Earache when flying
On holiday you sometimes have to deal with height differences; while diving, in a lift or on a hike or car ride in the mountains. You may then suffer from closed or ringing ears. Air travel is perhaps the most famous example. Popping ears are not an unknown phenomenon for many.
It ear consists of three parts: the outer ear (auris externa), the middle ear (auris media) and the inner ear (auris interna). The middle ear is connected to the nasal cavity and pharynx by the Eustachian tube. You can see this approximately 35 millimeters long and 2 to 3 millimeters wide tube as the pressure regulator.
Eardrum
The Eustachian tube allows air to pass from the nose to the middle ear, so that the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum remains the same. Normally, the pressure in the ear is continuously adjusted to the pressure in the environment. Yawning, swallowing, talking, coughing, and sneezing all help balance air pressure.
If you are in an airplane and the airplane is going to fly higher, the pressure in the cabin will gradually decrease. The pressure in the middle ear can then feel relatively high. It eardrum then bulges out slightly. If the pressure difference increases, the Eustachian tube can burst open with a ‘pop’. Air is then released from the middle ear. When descending, the pressure in the cabin increases. The middle ear pressure is then relatively low and the eardrum bulges slightly inwards. Now when the Eustachian tube opens, air flows into the inner ear.
Earache
Normally you will only notice the difference in height by ‘popping’ ears. People who have problems with their ears sometimes suffer from pain or dizziness. With a cold or ear infection, the mucous membranes around the Eustachian tube can swell. This makes it more difficult to equalize the pressure and you may experience pain in the middle ear.
At a hefty common cold or ear infection it is therefore not recommended to fly. You may experience acute ear pain with sharp stinging, hearing impairment or deafness, and even balance disorders. These complaints usually disappear after a few hours, but with an extreme pressure difference the eardrum can rupture. The pain then disappears, but medical treatment is necessary.
Tips
Ear pain cannot always be prevented, but you can take a number of measures to relieve the complaints. It helps to chew gum, suck on a candy, swallow hard or yawn well: this causes your ears to ‘pop’ and the pressure is released. If you notice your ears popping shut, gently pinch your nose. Then pretend to blow, but keep both the nose and mouth closed. This also helps the ears to pop open again. Don’t blow too hard, that can make the pain worse.
You can also use a nose spray. If you spray the nasal spray in both nostrils within an hour before takeoff and landing, the nasal mucosa shrinks a bit. That way there is less pressure on the ears. If you suffer from earaches, you can also take a painkiller. In addition, there are Earbuds for the plane.
General practitioner
If the earache persists for more than half a day, it is wise to consult a doctor. The same applies if your ears remain closed. In the first case there may be an ear infection, as long as you have it you cannot fly back. With closed ears there is a good chance that a plug of earwax has pushed against the eardrum, which can also cause problems on the way back.
