Everytime i swallow my ears pop
What is meant by ear popping?
Why does this happen?
What causes ear popping?
Why do some people claim to get ear popping after eating anything?
If you have the above questions in mind or have similar questions, we recommend that you read on.
Introduction, What does ear popping mean?
If for any reason the function of the Eustachian tube (which is the tube that connects the middle ear to the throat and the back of the nose) is damaged, such as its walls become inflamed or blocked, the pressure inside the middle ear increases.
In fact, one of the functions of the Eustachian tube is to create a balance between the pressure behind the tympanic membrane and the pressure of the atmospheric air.
It is said that when the pressure inside the middle ear rises, the Eustachian tube opens, and the pressure inside the ear, when this tube opens is balanced, and it is what people refer to as the ear popping. In fact, this process can Cause pain and discomfort.
Why do we get ear popping?
In these cases, the person feels that something is exploding in his/her ear. This feeling can be accompanied by pain and discomfort. The intensity of pain and discomfort varies from person to person.
People may experience this when climbing and landing aircraft, when diving, when diving in deep water, when climbing from heights, or when going up and down in an elevator.
If we want to define it very simply, we have to say that when the air pressure around our environment decreases, for example, when we climb to the heights, or increases when we move down from the top of the mountain, or when the plane is taking off and when it is landing, The air pressure on both sides of our tympanic membrane is not proportional and balanced, ie the pressure of these two parts is very different from each other, This causes a feeling of accumulation of pressure inside the middle ear. This condition can be painful. we must say that some people feel very severe and debilitating pain, but often this condition resolves on its own.
When a person feels pressure build-up inside the ear, they may try to get rid of the high pressure by manipulating the ear in any way.
Why do some people get ear popping every time they eat and drink?
In the upper parts, you understood what is meant by ear popping, that is, when the function of the Eustachian tube is disturbed for any reason, and for any reason that the pressure on both sides of the tympanic membrane is not balanced with each other, the person experiences a feeling of accumulation of pressure and fullness in the middle ear. when the Eustachian tube is opened in any way and when the closed path is opened and a lot of pressure is removed from the middle ear to balance the pressure more accurately, we feel something burst in our ears or the ear opens. This feeling is equivalent to removing the imbalance between the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum.
What causes ear popping when eating?
The middle ear leads to the throat. This anatomical pathway is a narrow tube called the auditory tube or Eustachian tube. This tube connects to the back of the nose and throat.
The opening of the Eustachian tube that is followed by an increase in pressure behind the tympanic membrane is in the form of a sensation of hearing a sound in the ear. People describe this condition as ear popping.
The eustachian tube is elastic and flexible, meaning that normally the walls of the tube are stacked on top of each other and the tube opens when the pressure inside the throat increases.
one of the times when the overlapping walls of the Eustachian tube open is the time when you eat, swallow something or drink something, when you are straining or yawning.
In these cases, because the Stretching muscles are fully stretched, the walls of the Eustachian tube are also pulled out of the supine position.
And this is the feeling that people refer to as ear popping or ear opening.
When you swallow food or drink, the wall of the Eustachian tube opens due to the stretching of the stretching muscle of the soft palate, and the high pressure of the air behind the tympanic membrane balances with the ambient pressure (or vice versa). This is a condition that the person describes when he suddenly feels a crackling sound in his/her ear.
Under what conditions does the sound of Eustachian tube opening occur?
When the plane takes off or lands
When a person ascends to heights or when descending from heights
They either dive or go deep into the sea by diving
as well as, In these cases:
Yawning after a meal
Drinking
straining and lifting a heavy object
What causes the Eustachian tube to malfunction and thus create a pressure difference between the two sides of the membrane?
The causative factors that will cause Eustachian tube dysfunction are divided into two categories: physical causes and functional causes.
Functional factors include weakness or paralysis of the Tensor veli palatini muscle or soft palate stretching muscle, cleft palate, and Eustachian tube collapse.
Factors that cause Eustachian tube dysfunction and are classified as physical factors include: presence of tumors and lumps in the back of the nose and throat, or malignant nasopharyngeal carcinoma of the third tonsil, both of which close the opening of the Eustachian tube in the back of the nose.
Frequent sore throats due to Infection and inflammation and swelling of the throat.
In some people, the cilia covering the throat wall of the Eustachian tube can lose their flexibility and softness and become hard and immobile, thus disrupting the normal function of the Eustachian tube.
How does the ear popping process happen?
In fact, the main part that is involved in this process is actually the Eustachian tube. This tube protects the middle ear in terms of unbalanced pressure as well as infectious agents, and when the Eustachian tube works well, it can balance the pressure on both sides of the tympanic membrane.
When, for any reason, the pressure inside the middle ear and behind the tympanic membrane becomes unbalanced with the environment, the Eustachian tube opens and balances the accumulated pressure with the pressure inside the throat. This opening causes the so-called ear popping. This is a process that causes a lot of pain and discomfort in some people.
One of the conditions that causes it is after eating or drinking.
How can we get rid of the high pressure behind the tympanic membrane?
Here are some ways that can cause ear popping and thus get rid of the high pressure inside the ear, which is annoying, and we will explain a little about them:
Using Valsalva maneuver means doing anything that increases the pressure inside the throat.
Coughing, yawning
Swallowing or drinking
We must be careful not to expel the air from the nose too much, this is because damage to the tympanic membrane of the middle ear may occur if the air is expelled rapidly Sucking on a candy can help keep the tube open.
Another treatment for high pressure in ear is to chew gum to improve the accumulation of pressure behind the tympanic membrane.
Are there any solutions to treat ear capping in the traditional way or not? What are the recommended ways in traditional methods for ear popping?
Many of the remedies that traditional medicine describes for relieving ear congestion have not been proven by science studies, so the fact that we want to name these methods below does not mean that the medical team has fully approved their use.
Use a mixture of baking soda and water
olive oil
Garlic extract
Basil leaf extract
Arbitrary use of these is prohibited.
If you are a person who regularly suffers from ear and nose popping, you can use anti-congestion sprays one hour before in cases where you are likely to have this annoying disorder, such as when you want to board a plane.
If you are a person who experiences ear popping when you suffer from sinusitis and nasal congestion (due to the blockage of the Eustachian tube at the back of the nose), it is better to use nasal congestion as prescribed by your doctor, rinsing your nose with a Normal saline solution can be helpful as well.
When should we see a doctor?
If you are a person who suffers from ear popping and this condition occurs after eating a bite of food and drink. If you experience the following with a feeling of increased pressure inside the ear, you should definitely see a doctor.
If you have dizziness, blurred vision, if you have difficulty maintaining balance, if you have dizziness and lightheadedness, if you feel that your affected side of the ear is numb or paralyzed and weak, if you feel the sound of ringing and buzzing in your ear, if the infection And pus comes out of your ear and you have discharge from the ear.
Concluding remarks
In the above, we have pointed out that what balances the pressure between the tympanic membrane behind the eardrum and balances the pressure on both sides of the eardrum is the adequacy and efficiency of the Eustachian tube. Whenever the Eustachian tube fails to function properly, pressure will build up behind the tympanic membrane and it will cause a feeling of tightness and popping in the ear.
Contraction of the palate or Tensor veli palatini muscle occurs when the pressure in the throat rises, by contraction of this muscle, the Eustachian tube duct opens at the top of the throat. Elevated throat pressure occurs when coughing and swallowing food or drinking
in other words, any factor that causes Valsalva Maneuver is accompanied by the opening of this Eustachian tube and the exchange of pressure on both sides of the tympanic membrane of the middle ear with the atmosphere. In this process, a sound is heard called ear popping or ear cracking.