When we take a plane, when the plane rises to a certain height, the external pressure will decrease, and the pressure in our middle ear will be higher than the external pressure, so that the tympanic membrane in our ears will protrude outward. So many people have earache or buzzing all the time when flying. Why do they have earache when flying?
Which people are more likely to have earache by plane
1. People with weak eustachian tube.
Our ears, the tympanic membrane between the middle ear and the external auditory canal is closed, and the middle ear chamber is connected with the pharynx through the eustachian tube. Moreover, the pressure in the middle ear chamber is balanced with the atmospheric pressure through the eustachian tube. When the eustachian tube is weak, the function of keeping the air pressure balance in the ear is relatively weak.
2. People with rhinitis and sinusitis.
When we have rhinitis or sinusitis, the eustachian tube is likely to be blocked. The obstruction of eustachian tube itself will lead to the weakening of function, that is, when the ear is affected by the change of air pressure, it will produce pain.
3. People with cold and stuffy nose.
Our eustachian tube is also easily blocked if we have a cold and a stuffy nose. Cold, pharyngitis patients due to nasopharynx inflammation or edema, therefore, Eustachian tube will be more blocked. When the plane goes up or down, the ambient atmospheric pressure changes with altitude, which will cause discomfort and pain.
4. It's easier for children, too.
If the passengers on the plane are infants or teenagers, because their eustachian tube has not developed well, if the plane reaches a certain height, we need to balance the pressure in the middle ear and the external pressure through the eustachian tube. Therefore, the function of children in this aspect has not been developed in place.
How to prevent ear pain in flying
You can chew some food constantly.
When we fly, we usually provide some food, such as nuts. We can also bring our own snacks, such as peanuts, gum, biscuits and so on. When we feel a little uncomfortable in our ears, we immediately start eating these foods, which will effectively relieve the pain symptoms.
Some drugs can be used.
Before taking the plane, if the symptoms of ear pain often appear in the past, it is necessary to supplement with the information of drugs. We can ask the doctor to prescribe some vasoconstrictor drugs. When the plane is going up or down, we can drop the drugs into the nasal cavity, so as to dilate the pharynx drum and relieve the discomfort.
You can wear airplane earplugs.
Aircraft earplugs can automatically adjust the air pressure in our ears. When the aircraft goes up or down, or when there is a problem with the supercharging equipment in the cabin, we can choose to wear aircraft earplugs if other methods are ineffective.
Swallowing or yawning.
We can swallow saliva or yawn, which is conducive to local muscle activity, so that the pressure in the ear pharyngeal tube can be adjusted as soon as possible. The eustachian tube can also be opened by yawning to allow air to enter and leave the tympanic chamber freely and ensure the balance of air pressure inside and outside the tympanic chamber.
Hold your nose and puff.
If you feel uncomfortable with your ears, you can pinch your nose to inflate the eardrum. This is conducive to reducing the pressure difference between inside and outside the ears, so as to achieve a state of gradual balance. In this way, our ears will not feel uncomfortable.