If your ears are plugged, try swallowing, yawning or chewing sugar-free gum to open your eustachian tubes. If this doesn't work, take a deep breath and try to blow out of your nose gently while pinching your nostrils closed and keeping your mouth shut. If you hear a popping noise, you know you have succeeded.

Unclogging ears, especially after a flight or due to a cold, involves equalizing the pressure between your middle ear and the outside environment via the Eustachian tubes. The most common and effective method is the Valsalva Maneuver: pinch your nostrils shut, close your mouth, and gently try to blow air through your nose as if you were blowing a horn. This increases pressure in the throat and forces the tubes open. Another technique is the Toynbee Maneuver, where you pinch your nose and swallow a sip of water simultaneously. You can also try the "Ear Tug": tilt your head, pull your earlobe gently outward and upward, and swallow or yawn.