Whenever I'm getting ready to land on a airplane the pressure in my ears get really bad.?

Question

A few days ago I rode an airplane for the first time and we're traveling from Detroit to Portland, OR. Going up my ears kept popping like crazy and towards the decline my ears had so much pressure in them that it hurt so bad, I have never been in so much pain before at all. I was chewing gum the whole way like everybody told me and that the never helped. I had my Ipod in my ears and that never helped either. What can I do to prevent that from happening again?

Answer 1

The tubes that connect your mouth to your middle ear (eustachian tubes) might be unusually small or blocked.  This is often a problem for children, people who have allergies, and people with infections like a cold.  These tubes allow pressure to be equalized on both sides of your eardrum as you climb or descend, and if they are blocked, the pain from the pressure difference can be excruciating.

The standard methods for encouraging the tubes to open include chewing gum or candy, swallowing, yawning, and stretching.  If you have a cold or active allergies, you might want to avoid flying until they subside.  Other than that, there isn't much you can do.

Short flights at lower altitudes involve fewer pressure changes and may be easier to tolerate.  New aircraft are better at managing pressure than very old aircraft, although sometimes it's hard to know which aircraft models have the best pressurization systems unless you're an aviation fan.

The fact that you had problems the first time doesn't mean that you'll always have problems, so you can always try again.  If it always hurts, and the standard methods don't work, your only option is to try to avoid flying.

Answer 2

yawn

Answer 3

Well, I dont know how to prevent it, but I do know how to get rid of it. ll you have to do is plug your nose and hold your breath. Then you try to breathe, without un plugging your nose, or opening your mouth. Ive done it before and it works.

Answer 4

Swallowing sometimes helps equalise the pressure in the ear, if you have a cold the eustation tubes which relieve pressure may become blocked and that really hurts.  Try sucking a boiled sweet.

Answer 5

suck a boiled sweet or a lollipop hard