Why do your ears hurt when you're on a plane?

Question

Why does chewing gum and yawning help?

Answer 1

pressure on your sensitive ear drums. yawning and chewing gum "pop" your ears by evening the pressure.

Answer 2

The aircraft is pressurized because there is less atmospheric pressure at altitude and human beings need air pressure for feed air into our lungs when we inhale. If the plane wasn't pressurized we would need to use oxygen to breath when the aircraft flies high.  What happens as the plane goes up is the air pressure in your ears remains the same as sea level but the plane starts to pressurize slowly as it climbs. The air pressure outside your head is higher than the air pressure inside and this air pressure forces its way into your narrow ear cavities and sinuses. The small pain you are feeling is this pressure.  Yawning or chewing creates movement that allows the pressure in your head to equalize.  faster. Typically when the aircraft is at 35,000ft the cabin pressure is equivalent to around 8000ft. As you descend the opposite happens. Air pressure in your head pushes out to equalize to the cabin pressure.

Answer 3

The reason your ears hurt is the chg in air pressure. As the plane gains altitude the air system inside the plane adjust which causes pressure on the inner ear and ear drum which cause pain. Yawning or chewing gum relieves that pressure and cause the built up pressure to expel itself through the nose and mouth.

Answer 4

Your ears pop in air planes because the air high above the surface of Earth is less dense than air near the surface. As you ascend in an airplane and the air pressure decreases, the air trapped in your inner ear will cause your eardrums to push outward. This expansion causes not only the discomfort you feel before your ears "pop," but also a decrease in hearing ability, because the pressure on your ears drums makes the sound harder to transmit. Your body can equalize the pressure between your inner ear and the atmosphere by allowing some air from your inner ear to escape through the Eustachian tubes, two small channels that connect the inner ears to the throat, one on each side. When they open, you feel the pressure release and you hear the change because it’s happening in your ear. This equalization of pressure is the "pop."

On the way down from an air plane flight, the air pressure increases, while your inner ear is still at the lower pressure it has adjusted to. Now, the extra pressure pushes the eardrums inward. Eventually, the pressure will equalize again, but many people don’t like to wait, they want to "pop" their ears.

For take-offs and landings (the WHOLE way up, and starting from the BEGINNING, or TOP of descent - about an hour before landing) the best ways to alleviate pressure are to:

*Chew gum

*Drink something

*Suck on a hard candy or mints

*Yawn

*Pinch the nostrils shut, take a deep breath in through the mouth, then force the air into the back of the nose as if trying to blow your nose

*Place hot damp towels (usually like the ones distributed to first and business class before take-off and landing to freshen up with - just ask a flight attendant for them) or paper towels that have been soaked in hot water and wrung out at the bottom of two paper or styrofoam cups, then hold the cups over the ears.

*Another trick that used mainly on babies and small children, but can be used on anyone, is to gently but with some pressure, rub your neck repeatedly from the chin to the base of the neck. This will cause a swallowing motion that will relieve pressure build-up in the ears.

For more in-depth information, plus security rules and I wrote a small about flying that goes more in-depth, gives security rules and regulations for the US, EU, UK, and Australia, offers tips and tricks for the travel, etc.

http://www.angelfire.com/jamiehassen79/t...

If I can be of any more help or assistance, please feel free to contact me.

Answer 5

Because of the pressure of air friction with the plane.. Im not sure if gum helps

Answer 6

its all about pressure..

PEACE =D

Answer 7

its not that your on a plane that makes your ears pop. your ascending in altidude at a really high speed, sometimes it happens when your going up a steep/high hill in a car. chewing gum helps to encourage swallowing... which eases the popping in your ears

Answer 8

Plug cotton into your ears  as soon as  you get into the plane....

Air line can provide you  with the ear plugs ...if  you ask for it...

Then your pain will go away..