed or relaxed. I have no idea what's going on physically when I do this. I just know that a particular way of breathing in or out through my nostrils accomplishes this.

As a result, I can adjust to changes in pressure -- like in an airplane -- at any time.

And as someone else noted, I seem to be more sensitive to pressure changes than most folks.

ETA: When I'm ill sometimes I lose this ability. It's very annoying because it usually means everything is stuck on loud, and I normally keep my ears in the quiet position. When I can't control my ear pressure, even a phone ringing is piercingly loud, to the point of being almost painful.

[snailboy]

Originally Posted by TheFatKid

Can anyone else change their ear pressure -- and the volume of external sounds -- without tensing their jaw at all, and without pinching their nostrils, but simply by breathing in (to make things quiet) or out (to make things louder) through the nose in a particular way?

I have to use a muscle. It's not my jaw muscle though. I can keep it motionless. I don't have to breathe in or out to open them either though. Breathing in seems to raise the pressure (kind of uncomfortable). Breathing out is the same as not breathing at all. Your description sounds slightly different. You don't tense anything in your throat?

[Colophon]

Originally Posted by TheFatKid

I can't find the previous reference to the "rumbly-noised thing". Do you mean tensing the muscles in your ears to make a sound like a cattle stampede? Cause I can do that, too. I thought everyone could. Is it just us?

There was a previous thread about this. I think everyone can do it, yes. I get the rumbly noise quite often when I yawn, but I can also do it voluntarily. It seems to use a muscle of some sort as I can ony keep it going for a certain length of time before I have to "relax" it and start it up again.

[TheFatKid]

Originally Posted by snailboy

I have to use a muscle. It's not my jaw muscle though. I can keep it motionless. I don't have to breathe in or out to open them either though. Breathing in seems to raise the pressure (kind of uncomfortable). Breathing out is the same as not breathing at all. Your description sounds slightly different. You don't tense anything in your throat?

No, no tension in the throat, and I have to breath in/out through my nose. There is some very slight tension, but it feels like it's somewhere between my nasal sinuses and my ears.

[sschewie]

I'm so glad i found this site! I've been able to do this since i was a kid, and no-one believed me...until one day i held a sensitive microphone to my ear and played a tune with the clicks! Now they believe me!! I can do it any time i wish without moving anything or breathing differently. I can also make a rumble for a few seconds. I have never met anyone else who can do this.

Can making my ears click do any damage? If i click for a few times, my inner ear can feel sore.