How to lessen ear pain during landing and take off
While traveling by
air, travellers face many problems. They may experience pain in ears during
beginning of flight when the airplane is taking off or during landing. These drastic
changes in height cause air pressure changes and can generate pain in ears.
Actually when
aeroplane taking-off or landing, cabin air pressure changes quickly and disrupts
the balance of pressure between the outer ear and the middle ear. Many individuals
experience trouble when the higher pressure stretches the eardrum, the membrane
separating the outer and middle ears. In flight, passengers who feel ear pain
may exhibit numerous symptoms such as slight discomfort or pain in ear, feeling
of fullness or stuffiness in ear and stifled hearing or slight to moderate
hearing loss. If they experience pain for several hours, individuals’ complaint
of severe pain, pressure in their ears just like being underwater, moderate to
severe hearing loss, ringing in their ear (tinnitus), rotating sensation
(vertigo), vomiting resulting from vertigo, and bleeding from ear.
To lessen ear pain
while air travel, people must follow following tips:
People travelling in
flight can lessen the problem of ear pain through some activities like
swallowing, chewing gum, yawning, or opening their mouth wide.
The Valsalva manoeuvre
may be helpful in reducing ear pain. They can also do activity like close nose
with thumb and index finger and exhale mildly against a closed mouth. They can
repeat this several times, especially during descent, to equalize the pressure
between ears and the airplane cabin.
It is not recommended
to sleep during take-offs and landings.
If people have any
medical problem like severe cough, sinus, nasal congestion or ear infection,
they must reschedule travel plans. People must use filtered earplugs. These earplugs
gradually equalize the pressure against eardrum during take-off and landing.
If there is a
congestion in nasal passage, travellers can use an over-the-counter
decongestant nasal spray to an hour before take-off and landing. But avoid
overuse.
If travellers have
allergy to food or anything, do not forget to take allergy medication about an
hour before your flight.
To recap, it is
important to take precautions while planning to fly as several medical issues
may develop. Ear pain is very common during landing and take-off. Travellers
experience pain or discomfort during landing and take-off due to sudden change
in pressure which blocks small tubes. Best practice to reduce such problem is
yawning, swallowing, and become awaken during this time in flight.
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