I'm flying tomorrow and I have a really bad problem with my ears?

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Janice

When the plane is in lift-off trying covering your ears with your palms rounded so as to minimize the pressure. Swalowing really hard also helps but it has to be done properly to be effective. Everyone has this problem, it subsides after a couple of minutes. GL:)

SNL

yawn

Nicole

Try EarPlane ear plugs. My husband and I both have horrible pain when we fly so the last time I tried these ear plugs and I had a very comfortable trip for a change! They are a little pricey but they are very worth it. I would buy a pair for each flight you take becuase they do not recommend that you reuse them.

jihyun

that happens to me all the time when im at somewhere really high.
you just have to ignore it.
u cannot stop it. the best way is to just swallow.
this is normal to everyone. seeing a doctor is useless.

im 14 and i just get over it. and my ears are worse than yours cuz i was born with a hearing loss. I HATE IT

Nina

i just swallow

Alex P

gum helps, and maybe get some sleeping pills so you can just sleep through the flight =P

Gerald J

You've pretty much received all the right answers, but here's what the doctors at the Mayo Clinic recommend:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/airplane-ear/DS00472/DSECTION=prevention

michellaneous413

UGH. the same thing happens to me. Nothing works for me. It hurts so bad I usually start crying!

You cant really do anything to stop it. You just need to hold your nose and blow out from your nose. Or yawn

Just Dance â˜®

You can buy these little earplug thingys that balance the pressure in your ear as you increase elevation. They're not expensive ($3-10) and you can find them at a drug store like DrugFair, RiteAid, or CVS. I use them all the time and they really help.

P.S. You will look like Frankenstein while wearing them. LOL

Emily

i just flew home yesterday;; :]
yawning really works well
swallowing, eating something, chewing gum...
gulps of water is the most efficient way though :]

Jungle J

do a big yawn.

4nik8r

chewing gum works very well, or they have plugs that are supposed to help I think but try the gum

Gracie

Take a decongestant well before you get on the plane. It really helps.

joe o

I've been a flight attendant for 10 years... I do this whenever I have a cold or bad alergies when flying.

I suggest taking Sudafed (for congestion; get the Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride), Loratadine (anti allergy), Ibuprofen (All 3 of these were doctor recommended).

And use a saline nasal spray, like 'Oceans'. (Not something like Afrin).

Keep up on drinking water to stay hydrated and yawn a lot during take-off and landing.

Keep your head upright during take-off and landing as well.

Good luck and have a safe trip.

Boomer

Yes. Forget the gum and the water because what you are experiencing is pressure differential. Let me explain and bear with me.

As a SCUBA diver, we have the same problem but in reverse. For us, we are dealing with pressure from depth, which is outside pressure. We hold our nose and blow to equalize the pressure on our ears, which would implode if we didn't.

In your case, the pressure is pulling from within, rather than pushing from without. What you need to do is hold your nose and try to inhale to equalize the lack of the pressure.

ATM's is the "atmosphereic pressure" known as 1 ATM at sea level of 33 ft. of pressure. For each 33 ft. you submerge in water is 1 extra ATM. (you will note this on watches, that may have "water resistant to 3 ATM"). This means it will resist water to 66 ft. (remember you are already at 1 ATM at sea level, which is already 33 ft. of pressure). If you submerge 1 ATM you are at + 66 ft.of pressure. If you rise 33 ft. above sea level you are at a negative 2 ATM and so on until you reach your flight level or cabin pressure.

However, the plane cabin is pressurized to resemble no more than 3 ATM (33 ft. X 3 = 99 ft.), but again, subtract 33 ft. at sea level pressure, leaving you wiith 66 ft. of pressure or -2 ATM. This is enough to cause your ears to ring or to feel that negative pressure. We divers feel this positive pressure at only 20 ft. of depth and have to continue to "equalize" as we go further down.

What does this mean? To a diver it is critical information; to you it is not. I could have just told you to hold your nose and try to breath in, but I wanted you to know why. The positive and negative pressure is caused by gravity, The closer you are to the earth, the more pressure you experience. The further from the earth you are, the less pressure you experience. Since water is heavier than air, divers experience emense pressure to their ears and body. Because air is lighter the higher you are, the pressure reverses itself and becomes a vaccum.

So, the steps to increase or decrease pressure depends upon where you are in relation to our sea level of 1 ATM.

mystery

I know that this sounds a little weird, but it works.

Open your mouth pretty wide.
put some spit at the back of your mouth and when your mouth is open try to swollow it. you might want to practice so that you know how before you get ont he plane.

Another thing you can do is....

hold your nose and close your mouth and try to blow out. You should feel a little pop in your ears and then you can hear everything really loudly through one ear. Do it for the other ear too.

Another thing you can do is...

Yawn

good luck

hurt_so_bad

Ask the airline staff for the earplugs and they will provide it for you. All airlines has earlpugs

Patient 220

If you can possibly yawn (or make your jaw do the yawning motion) it will help too. The chewing gum and swallowing all make the same basic motion, which is why it's "prescribed." Chewing/swallowing/yawning anything will help.

Bubbles

I recommend putting small soft earplugs in each ear to keep noises out.

Aaron Dean

ear plugs work the best

patches

I have the same problem and a solution. Buy there personal earphones and plug it into the music. It does work.

msaquariuscg

go to sleep

wassup=P

try earplugs they helped me when i flew to new york.

Michelle

My husband has the same problem. Try taking a Sudafed about an hour before you take off. (or any kind of decongesant)....It works wonders for him.

Sue

I really dont think there is. i would prefer doing those things so my ears pop, rather than being uncomfortable with built up pressure.

fishink123

haha well thats about everytihng...try blanceing a lemon on your head and drinking water....or eat the lemon and balance the water...is that for sea sickness???

Nick O

the best thing to do is yawn. if you don't know how to make yourself yawn, well don't worry because i do! what you do is relax and try swallowing gulps of air. pull in air to your mouth and swallow it. continue doing this until you yawn and make sure you don't exhale till you yawn. whenever i fly i do this every 10-15 or so to keep the popping minimal

ÇÇÊ‡ ÊŽÇÉ¾

I always thought the pressure stays the same in an airplane as the airplane moves up, I never really felt my ears pop as the airplane moves up, I'd stick with drinking water from a water bottle.

YonyonJohn

I would suggest popping your ears (hold your nose closed and try to exhale from it), or maybe wearing air tight ear buds. I think that they sell things like that in sports stores for swimming.

Quixoni D

Take some Decolgen or some other nasal decongestant to help open your nasopharynx canal. Aside from gum, Drinking water also helps clear the pressure build up.

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