I have been plagued with severe ear pain and popping on airplanes for many years, so I’ve found a few tricks that work well for me. Hopefully, they’ll work for you, too.
I’m sure you already know about chewing gum or sucking on candy. It’s the swallowing action that helps in this case, but it doesn’t do much for those of us with a more acute problem.
If the pressure becomes severe enough, you can actually rupture your eardrum. So pay heed to these tips.
- Try a saline or Flonase spray in your nose before the flight or right before the descent if that’s when you’re bothered the most. I can always tell, for example, when the plane has started to descend – long before the pilot tells us so. The spray helps to clear the Eustachian tubes in your ears.
- Use EarPlanes. I’m so grateful for the person who invented these rubber ear inserts. They’ve been a lifesaver for me. They even keep me from having the severe pain that I had much more frequently before they came on the market. I’m hardly a doctor, but from what I understand, they help to open up the passage and allow for more airflow through the Eustachian tubes. All I know is that they work! They make them in child sizes, too.
- Try homeopathic ear drops. While I’m not certain these really help me, I use them anyway because I figure they’re unlikely to hurt me. And if there’s any congestion in my ears, these can help to clear it.
- Pinch your nose. There’s something called the Toynbee maneuver that scuba divers use. It involves pinching your nose and swallowing gently at the same time. Some people also pinch their nose shut and then try to blow out of the nostrils, which sends the pressure out toward the ears. This can cause ear popping and is potentially dangerous to your eardrums, so I don’t recommend it. But people sometimes do it out of desperation. If you try it, just don’t blow too hard.
- Try steam. I once had a terrible sinus infection on a flight from London to New York, and nothing was working to curb the horrible pain in my ears. A flight attendant brought me paper towels soaked in steaming hot water in a cup. I held the cup near my ears to get some of the steam to go inside. I don’t know how much it helped, but it was definitely soothing. Of course, you have to be careful not to burn yourself! You could also try a warm washcloth over the ear.
- Massage. I have found that massaging the area in front of and behind my ears can be helpful. Or press down on tender spots for a few seconds. This is something I recommend doing for children (gently) if they start crying or screaming during a plane’s descent. I feel for kids because most of the time, their parents have no idea why they’re screaming. But children’s ears are even more susceptible to popping and pain than adults. They aren’t just being difficult!
- Give babies a bottle or pacifier. If your baby starts to wail on the plane’s descent, pull out the bottle or pacifier. The sucking motion is probably the best thing to curb their ear discomfort and pain.
- Yawn. For those of you who only have a slight problem, this can sometimes work. And if your child is old enough to understand, suggest they do this while you also give them some gum or candy to suck on.
- Avoid flying when you have a cold or ear/sinus infection. If at all possible, don’t fly when you or your child are stuffed up. The discomfort and pain just might not be worth it.
Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 43 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.
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