Can anyone else make a click-ish noise in their ear?

Yes, we can. It’s just called popping your ears.

@La_chica_gomela I’ve never needed to chew, swallow or suck on anything to pop my ears. It’s just a conscious action. I’m not even sure it’s the same thing, the noise is less of a pop and more of a click. Maybe even a grind.

You didn’t mention “chew, swallow or suck on anything” in your question. Are you saying you have to do one of those things in order to make the “clickish sound”?

I don’t have to do any of those. I just think about it and it happens. I mentioned those actions because all of the pages in the google search you linked suggest doing them in order to get your ears to pop.

Those are for when you can’t pop your ears, such as you described, the time you had an ear infection. I can pop my ears any time I want, just like you.

I can also do it.

It’s somewhat problematic—my SCUBA instructor didn’t realise I was clearing my ears because I wasn’t plugging my nose and swallowing. >_<

@La_chica_gomela That’s what I was wondering. I’ve described this to a couple of friends before and they had no idea what I was talking about.

They probably just didn’t know what you meant.

Yup, I can do it too. For me, t’s not quite as effective at ridding oneself of the pressure change phenomenon in the inner ear as yawning or chewing/drinking is, but it definitely helps. And of course, I can also do it anytime to make the clicking sound… not just when my ears are feeling pressure.

It must be getting late. I could have sworn the question read, “cliquish nose hair” and I was wondering if there was some new fashion trend.

This process is what allows you to equalize the pressure in your inner-ear cavity with that outside. This is why you need to do it when you ride a fast elevator. This is also why @Evegrimm’s scuba instructor wanted her to do so – in SCUBA, if you can’t get a pop, it can be dangerous because it’s a real lot of pressure down there, and you can burst an eardrum. When you have an infection, the swelling or mucus can cause the necessary channel to close up, making the pressure exchange impossible

I can do it, too, and it isn’t the same as popping my ears (I can do that, also). I have always thought I was closing down something, possibly the opening to the eustachian tube, as it dulls my hearing slightly when I do it.

Yep, I think I know exactly what you mean. I can do it, but only with my right ear. It does not relieve pressure, it is simply a little “click” deep in the ear. I have always been able to wiggle my ears a bit, and that’s when the clicking noise sometimes happens. Maybe @hearkat can help us out?

@LC_Beta – I can wiggle my ears, too, but that isn’t the same muscle that I use to make the click.

@judi – you better go to bed woman!!! hehehehe

I can make my ears click or pop or something. I do it when they seem to close up and then I can hear again.

I never realized it was a unique talent, wow, now I feel so special!!!

@Darwin hmmm, I wonder if we share any other hidden talents. Can you bend your pinky finger(s) without moving your ring finger(s)?

Yes, I can. I can also both roll and fold my tongue, and I am a “taster.”

I can do it too. I always chalked it up to growing up in the mountains and having to pop my ears a few times a day. @Darwin what is a taster? Is that the lithmus test they did in school?

@Darwin, yay for fellow PTC tasters! We should make an organization and call ourselves the APTCATs. (Association of PTC And other Tasters). :P

@LC_Beta yes i can!

@gemiwing – A taster is someone who has the gene that enables them to taste the chemical PTC. If you can’t taste it, trust me, you are lucky. It tastes nasty! You can read the full story here

what are foods besides brocolli that a taster tastes? i’m not on the thread, am i? take this away- i googled it

Late to the party… sorry.

Hello! I am an Audiologist, and I can pop my ears voluntarily without yawning or swallowing, etc. and I hear a click in my ears when it happens. It is the manipulation of the Eustachian tubes and it usually releives any pressure buildup (so @Darwin, i am unsure why you would have increased pressure when doing it).

@hearcat – Because I am not “popping” my ears when I do that. In fact, it feels as if I am closing something when I do it. And I don’t feel increased pressure so much as decreased hearing. I can “pop” my ears, too, and that is an entirely different effect, sound and result.

@Darwin: so you hear a ‘click’ when you muffle the hearing (how long does it stay that way?)... and what fo you hear when you “pop” your ears?

@hearkat – I hear a muffled crunch sort of sound, sometimes several of them in close succession, when I ‘pop” my ears. Typically I do this by wiggling my jaw and opening it at the same time.

And my hearing stays muffled as long as I keep whatever it is clamped down tight. As soon as I relax, my hearing is back to normal.

@Darwin: Fascinating. There are tiny muscles in the ear that retract the eardrum in reaction to loud sounds. I speculate that you somehow have a rare voluntary means to contract it. I’ve never heard of it before, though.

Interesting. I can wiggle my ears, too.

I have done some research and this is what I have found. (super long)
The tensor veli palatini muscle causes the e-tubes to open, causing the sound of the ear popping. A minority of people have voluntary control of this muscle and can pop their ears at will. This is useful in diving as it is a hands-free way to pop your ears and does not damage them. It is called BTV (french) or in english VTO (voluntary tubal opening).
The tensor tympani tenses your tympanic membrane (ear drum) and dims very loud (120 decibels and up) sounds involuntarily. Some people also have control over this muscle, but this does not bring any benifit. When voluntarily used, the tensor tympani creates a rumble-like noise and makes other sounds quieter than normal.
I can do both.

@PhiNotPi Haha, awesome answer. I can do the rumble thing too.

Yes! I know exactly what you mean. It’s not merely a “pop”. I can do this with my left ear and can alter the spacing of the clicks (although not the pitch) so that someone pressing their ear to mine can hear the “clicks” (for instance I could click out the rhythm of a simple song like jingle bells) (without the the note changes!). I’ve had this useless ability for 45 years. When I was a child my parents were concerned that it meant something was wrong and they took me to various doctors who were all stumped. If I get a cold or congestion the ability to “click” is blocked and trying to do so can be painful.

@RocketSquid do you still have this problem? I can ‘crackle’ my ears on demand as well..

@hearkat My ears click as well. But I can’t get them to completely pop. For over a year now they haven’t popped once. I’ve even been in a plane. I live at 7500ft and go down to sea level every two months at least. It's like everything is bubbled over. I don't know what to do.

@Sotoliz – My apologies… I have not been on this site in quite some time. I hope you have found relief. If not, I would recommend consulting an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist, who can assess what is causing your ears to feel pressure.