Plugged ears: how to avoid plugging your ears on an airplane?

It can be when it takes off or when it lands; It can be when you are going through turbulence or at any point during the journey. The truth is that ears feel clogged when We travel by plane it’s something like that frequent and annoying.

Although it can also happen when we perform various activities – such as diving or driving on mountain roads, among others – at the time of to fly is when having ears covered becomes more annoying and intense.

Why are your ears covered on the plane?

The first thing to keep in mind is that when we travel by plane we experience a change in atmospheric pressurewhich causes our ears to be covered compensate for pressure differences.

In medical terms, this is known as barotrauma or ​barotrauma. “Barotrauma of the ear is the pressure on the eardrum what happens when the air pressure in the middle ear and the air pressure in the environmental that’s it unbalanced“, they explain from the Mayo Clinic website.

But let’s see in detail what is the reason for this sensation of clogged ears when we fly. First, when the plane takes off, the air pressure outside the ear decreases. This means the air inside the ear “pushes” it outi.e. towards the eardrum.

when landinstead, the air pressure increases. Thus, it happens that the eardrum is like “sucked” indetails Widex.cl.

These changes in air pressure are too strong for the tuba or Eustachian tubethe tube that runs between the middle ear and the pharynx, which normally regulates pressure in the ear around the eardrum.

In short, at the time of the sudden change in pressurethe body is not able to equalize the internal pressure of the ear with the external one, with which the Eustachian tube is blocked and it is this that generates the annoying – and sometimes painful – feeling of blocked ear

The barotrauma It is not dangerous. However, if ear pain or a feeling of blockage continues long after the flight, it is advisable to consult a doctor.

What to do if my ears are blocked on the plane?

1-Do not sleep during takeoff or landing. First, recommend the mayonnaise clinicIt’s best not to fall asleep at this time so that you can practice different techniques if you feel pressure in your ears.

2- Yawning or swallowing during takeoff and landing. These movements activate the muscles that open the Eustachian tubes. In these cases, you can eat candy or chewing gum.

3-Use earplugs. In addition to protecting us from annoying external noise, earplugs slowly balance the pressure on the eardrum during takeoff and landing and reduce discomfort or pain. However, it’s also important to yawn and swallow to relieve the pressure.

4- “Toynbee” maneuver. This is a technique that helps equalize the pressure in the ears. How is the procedure? You should pinch your nose to cover it and take a few sips of water at the same time.

5- Valsalva Maneuver. This technique is the most used among divers. You should blow gently, as if blowing your nose, by covering your nose with your fingers and keeping your mouth closed. Especially during landing, it is convenient to repeat this maneuver several times to balance the pressure between the ears and the aircraft cabin.