Ear clicking when swallowing

How it works

The middle ear is a sealed box behind the eardrum. For the eardrum to move freely, the air pressure inside the box must match the air outside. The Eustachian tube does this job. It runs from the middle ear down to the back of the nose. In adults it is about 3.5 cm long¹.

Most of the time the tube is collapsed shut. This keeps out mucus and the sound of your own voice. When you swallow, a small muscle in the roof of the mouth, the tensor veli palatini, contracts. It pulls the wall of the tube sideways and opens it for a moment². Air moves in or out. The walls of the tube separate and then snap together again. That small movement is the click.

The click is easiest to hear when the pressure difference is large. On a plane going up or down, the outside pressure changes fast. Swallowing, yawning, or chewing gum opens the tube and the ears “pop”³. Divers use the same idea. They pinch the nose and blow gently, or swallow with the nose pinched, to push air up the tube³.

Small children have shorter, flatter tubes that do not drain as well. This is one reason ear infections are common in young children¹.

Try it

1. Sit in a quiet room.
2. Press a fingertip gently into each ear opening to block outside sound.
3. Swallow once and listen for a faint click or crackle deep in each ear.
4. Swallow again with your nose pinched shut. The click is often louder, because the pressure changes more.
5. Open your mouth wide as if yawning and listen for the same click.

If you hear nothing, the tube is still working. Some people hear a clear click, others feel only a slight change of pressure.