I experience the blocking of both ears whenever I exert myself such as by climbing a stairs or playing tennis. I feel like I'm under water, can't hear properly and speak as if I have a heavy cold. It first happened 18 years ago, when I was pregnant, and I put it down to low blood pressure. I don't have a cold, or sinus trouble or wax blocked ears. Some people say its due to the change in season (it's now Autumn) but it has happened in spring, Summer also. I do occasionally clench or grind my teeth, and my jaw clicks when I open and close it (dont know if that's relevant, but I read it in some other answers) I've mentioned it to my G.P. who is as mystified as myself and hasn't offered any solution, presumably it's not high on their list of priorities, which I can understand. It's just so annoying when it happens! I'm extremely healthy and relatively fit for a 47yr.old Any advice greatly appreciated.

When a doctor is 'mystified' about a medical complaint and really can't answer in a satisfactory way then you should change doctors. I can't give you a solution to your problem; I too would have thought high blood pressure. Go back to your doctor and ask for a referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist who would be better to diagnose this problem.

I don't really believe this is a serious medical problem but irritating to you. Any medical complaint to your doctor should be high on his priority list.

Tick

Thanks Tickle, but I actually only rephrased the question the first time when I saw that "ask a question " was in the title of my post. I then got a request to "bump up" the original, badly phrased question and decided to take the opportunity to omit the bit about my doctor not taking my request seriously.. seeing as somebody (hey, wasn't his name "Tickle"?) suggested on foot of that, that I should change doctors. A bit unfair on my doctor, perhaps as, had I requested an eye , ear and throat referral, I would have got one. It's not serious enough an irritation for me , as an unemployed person on illness benefit without a medical card to want to go down THAT expensive route, which is why I went online to see if there was anybody out there in cyberworld with a possible solution to a minor and occasional, non-life threatening irritation. Obviously not. At least not yet. But thanks for your concern! :-)