Ears feeling pressurized on long runs...why?

The same thing happens to me on my long runs. It lasts for a couple of hours after the run is over and is annoying. I notice it more in my right ear. I was thinking it's due to breathing or constant foot strike over a long time period, or some combo. Also, unlike the pressurce change from flying, I can't just plug my nose and pop my ears to make it go away.

You eustachian tube connects your middle ear to your larynx to allow for pressure equalization in the ear so that the eardrum is not pushed in one direction or the other too much. If you hold your nose, close your mouth, and "blow" you are pushing air thru the eustachian tube into the middle ear and pressurizing it. If you've gone scuba diving, you know this is a necessary skill to learn.

I used to get a feeling during and for a short time after really hard workouts that I could hear and feel every breath inside my ear, particularly the left. During efforts in which your breathing passages are opeining up, the inner opening of your eustachian tube can also open up. This is what was happening to me - it became a wide open tube at times when it was necessary that my breathing passages be exanded as much as possible. The long run explanation may come from the fact that, during extended efforts, and as blood glucose begins to drop, the body starts producing more epinephrine and circulating epi increases. This is a signal for brochodilation - as well as the possible side effect of eustacian tube opening dilation.

This is what could be happening to you, but maybe not to that extent if the ear is actually pressurizing. Is it painful at all. An over-pressurized middle ear can be quite painful if pressurized too much. Or is it that you can hear your breath inside your ear?

Same thing used to happen to me until I started ripping big farts during warm up. Try it and see what happens.

interesting read "porn stache"...it isn't painful, and like the other poster said I can't get rid of it by holding my nose and blowing or anything like that, only time seems to take care of it.

Those of you who used to have this happen but longer do, did you change anything...?

Well, holding my nose and blowing when I was in that state would not relieve anything. In fact, since the eustachian tube was wide open, it will both pressurize and depressurize more rapidly. In your case, holding your nose and blowing may pressurize it even more, which could be a bad thing. My advice is dont do that. No, the only way that feeling I got would go away is with time also. Usually took about 15-20 min. But again, my ear did not actually feel pressurized inside - which is the feeling you get when you're on an airplane that is ascending. The best way to release pressure in the middle ear is to look up, stretching your neck out as much as possible and opening your mouth and throat wide. It looks stupid, but it works.

The opposite feeling is the one you get if you dive to the deep end of an olympic pool or go scuba diving, for example. The reason it's painful is because the eardrum is being stretched too far inward. That is greater pressure outside the ear, and this is when you are required to blow into the middle ear to equalize the pressures and let the eardrum sit in its normal position.

My ears get that plugged up feeling when I'm dehydrated.

I have a similar problem and after some research I have concluded that I probably have Eustachian tube dysfunction' or ETD. I found this website description useful:

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/ent/202304.html

I have always had a very mild version of this, maybe once every 3-6 months and nothing related to running. But lately it happens a bit too frequently and severely on a run. Never related to intensity, has begun as little as 5 mins in to the run. I get it mainly in the right ear, and it's as if pressure is building up in my head. I have only noticed it become a running-related problem after I moved to a cold northern climate last year. Ask yourself if it's correlated with having a head-cold. Since I read the above article, I do notice that the problem does occur when I have a head-cold.

Once nasty side effect for me is that when I get this problem, I feel like passing out when I turn my head suddenly, blow my nose, or cough. I have the feeling that I am briefly losing oxygen to the brain. Anyone else experience this?

Water wrote:

My ears get that plugged up feeling when I'm dehydrated.

Same with me.

This is an old post, but thought I would add my findings. I get the same problem in my left ear only when running. I scuba dive, so I know it's not pressure in the ear, but the middle ear tube opening up, allowing every breath in and out to also go through this tube to the ear. I have found that if I immediately stop running and lower my head below my waist for a few seconds, the tube will close back up and I can continue running without hearing and feeling every breath you take. This is a band aide for the problem, but hope it's helps a few people to get through their runs.

newmikeposter wrote:

I have found that if I immediately stop running and lower my head below my waist for a few seconds, the tube will close back up and I can continue running without hearing and feeling every breath you take.

Aware this is an old post but I just want to thank newmikeposter for finally providing me relief from this. I often wait over an hour after a long dehydrating run or bike ride for this to go away. Getting the blood back into my head fixed it immediately. Thank you so much!

I have experienced this for YEARS, especially after longer runs during the summer. It drives me crazy and often lasts for hours after running. This trick is the first thing that has ever given me any relief! THANK YOU!

Easy.. while standing, just bring down /invert your head below your waist line or at your knee level for some couple of seconds or a minute. That should do the trick and if it doesn't work for you, fill a bucket full with water and invert your head inside it for some seconds. Thank me later.

I use Nasonex before runs, otherwise i feel my turbinates swell and Eustachian tubes block.