{"id":8804,"date":"2021-05-17T16:31:34","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T23:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/househearing.fm1.dev\/?p=8804"},"modified":"2023-05-17T09:34:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T16:34:53","slug":"how-to-avoid-ear-pain-on-airplanes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/househearing.com\/how-to-avoid-ear-pain-on-airplanes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Ear Pain on Airplanes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether traveling first class, coach or economy, there\u2019s one thing everyone has in common when taking off from LAX<\/a>: ear pain and pressure. Below we review what exactly causes this discomfort and how to avoid it.<\/p>\n\n\n

What Causes Pressure in the Ears on Airplanes?<\/h2>\n\n
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Your Eustachian tubes, which connect the middle ear to the throat, have the important job of equalizing the air pressure between your ears and your environment. When the air pressure within the inner ear and outside the ear are the same, it means the Eustachian tubes are doing their job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when experiencing rapid changes in altitude, like taking off or landing in a plane, your Eustachian tubes can\u2019t keep up, and the air pressure is unequal, a phenomenon known as barotrauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the pressure of the ear is higher than the environment, the tympanic membrane (eardrum) swells outward, and when the pressure of the ear is lower, the membrane is sucked inward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, there are ways to assist the Eustachian tubes and help prevent barotrauma<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

Strategies for Preventing Ear Pain on a Plane<\/h2>\n\n\n

In order to equalize pressure, you have to introduce air to the Eustachian tubes. To do this, you can\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n