Swallow, yawn, chew gum, or use a gentle Valsalva: pinch your nose, close your mouth, and breathe out softly.
MedlinePlus lists those exact steps, plus sucking on candy, as the ways to open the eustachian tube and equalize pressure across the eardrum. Gentle is the whole game: hard blowing against a pinched nose can injure the eardrum. During flights, stay awake for landing so you can keep equalizing, and give babies milk or a drink to suck on. Congestion from colds or allergies blocks the tube, so popping is harder then and a decongestant before flying can help. If your ear stays blocked for days, hurts, rings, or your hearing stays muffled, get it checked instead of forcing it.
What to do
Common questions
How do I pop my ears safely?
The safe methods, per MedlinePlus: swallow, yawn, chew gum, or suck on candy, and if those fail, the gentle pressure maneuver: inhale, then breathe out softly while pinching your nostrils closed and keeping your mouth shut. Swallowing and yawning work by opening the eustachian tube, the channel between your middle ear and the back of your throat, letting air in or out until the pressure on both sides of the eardrum matches. The keys to doing it safely: be gentle, since blowing hard against a pinched nose can damage the eardrum, and stop if it hurts. When flying, MedlinePlus advises not sleeping as the plane prepares to land, because you want to keep equalizing through descent; for babies, nursing or sips of a drink do the same job. If you are congested from a cold or allergies, popping is harder and pressure injuries are more likely, so a decongestant before flying can help; ask a pharmacist. Ears that will not pop for days, muffled hearing that lingers, ringing, dizziness, or pain mean it is time to see a doctor rather than keep blowing.