The sensation of a bubble popping inside your ear is most often associated with sudden changes in air pressure. Most of us who have flown before will be familiar with the feeling that our ears need to ‘pop’ to relieve muffled hearing – which clears up straight away.
Some people also experience an occasional popping sound in their ears, which might happen when they yawn or sneeze. Most of the time, this is harmless and infrequent, but if you hear or feel like a bubble is popping in your ear often or it begins to be distracting, it is important to have your hearing and ear health assessed by an audiologist.
Popping noises can be characterised as feeling like Rice Krispies in your ear, but we also speak with clients with similar symptoms or conditions whose experiences vary in intensity, duration, frequency, and severity.
Key Takeaways:
- The most common reason to feel or hear a sound or sensation like a bubble popping in your ear is a change in pressure—this happens when flying but can also be due to environmental or atmospheric changes.
- Provided popping noises are occasional and not causing you any issues, they may be benign, but we always recommend booking a hearing test if you have annoying, frustrating, or distracting symptoms.
- Bubbling, popping or ringing noises in your ear could sound very different between two people, and even if the sound you hear is more like a fizzing or hissing, an evaluation may be beneficial.
Common Reasons You Hear or Feel Like You Have Bubbles in Your Ears
As we’ve indicated, the vast majority of scenarios where you feel like a bubble has popped in your ear are related to air pressure. However, if this happens frequently or in settings where there is no identifiable cause, it may be linked to another short-term condition or blockage that requires treatment.
Below, we’ve summarised some of the potential causes while noting that this isn’t an exhaustive list.
Blockages in Your Eustachian Tubes
The eustachian tubes are tiny tubes that run between the middle ear and the back of the nose and throat. They are responsible for keeping the air pressure in the middle ear balanced, which keeps the eardrum vibrating and functioning properly.
This part of your ear function also helps to remove excess fluid, protecting your hearing and ears from infections and trauma caused by loud or excessive noises.
In most people, the tubes work like a valve and stay closed unless you eat, drink or yawn, which is why you might find your ears ‘pop’ if you perform any of these actions. The issue can occur if the eustachian tubes are blocked, which can cause:
- Sensations of fullness in your ears
- Changes in pressure – similar to a plane taking off or landing
- Loss or changes to your hearing
- Muffling of external noises
- Soreness and pain
Treating and removing a blockage can often provide rapid relief, and we may recommend medications such as ear drops to reduce the impact of allergies, sinus infections, or acid reflux, which can exacerbate symptoms.
Build-ups of Earwax
Another common reason for bubbles in your ears is that you have an earwax blockage, where the normal production of earwax is beneficial but can cause problems with your hearing if your ears produce too much wax.
In these instances, the wax can cause a blockage or cover the eardrum, which means sound cannot flow correctly to your ear and causes a popping noise or may sound like a bubbling sensation.
Earwax blockages can cause itching, hearing loss, infections, tinnitus, and ear pain. The easiest option is to gently microsuction the wax and treat any infections that have developed.
Infections in the Middle Ear
Technically called acute otitis media, a middle ear infection impacts the function of the eustachian tube. We’ve already looked at how problems with this feature of your ears can cause bubbling noises.
Infections in the middle ear can create swelling and blockages in this area, with excess fluids as a side-effect, which is susceptible to infections and can become much worse if untreated, where the infection can spread throughout your ears.
Additional symptoms include swollen glands at the back of your throat, which are often linked to an ear infection, especially in children and younger people. However, this type of infection is not exclusive to children.
Bubbling Noises Causes by Allergies
Finally, hearing a bubble pop in your ear or feeling like bubbles are in one or both ears can be connected to either an allergy or a sinus problem. The same tubes we’ve talked about that join your middle ear, throat, and nose can become affected by any issues within your sinuses, including seasonal allergies.
Hay fever is a common culprit, technically known as allergic rhinitis, and is a widespread reaction to pollen. Some people are more reactive to specific allergens, like grass pollen, and others are sensitive to a wider range of things.
If your allergy is triggered, you might experience:
- Sneezing
- A stuffy or runny nose
- Itching in your ears
- Sore and watery eyes
Most allergies are quickly resolved with an antihistamine, although they can also lead to blockages where your ears feel clogged, external sounds appear muffled, and you feel like you have a bubble-popping noise within your ears.
A similar side effect can occur if you have a sinus infection, where your sinuses become inflamed. The difference is that sinusitis isn’t limited to exposure to reactive allergens and can be connected to triggers like mould and smoke or be a secondary infection after a respiratory infection.
What do our Audiologists say?
Treating and Preventing Bubbling in Your Ears
The first step is to determine the cause of your symptoms. The right treatment options will depend on whether you feel bubbles popping in your ears due to an allergy, infection, sinus condition, or earwax blockage.
From there, we can recommend the right way forward, alongside tips to prevent recurring problems. Options like avoiding allergens you are sensitive to, staying indoors on days when there is a forecast high pollen count, using hearing protection devices, and following a proper ear health regime can all help.
