Close your lips, hold your nose, and softly blow your nose as if you were blowing it. Yawning and chewing gum may also be beneficial. When the tubes open to equalize the pressure between the inside and outside of your ears, you may hear or feel a "pop." This is normal healing process. If you don't know if you've been exposed or not, call your health care provider immediately if you start experiencing symptoms such as ear pain when you wake up, feeling like your ears are full of water, or having trouble hearing at work or at home. Your health care provider can help you determine if you need further testing done to see if you have active infection, or if you just need to relax and let the pressure go away on its own. Here are some more tips: eat well-balanced meals including fruits and vegetables, drink plenty of fluids, get 7 hours of sleep a day, stay active, limit alcohol use, avoid smoking cigarettes, and manage your stress. All of these things will help keep you healthy. You should visit your health care provider for regular checksup if you have risk factors for developing eustachian tube dysfunction. Risk factors include being male, age 40 or older, having a family history of ear problems, and using drugs that can cause fluid retention (such as diuretics).