How to Avoid Ear Pain on Airplanes

Have you ever thought about what causes ear pain and blockage in airplanes. It's the changing air pressure. You may even experience it while driving car at a high speed with all its windows shut. Ear drum is a flexible and delicate membrane that seals the inner end of the auditory canal. It therefore separates the air in the auditory canal which is in direct contact with the atmospheric air from the ear that lies within the middle ear. The air inside the middle ear on the other hand communicates with the air inside the throat. This communication is accomplished via a narrow tube called Eustachian tube. Normally, this tube remains closed and the only opens up when we swallow or yawn. For proper hearing it is important that the air pressure on the inner and outer sides of the ear drum remains equal. Whenever the air pressure in the outside air changes the air pressure inside the middle air remains the same until the Eustachian tube open up to equalize the air pressure on both sides of the ear drum.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Water or juice
• Gum or candy

1. Before the flight takes off ask your flight attendant to give you a bottle of water and while take-off take frequent small sips of water or juice.
2. If you can't get water or juice start chewing a piece of gum or candy and swallow frequently.
3. The more you swallow the more you open up your Eustachian tube and more you will equalize the air pressure on either side of your ear drum to keep it pain free and safe.
4. If you have nothing to drink, chew or swallow try yawning.

Tips & Warnings

• Extreme changes in air pressure can sometimes seriously damage the delicate ear drums. This is also called barotrauma.
• Kids are especially more prone to barotrauma so let them have their favorite candies in the flight.