Why do our ears pop when we swallow?
In: Biology
There’s a tube called the eustachian canal that links the mid ear to the throat. This is to help keep the pressures in the mid ear even so we can hear properly. When we swallow, we can pull air down this tube, causing the drum like membranes of the ear to move, causing a pop. You also swallow/push in the same way as swallowing when diving to equalise the pressure in the ear, or when you’re in an aeroplane.
As an aside, the eustachian canal is our last remnant of gill slits, but that’s a different subject.
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