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Anyone else here able to voluntarily contract the muscles in their Eustachian Tube?

aphex

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustachian_tube

Some people are born with the ability to contract just these muscles voluntarily, similar to people who can wiggle their ears. Those who have this ability can hear "pop" or "click" sound in the middle ear when actuating these muscles, and are able to hold the muscle contraction (some refer to this as 'clicking your ears to equalize the pressure').[citation needed] Doing so will make one's voice sound louder to oneself. This ability allows such people to voluntarily equalize pressures at will when making rapid ascents or descents, typically in aircraft flights or large elevation changes in either tall buildings or mountainous treks. When the breath (inhale or exhale) is controlled, air pressure can be intentionally increased or decreased in the middle ear (breathing through the nose only or mouth), where the feeling of a cool air breeze can be felt inside the eustachian tube.

Occasionally, if the voluntary contraction timing is missed during a rapid pressure change, a slight yawning (opening of the jaw) action combines to assist in pressure equalization.
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Its funny, i've been able to do this since I was a kid but just assumed everyone could.
 
Originally posted by: aphex
Its funny, i've been able to do this since I was a kid but just assumed everyone could.
Click to expand...

same here... didnt think this was 'special' or anything... its just comes natural to try and 'self-pop' your ears..

 
I can voluntarily make my ears pop, but I could never wiggle my ears.

However, I can wiggle my nostrils, if that's the right term for it.

 
WTF? Like, holding your nose shut and trying to exhale through it to pop it on an airplane? Or is the "at will" part the fact that you can do it other ways?
 
Same as everybody here. My ears are popping all the time.

Now the real question is, can you pop your ears without opening your mouth? The only reason I ask is that this discussion recently came up with a friend. He can pop his ears but every time he does his mouth opens. I can do it without moving my jaw.
 
Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
WTF? Like, holding your nose shut and trying to exhale through it to pop it on an airplane? Or is the "at will" part the fact that you can do it other ways?
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You can do it without moving any part of your body. I can just sit here and start popping my ears. It's not as loud/intense as forcing it like you're talking about, but it's noticable.
 
Originally posted by: gorcorps
Same as everybody here. My ears are popping all the time.

Now the real question is, can you pop your ears without opening your mouth? The only reason I ask is that this discussion recently came up with a friend. He can pop his ears but every time he does his mouth opens. I can do it without moving my jaw.
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sounds like could be TMJ or something... weird.
 
Originally posted by: IsLNdbOi
I thought everyone could do this?

I can pop my ears anytime w/o opening my mouth either.
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depends on if i'm congested at the time.

i can pop my ears one of 4 ways.

forcing it

swallowing

actuating my jaw

just flexing those particular muscles.
 
Wow, I can do it to. Thought everyone can.

The sound it makes in my ears is kind of like the sound a subwoofer cone makes.
 
Interesting... I, too, didn't know not everyone can do it.

Originally posted by: Jeff7
I can voluntarily make my ears pop, but I could never wiggle my ears.

However, I can wiggle my nostrils, if that's the right term for it.
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I think some things can be trained. Arching eyebrows, for example, is something I picked up when I was around 10 years old by standing in front of the mirror one day and practicing. The next day, I taught myself to wiggle my ears. If I remember correctly, the key was to use muscles on one side of the face which normally lay inert, then duplicate the feeling of movement on the other side. I'm guessing it's a lot easier if you practice while your brain is still forming the basic pathways.
Lately, been working at relaxing or tensing the vocal cords to produce different pitches. I don't mean falsetto, that's easy, but obviously fake. Once in a while, I get it down only to lose control once I start laughing.
 
Originally posted by: Sahakiel
Interesting... I, too, didn't know not everyone can do it.

Originally posted by: Jeff7
I can voluntarily make my ears pop, but I could never wiggle my ears.

However, I can wiggle my nostrils, if that's the right term for it.
Click to expand...

I think some things can be trained. Arching eyebrows, for example, is something I picked up when I was around 10 years old by standing in front of the mirror one day and practicing. The next day, I taught myself to wiggle my ears. If I remember correctly, the key was to use muscles on one side of the face which normally lay inert, then duplicate the feeling of movement on the other side. I'm guessing it's a lot easier if you practice while your brain is still forming the basic pathways.
Lately, been working at relaxing or tensing the vocal cords to produce different pitches. I don't mean falsetto, that's easy, but obviously fake. Once in a while, I get it down only to lose control once I start laughing.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I've never had a problem arching my eyebrows. one day I kept arching them and somehow figured how to wiggle ears.
 
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