Why do one’s ears pop at high altitude?

Sound vibrations are carried to the inner ear through the eardrum, a door of paper thin skin between the inner and outer ears. Air pressure must be equal on both sides of the eardrum, or it cannot vibrate properly. When we reach high altitude, the air pressure outside becomes less. The pressure on the outside of the eardruk becomes less than the pressure on the inside. Our ears may ring or feel full and then we get a popping sensation.

This means that a small tube which opens into the throat has opened to change the air pressure on the inside of the eardrum, This passage opens when we yawn or swallow hard. We can do this to £djust the pressure at high altitudes before our ears reach the popping stage.