Why does the air pressure in the airplane affect our ears and cause pain?

Question

interested! :D i once took a plane to perth australia and my ear drums started to hurt after i woke up towards the end of the flight, i do also know my friends experienced it!

Answer 1

that's why they give to chocalates to eat and cotton to put in the ears. Chocalates help your eardrum get pressured up while cotton in the ear can help you put the pressure on the ears.

Answer 2

Almost everyone does, its very common. Its just like when you go high up on a mountain very quickly or descend from that mountain very quickly. When the plane rises the mechanical air pressure instruments on the plane try to equalize the pressure so that you can breathe, but because of the sensitivity of the human body, it will respond and notice if there is even a slight chance in air pressure and adjust accordingly. The earache you get is from the pressure in your head equalizing with the pressure in the plane.

Answer 3

The problem probably stem from congestion blocking the Eustachian tube, which connects your nose and middle ear. When that happens, the change in cabin pressure during takeoff and landing can make the eardrum retract or expand, causing pain and impairing hearing. To keep the Eustachian tube open, try taking a decongestant-preferably a short-acting nasal spray or drops, such as phenylephrine 0.5% ( Neo-synephrine )-shortly before takeoff. A second dose may be needed shorttly before landing. And good luck on your trip.

Answer 4

This happens on every plane flight.

This is basically because our ears, are SO used to the regular air pressure down back on Earth, that they aren't used to constantly changing pressures. The hurting you feel in your ears is that your body is adjusting to the pressure.

Pilots are always in the air, so they are used to the air pressure above Earth, so their ears don't hurt. Did you know  that some pilots are on the air so much that when they land back down, they aren't used to Earth's pressure, and have ear pain back home?

If the pain really troubles you, then I suggest you chew gum during the pat when it hurts, or close your ears tightly.

Hope I helped!

Akshat

Answer 5

What's Going On?

Air pressure goes down as you go higher in altitude. If you were outside the airplane when it is flying at 30,000 feet, you'd hardly be able to breathe because the air pressure is so low. You can breathe easily in a plane because the cabin is pressurized_the air in it is kept at near-normal pressure. The plane's air pressure is actually slightly less than normal. You feel this slight change as the plane takes off and lands.

The snack bag probably looked a lot puffier once the plane was in the air. The pretzels were packed with normal air pressure, so air presses on the inside and outside of the bag equally. During flight, as the cabin pressure drops, the pressure inside the bag pushes the bag outward. As the plane lands, the air pressure outside the bag increases and pushes on the bag, so it may seem to deflate.

Your eardrums behave like the snack bag. On the ground, your ears are filled with normal air pressure, so air presses on both sides of the eardrum equally. As the air pressure inside the plane drops, the pressure inside your ears pushes the eardrums outward. This can make your ears hurt and distort your hearing. You can relieve this pressure by helping some of the air inside your ear escape through an opening into your throat. (This is called equalizing.) The safest way to equalize your ears is by chewing gum or swallowing. When you have a cold, you may have difficulty equalizing because the opening might be blocked. If this happens, ask a flight attendant for help.

Answer 6

During airplane flights the ears are subjected to changes in air pressure. The middle ear is connected with the upper part of the throat by the Eustachian tube. Its job is to equalize air pressure in the middle ear.

People often have more problems during landing. If the Eustachian tube is blocked from cold or allergies the eardrum will be stretched inward, impairing hearing and causing pain during descent.

If you can't clear your ears on the ground, you should not fly. But if you have to fly, or find yourself with ear pain once airborne, there are some things you can do.