The most annoying and sometimes painful thing to feel on an airplane is ear popping! For most people, this can make air travel very uncomfortable and frustrating.
What causes this?
Whenever there is a sudden change in air pressure, the pressure in the cavity that is located behind your eardrum tries to change as well. However, sometimes the cavity has a little trouble and the change is delayed.
The difference in pressure between the cavity and the outside of the ear is what causes the uncomfortable feeling. According to doctors, (and Wikipedia) this is called barotrauma.
So, when you finally do something such as yawn, you will feel that pop in your ear meaning that the air in your cavity and the air outside have reached equilibrium.
Prevention Tips:
Yawn: one of the most common remedies, yawning helps gives an extra push. When yawning, try to open your mouth as widely and as openly as possible. Even though this might not be aesthetically pleasing to the public, it helps!
Valsalva Maneuver: this method takes a lot of practice to perform correctly, but it is one way to help reach equilibrium in air pressure. All you do is pinch your nose and GENTLY blow.
If you blow too hard you will feel a pain when your ears a pop, and that is what we are trying to prevent!
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
