Eli5: What’s physically happening when our ears feel “plugged?”

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Eli5: What’s physically happening when our ears feel “plugged?”

In: Biology

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Your eardrums, being sensitive to small changes in air pressure (i.e. sound waves) are particularly sensitive to quick changes in atmospheric pressure, usually from altitude changes. When your ears feel plugged, the air pressure outside your ears is greater than the air pressure inside your ears. That “sucks in” the eardrum, and increases the tension across the eardrum. That means that the eardrum moves less with sound waves, so things sound muffled.

Your eardrums “popping” is the pressure becoming great enough that some air can sneak around the eardrum and equalize the pressure, restoring normal hearing.

Anonymous 0 Comments

In addition, what’s happening when they “pop?”