Blocked ear feeling

Category: Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat · All head & senses symptoms

What it can feel like

A blocked ear feeling is a sense of fullness, pressure or muffled hearing in one or both ears, as if you are underwater or still descending in a plane. It reflects pressure imbalance across the eardrum, fluid behind it, or blockage in front of it.

Possible causes

A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.

Common causes

A blocked feeling can be associated with wax, colds and sinus congestion swelling the Eustachian tube (the pressure-equalising passage to the nose), flying or diving pressure changes, and allergies.

Other possible causes

A blocked feeling that does not clear can be associated with persistent fluid behind the eardrum (glue ear), Eustachian tube dysfunction, a perforated eardrum, or — one-sided and persistent in an adult — a growth in the space behind the nose.

Red flags — when to seek help promptly

Blocked feeling with sudden hearing loss — same-day assessment
Blocked feeling with discharge, bleeding or severe pain
One-sided blockage with fluid behind the eardrum lasting more than a few weeks in an adult
Blocked ear after a head injury or forceful pressure change (barotrauma)

What a clinician may do

A clinician will inspect the canal and eardrum, test the pressure behind the eardrum (tympanometry), and arrange a hearing test if it persists. Wax is removed; congestion is treated at the nose; persistent one-sided fluid in adults leads to ENT referral and a look behind the nose.

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Frequently asked questions

Why do colds block my ears?

The Eustachian tube equalises pressure between the middle ear and the nose. Cold-related swelling narrows it, pressure falls behind the eardrum, hearing muffles and ears pop as it intermittently opens. It usually clears within a week or two of the cold settling.

Is it safe to fly with a blocked ear?

Flying with congested ears risks a painful pressure injury to the eardrum during descent. If your ear is still blocked and painful, or you cannot equalise pressure on the ground, it is safer to postpone flying or seek advice first.

Related symptoms — Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat

Bad breath (halitosis)Bleeding gums Blocked or runny nose Blurred vision Difficulty swallowing Discharge from the ear

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Please note: This page is educational information about a symptom. A symptom alone cannot diagnose any condition, and the causes listed here are possibilities, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about a symptom — especially one that is new, severe, getting worse or not going away — please see your own clinician, who can examine you and arrange tests. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.