Can hearing be improved by pressure changes?

Question

On a recent flight, I noticed that my hearing was better when there was an imbalance in pressure between my inner and outer ear. After yawning, my hearing would worsen. Or rather, the noise of the aeroplane became more prominent, making it more difficult to hear the words in the film I was watching.

I'm someone who cannot filter out extraneous noises very well, so background noise is particularly problematic for me.

Is there a scientific understanding of this effect, and are there any treatments based on it?

Edit

I've read that medical science recognises the opposite of the effect I experienced: a worsening of hearing. But since I'm talking about an improvement, I don't think that answers my question.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/airplane-ear/symptoms-causes/syc-20351701

I've also read something about the effect of pressure on frequency response of the components of the inner ear, and phase change. I don't understand the implications of phase on these components (though I do understand what phase means), so I can only draw from this that I might be experiencing an improvement above 1kHz.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9591878/#:~:text=When%20the%20inner%20ear%20pressure,major%20effect%20below%201.0%20kHz

From Wikipedia, I learn that narrow band telephony transmits frequencies up to 3.4kHz, and so perhaps the improvements above 1kHz explain the improved ability to follow dialogue.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_frequency#:~:text=The%20voiced%20speech%20of%20a,voice%20frequency%20band%20as%20defined

None of these, however, indicate that ear pressure is recognised as a means to improving hearing. It may be because harmful side effects are more likely, but I'm still curious.

Answer 1

• The tympanic membrane transmits sound to the inner ear less effectively when there is a difference in air pressure between the atmosphere and the middle ear, such as when altitude increases suddenly (causing higher pressure in the middle ear compared to the atmosphere).
• When yawning or chewing, the eustachian tube opens, equalizing the pressure on both sides of the tympanic membrane. As a result, sounds are suddenly perceived more intensely.

Additionally, there are processes and filters that reduce the intensity of sounds when we are exposed to monotonous noises for an extended period. These include both central auditory processes and mechanisms within the inner ear. Enabling us to filter out background noise to some degree (look up outer hair cells and auditory habituation). If there is a sudden increase in volume, I would expect this "filter" to become less effective until one adjusts to the new sound level.

I would suspect that what you experience is a combination of these factors.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22072-eustachian-tubes

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6601450/