You may have never thought about breathing through your ears before, but it is actually possible! Many people do not realize that the small holes on the side of their ears are called auditory or hearing pits. They lead to channels inside the ear called auditory tubes. These tubes end in openings on top of the jawbone called the external auditory meatus. This is where you can breathe through your ears. These small channels connect with a network of smaller connecting tunnels called the eustachian tube system which goes from the back of your nose and ears to your throat, helping you with swallowing and speech. This system helps you balance fluids when you fly, dive, or drive in hilly areas because it acts as an overflow pipe for excess fluids. In addition to these functions, this tunnel also enables us to breathe through our ears.
Can You Breathe Through Your Ears?
You can breathe through your ears because they are connected to your nose and mouth. The auditory tube, which is the main pathway for air into the ear, is connected to the eustachian tube system that starts in your nose and ends in your throat. The eustachian tube system allows us to swallow, talk, and yawn. It also helps with balance when we fly or dive because it acts as an overflow pipe for excess fluids. The auditory tube has three openings at the side of each ear. These openings lead to tunnels inside the ear called auditory tubes. These tubes end in openings on top of the jawbone called the external auditory meatus. This is where you can breathe through your ears!
How To Breathe Through Your Ears
- When you are lying down, your ears are on the same side of your head as your nose. (This is why it is easier to breathe through your nose than through your ears.)
- Position one hand over each ear, gently pressing the sides of the ear toward the jawbone. This will help seal off the eustachian tubes and prevent air from escaping into the atmosphere through them.
- With a quick deep breath, try to force air out of your mouth into your ear canal by pushing air out of your nose with a quick “sniff.” You should feel a vacuum forming in each ear as you do this. If not, then you need to try again until you can feel that vacuum in both ears at once. (You may even want to practice this technique on yourself before trying it on someone else.)
- When you can feel that vacuum in both ears at once, hold still for a few seconds and then release all of the air from both nostrils at once by breathing out forcefully from both nostrils at once while squeezing all muscles in your face and neck tight so that they lock up completely and prevent any more air from entering your lungs or being expelled from them via mouth or nose while you hold still for a few seconds before releasing all muscles with another deep breath. Repeat this step until you can no longer feel that vacuum in one ear while the other remains sealed off by its own muscle locks, which usually takes about 2-3 seconds.
- Now, quickly and forcefully blow air into one ear by blowing it out with a quick “sniff.” Try to force as much air as you can into your ear canal in the same way you did the first time you tried to blow air out of your nose. You should feel a vacuum forming in the ear canal and feel like you are swimming underwater while holding that position for several seconds. If not, try again until you can feel this vacuum.
Ear Breathing Exercises
- Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Sit up straight with your back and neck support. Shake out your arms and legs. If you are sitting, relax your muscles and let go of the tension.
- Close one eye so that the other one is open. Now, blow out air through the mouth, but hold in the nose to avoid making noise. Blow gently for about 15 seconds or until you feel a heaviness in your chest or head. You should feel a sensation of pressure on the top of your head as you breathe through your mouth (or nose). If not, try again – it may just take some practice to get comfortable with this technique!
- Now close both eyes so that only one eye is open and breathe through only that eye for 2 minutes without moving from this position (you will probably want to move around a little bit to get comfortable). Try not to let any air out during this time period, but if you do, don’t worry about it! Letting air out will make the exercise harder – just breathe normally through the nose during this time period and don’t force anything!
- When you finish breathing through only one eye, open both eyes at once by shaking them as hard as you can (don’t try to shake them too much though – just enough so they are wide-open). This will help clear any mucus from the ear canal which might have accumulated after breathing through only one ear.
- Now close one eye and breathe through the other for 2 minutes. Try not to let any air out during this time period, but if you do, don’t worry about it! Letting air out will make the exercise harder – just breathe normally through the nose during this time period and don’t force anything!
- When you finish breathing through only one eye, open both eyes at once by shaking them as hard as you can (don’t try to shake them too much though – just enough so they are wide-open). This will help clear any mucus from the ear canal which might have accumulated after breathing through only one ear.
Benefits Of Breathing Through Your Ears
Hearing and Balance
As you may know, the ear is a very dynamic organ with many functions. The outer ear is really just a shell for the inner ear, which contains the organs that allow us to hear and balance. These include the cochlea (for hearing), semicircular canals (for balance), vestibular system (for equilibrium), and otoliths (for balance). It is important for us to know how these organs work together so that we can be more aware of our bodies.
Hearing
We have all had experiences when we felt as if someone was whispering in our ears. This sensation can be due to vibration, pressure, or sound waves entering through the auditory canal or via the eustachian tube system into the middle ear. Many people do not realize they can actually breathe through their ears.
Balance and equilibrium
The human body has very sensitive mechanisms to maintain balance and equilibrium by detecting changes in acceleration, gravity, posture, and muscle tension but also by interpreting the movement of objects around you like a ball on a string or your own body weight in relation to your surroundings such as sitting on a moving train or standing still on an escalator at an amusement park! These movements are detected through various sensory organs like eyesight, touch, smell, and hearing which send signals back to your brain where you make sense of them so that you can react appropriately! The vestibular system is involved in this process so it is important to understand how it works.
Swallowing
The eustachian tube system helps us to swallow and speak because it is like a valve that controls the flow of air from the back of your nose and into your throat. If you breathe in too much air, there won’t be enough for your voice box to open or for you to swallow so you will sound breathless or hoarse! This is why sometimes when we are deep in thought we find ourselves straining our throats trying to get a voice out. The eustachian tube system also helps us with swallowing because it keeps the top of the throat clear so that food can easily pass down into the stomach.
Speech
Most people are unaware that they can breathe through their ears as well as speak through their nose! Most people have not realized that they can hear with both ears while they are sleeping until they wake up in the morning! Although this is not usually an issue, if you have had ear surgery, this may be a problem for you because then you may have physical impediments to hearing through both ears. This could include hearing loss or ear infections for example, but also problems with balance such as dizziness or vertigo which is when someone feels dizzy from spinning too quickly on their feet or from tilting their head (elevating) too much when standing still or walking! The vestibular system’s role in balance and equilibrium is described above so let’s see how it also works in speech.
Conclusion
Ear breathing can be a helpful technique for singing and for general health. If you have the ability to breathe through your ears, it can be a great exercise for opening up your throat. Ear breathing is also useful if you have allergies or a stuffy nose. – If you have allergies or any kind of stuffy nose, try ear breathing to help unblock it so that you can breathe more easily. This is especially helpful if you are dealing with a cold. – If you do ear breathing while singing, you can use the vibrations to help open up your throat and get more resonance in your voice. – If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, try ear breathing to get relaxed and calm. If you can breathe through your ears, congratulations! Breathing through your ears is great for opening up your throat and getting more resonance in your singing voice.
