How to Avoid Ear Pain During Flight?
Do not dread airplane ears if you travel by air; we have you covered. The ear pain or discomfort you feel while on a flight is generally known as “Airplane ear.”
Despite the type of flight you are taking, this problem is unavoidable for most of the guests on a flight as it disrupts the normal human physiology of the human body during the flight. It is also known as ear barotrauma, barotitis media, or aerotitis media. So before we start discussing techniques to avoid airplane ear and how to fix it if you have airplane air, let’s first discuss the basic science behind it.
The Physiological Reason Behind Airplane Ear
When you travel by air, your body experiences different pressures at different altitude levels. The pressure drops with the increasing height.
So, let’s understand why the pressure affects your ear
Normal Routine: At an average level, the pressure is the same inside your middle ear cavity and external ear canal. Therefore, your ear has regular and balanced pressure throughout.
When you are in an aeroplane: Due to the pressure changes, your eustachian tube may become dysfunctional while travelling through the air route. This disturbs the pressure levels and air passing through the middle ear space. Therefore, your eardrum gets inflamed and starts bulging outwards. You can feel moderate to severe ear pains.
Symptoms and Complications
There are no severe effects of airplanes on the ears’ overall health. However, the pain itself can become severe if you don’t take care of it at the initial stage. The airplane ear can occur unilaterally or bilaterally. The symptoms can be acute and severe, including:
- Discomfort and pain in the ear.
- Hearing loss in some cases.
- Fullness and heaviness in the ear.
- You can notice it in babies if they suddenly start crying or exhibit signs of discomfort or pain as the flight takes off or begins to land.
Any physical damage or trauma-related history of the individual is also a significant risk factor that needs to be taken care of properly. Therefore, we suggest you always check your ear health through an ear camera to ensure cozy flights, like Bebird ear wax removal.
Preventive Measures/Techniques to Avoid Airplane Air
To prevent having an airplane air, you must take the necessary preventive measures before you get on the plane. Here is a list of the most helpful practical tips to keep your Eustachian tubes working just fine and avoid discomfort during the flight:
1. Medicinal Approach
To prevent the discomfort due to the nasal form blockage and keep your eustachian tubes clear, consider having your decongestant around an hour before you get on the flight if you suffer from cold or allergies. In addition to this, consider keeping an antihistamine or a nasal spray with you. The antihistamines may include any over-the-counter ones or those prescribed by your doctor
2. Earplugs
Remember to put on the earplugs the air hostess provided when you boarded the flight. They are meant to regulate the sudden pressure changes during air travel so that your ear has time to adjust to them effectively
3. Swallowing or Chewing
This is the most convenient one! If you forgot to keep your earplugs or the prescribed medicines, swallowing, chewing, or yawning are your most convenient options; most people already know about it. Yawning intentionally or swallowing succulent candies allows your eustachian membrane to stay open and equalize the pressure in your during the flight
4. Keep Your Kids Comfortable
It may be difficult for small kids to communicate their discomfort or pain effectively, as most are too small to speak. Therefore, be very vigilant about your kids’ expressions of discomfort, as airplane ears might be one of the reasons. Try keeping them awake during the flight or make them yawn or swallow through a pacifier during the flight
5. Try the Valsalva Maneuver
Gently blow with your mouth closed and your nose pinched shut. This maneuver helps open the Eustachian tubes, equalizing pressure. This technique is proper ONLY while the flight is landing because the cabin is going from less to higher pressure, and we need to increase the external pressure of your ear. Therefore, using this technique may harm your eardrum as the plan takes of adds extra pressure behind the ears, and we do not want that
6. Consider Myringotomy:
As discussed, airplane air is not a problem requiring severe consultations with a doctor or mainstream treatment. However, if the pain is behind the bearable limits and none of these techniques are working out for you while you are someone who needs to travel through on a routine basis, you might consider myringotomy. In this operation, the doctor will make a minute hole in your eardrum or place a small tube to keep it open to ensure instant air pressure equalization.
How to Fix Airplane Ear After Flight
While you can easily pop your ears for unequal pressures during the flight, you might still feel symptoms of uneasiness even hours after you have landed from the flight. Here are the three things you can do if you are wondering how to get rid of airplane ear after flight:
1. Medications for Airplane Ear After Flight
If you travel by air routinely, you would know what medication you should take to eliminate airplane ears. But if this is your first symptom and you have other health issues, consult a medical doctor to prescribe the best medicine for your conditions.
- People who do not have any pre-existing health issues can consider over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve), or an analgesic pain reliever, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- Your doctor might also suggest some decongestant nasal sprays or medicines three days before your flight and other medicine just before entering the flight. The dosage may vary depending on the duration of your flight, so do not take any medication alone.
2. Use Professional Ear cleaning tools
Many options are available for cleaning your ears. You can use DIYs or simple pharmacy tools like syringe bulbs and earbuds. Remember that you need to be patient and very careful with these tools, as they are unsafe. Any mishap can further complicate your ear problem. So, it is better to go for professional ear-cleaning tools.
We suggest you use Bebird Note 5 Pro ear wax removal. It is a device that offers the following three functions:
- Seamless ear was a removal experience.
- High-precision tweezer modes with a camera so you can check the current condition inside your ear
- Consult and show results to your doctor.
3. Try Taking Legal Antihistamine Advice:
As a pilot, you might need constant relief for airplane ears. Therefore, book a proper consultation with your doctor and ask him/her to prescribe you a legal dosage of antihistamines for days when you are on flight calls.
4. Consider Getting Ear Wax Removed
Ear wax can also worsen the condition of airplane ears. Excessive wax buildup inside the ear can block the canal and cause serious discomfort during the flight. You should consider removing ear wax. There are several methods to clean your ear, such as a syringe bulb, Bebird Note5 Pro, cleansing oils, and ear drops.
Conclusion
Most people experience airplane ear discomfort during flights. It is common but manageable. Some essential medications and methods can reduce the pain. Therefore, everyone suffering from airplane ears should understand the physiological reasons for this so that they can diagnose it themselves. Techniques like swallowing, chewing, wearing earplugs, and performing the Valsalva maneuver can reduce this.
However, it is always better to consult a doctor if you have a severe problem or if simple methods are not helping much. He can guide you so that you enjoy your next trip without any ear problems.
