Find A Clinic
Online Hearing Check
Contact Us
0800 45 45 43
Book an appointment
Hearing Health
How Ears Work

Ear Pressure: Causes and Remedies

senior-woman-withneck-pain-500.jpg
senior-woman-withneck-pain-500.jpg

Ear Pressure: Causes and Remedies

10 min. read

tinnitus

Published 18 July 2019

Reviewed 26 January 2025

Coming down with a cold or the flu can make you feel miserable. It is bad enough to have to deal with the annoying symptoms of runny nose, stuffy ears, sinus pressure; your troubles rarely end there. Because your ears, nose, and throat are all tightly connected, a problem in one area often leads to another. Ear congestion is one example of the many uncomfortable symptoms that you may encounter when dealing with conditions impacting your sinuses, nose, or throat.


Summary

  • How does ear pressure work?

How does ear pressure work?

The Eustachian tube is a tiny passageway that connects your middle ear to your throat. It plays a vital role in equalizing the pressure in your middle ear. It does so by opening when you sneeze, swallow, or yawn. This mechanism prevents air pressure and fluid from building up inside your ear canal, behind your eardrum. 
When the Eustachian tube gets plugged, you may not hear clearly as sounds become muffled. Feeling pressure, pain, and fullness in your ear space is not uncommon either. Allergies, sinus infections, the common cold or the flu, can all cause the openings of your Eustachian tube to become partially blocked. Tissue inflammation and mucus secretions are a large part of the reason for the Eustachian tube dysfunction. 
Traveling by air and changes in altitude can also be a reason for your Eustachian tube not to function correctly.

How to get rid of the pressure in your ear canal?

To relieve your symptoms and to find the best remedy, first, you have to identify the cause.
Here are the common causes and our tips to resolve them.

Do you have questions or concerns about your hearing loss?

Get your hearing tested for free at one of our Triton Hearing clinics near you.

Author

Triton Hearing


Latest articles
  • A world-first: TeleAudiology
  • Meet Te Waka Āwhina: Our mobile hearing clinic
  • The high cost of untreated hearing loss; providing quality Audiological care
  • The 5 Most Common Causes of Tinnitus
Our Solutions
  • Hearing Aids
  • Hearing Protection
  • Batteries
  • Shop
Contact us
  • Call us
    0800 45 45 43
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • All Policies
  • Consumer Policies
  • Promotional Policies
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Privacy Notice
  • Data Protection Statement