How Do You Pop: Ears After Flying

Maya walked to her rental car, her ears perfectly clear. She texted Earl a thank you through the rental app. But as she drove, she thought about his final piece of advice: “If those don’t work, don’t force it. Go to a pharmacy and get a decongestant nasal spray (like oxymetazoline). Use one spray per nostril, wait 15 minutes, then try the steps again. And next time you fly with a cold, use the spray 30 minutes before descent.”

But her left ear remained stubbornly closed. how do you pop ears after flying

Maya loved everything about flying—the window seat, the tiny pretzel bags, the way the clouds looked like a woolly continent below. But she hated one thing with a burning, muffled passion: the landing. Maya walked to her rental car, her ears perfectly clear

On the third swallow, her left ear didn’t just pop. It yawned open. The silence vanished. The world returned to full, glorious, noisy volume. She could hear a baby crying a hundred feet away, and it was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard. Go to a pharmacy and get a decongestant