While traveling by air, it isn’t uncommon to experience or overhear someone complaining about ear pain. It doesn’t matter if you are a frequent flyer; ear issues can affect anyone during flights, and there’s almost no getting used to it. While there’s not a whole lot that one can do to avoid this, this article will explain the causes of ear pain and some remedies you can try out on your next trip.

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The causes

Modern airplanes are nothing short of an engineering marvel. Flying hundreds of passengers 30,000 ft. above the ground while they feel nothing is indeed a herculean feat. Well, they feel almost nothing.

Airplanes artificially pressurize the cabin while flying to allow all those onboard to have a seemingly normal and comfortable journey. Simply put, cabin pressurization is when conditioned air is pumped into the aircraft to make flying at high altitudes possible. However, the transition from natural atmospheric pressure on the ground to artificial pressurization isn’t exactly smooth or always accurate.

This causes a difference in pressure between your inner ear and the surrounding region. While pressure differences like these generally don’t cause any problems, the main issue is the speed with which that pressure difference is created. Aircraft gain altitude at rates in excess of 2,000 ft./minute, making it difficult for pressures inside and outside your ears to equalize quickly.

The pressurization system is hard at work to ensure cabin pressures remain favorable for passengers. However, the system seldom works in proportion to the altitude gain. In fact, most times the aircraft will start to pressurize just after the pilots set take-off thrust, even before rotating out of the runway.

When the pressure difference gets too much, it causes stress on your eardrums, resulting in discomfort or pain. The medical term for this phenomenon is ear barotrauma.

Some remedies

Ear pain caused on flights is likely to go away once your ear has had a chance to equalize the pressure with respect to that of the surrounding environment. However, there are some things you can do to try and mitigate the pain.

Swallowing is the best remedy to decrease ear pain naturally. It facilitates equalization of air pressure providing the inner ear with air bubbles which are then absorbed into the membranes. This process is continuously happening without you realizing it but has to be accelerated during flight to cope with rapid changes in pressure. Taking hard-boiled sweets to suck on during ascent and descent can help.

The Valsalva maneuver is another effective way to relieve pain. This method involves closing your mouth and nostrils shut and forcing air out as if you were blowing your nose. Do this gently and for a short period of time for the best results. Yawning or stretching your jaw can also help release trapped air.

These remedies are only for healthy individuals with moderate ear discomfort while flying. If your pain becomes unbearable, it is better to speak to cabin crew, or to discuss your situation with a medical professional once on the ground.

How often do you experience ear pain while flying? Tell us how you usually deal with it in the comments.