Stuffed ear like an airplane what to do. Ears hurt after the plane, does not go away: what to do? Plugged up your ears on the plane. The structure of the human ear

Most people traveling by airliner often experience the discomfort of stuffy ears when taking off or landing an aircraft. This is usually explained by the difference between normal pressure at ground level and reduced pressure in the cabin. However, there are several more reasons why the ears are blocked on the plane, and for a certain category of air passengers suffering from certain diseases, pressure drops can be a health hazard.

Causes of stuffy ears in airliners

Usually the ears are laid during takeoff and landing of the aircraft. During a sharp takeoff, with a rapid climb, the air pressure in the cavity of the inner ear behind the eardrum is higher than in the cabin of an airliner. Moreover, the degree of increase in the pain syndrome increases with a sharp takeoff, when the time for lifting the aircraft is limited and the body does not have time to adapt to pressure fluctuations. After climbing, for many people with a normally functioning vestibular apparatus, the discomfort during the flight disappears, and the discomfort reappears when the airliner lands. Some people experience similar sensations when lifting and lowering on high-speed elevators of skyscrapers.

In addition to purely physiological reasons, the ears can be laid in the presence of any disease, for example, swelling of the ear or nasopharynx. In this case, hemorrhage into the eardrum may occur, in severe cases leading to its rupture.

Even the accumulated nasopharyngeal mucus increases the degree of congestion in the ears. In all these cases, the auditory canal decreases in its cross section, and the pressure balance between the environment and the body is restored at a slow pace.

Some individuals with physiological defects in the structure of the auricle have a very difficult takeoff and landing adaptation.

A number of particularly emotional people who are afraid of flying begin to worry, and their blood pressure rises, which makes the unpleasant sensations of ear congestion more exacerbated.

With the problem of stuffy ears during takeoff and landing, passengers faced at the dawn of the advent of civil aviation. And the distribution of mints by flight attendants before takeoff is not a tribute to fashion, but a means of reducing the severity of unpleasant sensations.

A fairly effective way to reduce takeoff and landing discomfort is to imitate yawns or perform chewing and swallowing movements. In this case (as in the case of resorption of mint sweets), a hole opens slightly in the Eustachian tube, and the pressure in the body (the cavity of the ear apparatus) equalizes with the pressure in the cabin of the aircraft. If the flight is made with a small child, then during takeoff, you should give him a pacifier, a bottle of juice or water.

In case of a severe runny nose or the presence of an inflammatory disease in the ear apparatus, it is better to refuse the flight. If this is not possible, it is necessary to take vasodilators and cold remedies with you, which will allow you to more painlessly adapt to pressure changes. Therefore, you should not be afraid of stuffy ears and torment yourself with the question of why the ears are blocked on the plane. There are many ways and means to avoid this unpleasant phenomenon, and you should use one of them.

Air travel, of course, saves time, and is convenient in all respects. But many continue to be afraid to fly on airplanes. However, this is a psychological problem. Let's talk about something more tangible: discomfort during the flight.

Why do you block your ears on an airplane?

Usually stuffy ears during takeoff and landing. This is due to a sharp change in pressure, and not at all with the operation of the engines, as many mistakenly believe. The engines are running during the flight. The ears are laid for the simple reason that the rate of pressure change during takeoff and landing is so high that the Eustachian tube does not have time to equalize the pressure on both sides of the eardrum.

The Eustachian tube, also known as the auditory tube, is a tubular canal that connects the middle ear cavity with the nasopharynx. Its main function is to maintain a balance between the EAP (external atmospheric pressure) and the pressure in the tympanic cavity.

As we have already said, the auditory tube communicates with the nasopharynx, and it is quite in our power to help it equalize pressure with the most primitive movements when it cannot cope with it on its own.

What to do so that the ears on the plane do not lay:

Make swallowing movements (this is why lollipops are given on airplanes, they increase salivation, which is why we swallow more often, and this, in turn, provides air access to the right part of the middle ear)
Open your mouth during takeoff and landing

If this does not help, then more effective ways are:

Yawn
Movement of the jaw forward, backward, sideways
Breathing out with a closed nose

If you have a runny nose, don't forget to stock up on vasoconstrictor nasal drops.

So that the ears do not lay the child

It is not always possible for young children to explain what needs to be done so that their ears are not blocked. And this is understandable, it is generally difficult for a child to understand what stuffy ears are, and what sensations await him on the plane. You have probably come across a situation where a child cries a lot on an airplane, and his parents fail to calm him down. Most likely, his ears were just stuffed up, and this is unpleasant and painful. Just give your baby a bottle with a pacifier. Here you have sucking movements along with swallowing - the simplest solution to the problem.

How to avoid discomfort on an airplane

Plugged ears are not the whole price to pay for speed.

Swelling of the legs- manifested during long flights. It doesn’t threaten anything if everything is in order with the circulatory system. People with thrombophlebitis and varicose veins are advised to wear compression stockings for the duration of the flight and at least occasionally walk around the cabin. Minimal warm-up movements are recommended for everyone, taking off their shoes.

Nausea- most often has a psychological background. Many are afraid to fly, so they are very nervous. First of all, if you are afraid of flying, take a sedative and stop being nervous. This will save you a lot of discomfort. To increase your peace of mind, you can take with you medicines for motion sickness or antiemetics, for example, cerucal. This is especially true if the cause of nausea is not an overstrained nervous system, but problems with the vestibular apparatus or other internal organs.

Headache- often associated not only with a sharp change in pressure, but also with a monotonous “buzz” and engine hum. In this case, you should not endure pain, especially during long flights, after which you will find yourself in a different climatic and / or time zone (desynchronization). Any headache pill will do: Citramon, Analgin, and Paracetamol. You can ask the flight attendants for them.

If you feel bad on the plane, do not keep silent about it and do not try to endure it. Notify the steward. On board, you will be provided with all possible assistance, and services on the ground have been warned in advance, and qualified medical assistance will already be waiting for you at the airport (included in the ticket price, with the purchase of which you also pay for medical insurance).

Do not be afraid to fly and remember that in addition to stuffy ears (appearing not for everyone), nothing unpleasant awaits you on board the aircraft. The only exceptions are:

Newborns (under 7 days old)
Pregnant women (more than 36 weeks)

People suffering:

increased intracranial pressure
pneumatorex
severe respiratory diseases
infectious diseases
decompression sickness
sickle cell anemia
mental disorders in the acute stage

People who have recently transferred:

Myocardial infarction or stroke (7-10 days before flight)
Surgical intervention with the introduction of air into a closed body cavity

Anyone who has ever flown in an airplane is familiar with the feeling of stuffy ears that occurs during takeoff and landing. For some people, the unpleasant symptom is mild and disappears immediately, while others may suffer from discomfort for several hours and even days after the flight.

Why does he plug his ears on an airplane? How to avoid the occurrence of an unpleasant symptom during the flight?

There are actually several reasons for stuffy ears. In addition to the most understandable and common - pressure drops - some pathological processes in the hearing organs and ear plug can affect the intensity and duration of discomfort.

Pressure drops

The most common reason why the ear is blocked during a flight or after an airplane is the reaction of the ENT system to pressure drops. In the normal state, the Eustachian tube manages to equalize it, but during takeoff and especially during landing, atmospheric pressure changes so quickly that the organs simply cannot cope with the task.

As a result, the tympanic membrane bends into the middle ear due to the difference in pressure, which causes a feeling of congestion, discomfort, and sometimes even pain.

Plug in ear

The presence of wax in the ear can greatly increase the discomfort during takeoff or landing. The accumulated masses under the influence of the movements of the eardrum can move a little deeper, which will lead to long-term and painful discomfort.

Pathological processes in the organs of hearing

A number of diseases localized in the hearing organs or the ENT system can significantly aggravate the unpleasant symptoms that occur during the flight:

Eustachitis. This is an inflammation of the auditory tube, which connects the middle ear and the nasopharynx. The main function of this section of the ENT system is to equalize pressure. In the inflammatory process, the Eustachian tube swells and cannot fulfill its role. Therefore, even the slightest pressure drops during the flight cause excruciating symptoms in patients.
Otitis. This disease is very often the culprit for ear blockage in an airplane. If you have an inflammatory process in the active phase, swelling of the tissues of the hearing organ and the tympanic membrane itself prevents the membrane from responding properly to the external environment and pressure drops. The same effect occurs in patients who have often suffered from otitis, and their eardrum is all covered with scars. These adhesions prevent the membrane from responding adequately to change, leading to congestion.
An ear can also be blocked in an airplane against the background of an actively developing hearing loss. If you not only regularly experience discomfort during the flight, but also the quality of hearing is noticeably reduced, contact an otolaryngologist.

Preventive measures

What to do if you lay your ears on airplanes? To slightly reduce or even prevent the manifestation of discomfort during takeoff and landing, you can use effective and proven methods:

In order not to block your ears, take the proposed lollipops from the stewardess and dissolve them during takeoff and landing;
when climbing or landing, just open your mouth a little - this will allow the auditory tube to perform its function through the nasopharynx;
if you suffer from a runny nose, before the start of the flight, drip vasoconstrictor drops into the blocked nasal passages; in case of allergic rhinitis, use antihistamines;
it is better for babies to offer a pacifier in advance, and for older children - lollipops;
ear plugs that can be bought in advance at a pharmacy or at the airport are effective in preventing congestion.

If your ears are stuffed up in an airplane during a flight, the following methods will help you:

Make a series of swallowing movements;
try opening and closing your mouth;
try to induce a yawn;
chew gum or drink water;
draw air into the lungs and, closing the nose and mouth, gently exhale "into the ears" - this method will straighten the position of the eardrum;
to help the membrane into place after the flight is completed, finger pressure on the auditory canals of both ears helps.

If the above methods do not help, and the feeling of congestion in the ears is accompanied by pain and severe discomfort, do not delay and urgently contact an otolaryngologist for advice.

Usually the pressure in the tympanic cavity and the external environment is the same. But at the moment the plane takes off, the atmospheric pressure decreases and there is a pressure difference between the pressure in the cavities of our body and the outside pressure. The air in the middle ear (by the way, not only there, but also in the paranasal sinuses, intestines, etc.) expands and presses on the eardrum, which leads to a feeling of congestion in the ears. To get rid of this feeling, you need to equalize the pressure.

How to get rid of ear congestion

Swallow several times.
Open your mouth wide several times. Yawn (about yawn >>>)
Blow out the Eustachian tube - pinch the nose with two fingers and gently exhale the air several times through the closed nose (while the mouth is also closed).

In order not to lay the ear on the plane

Sucking on lollipops (preferably sour taste) will help prevent ear congestion. You can chew gum or sip juice through a straw.

You can’t sleep during takeoff and landing in order to be able to control your condition and equalize the pressure in the middle ear and the atmosphere in time by blowing through a closed nose.
Drink plenty of water before and during the flight to keep your mucous membranes sufficiently hydrated.
Drink only clean water. Eliminate coffee and alcohol, which contribute to dehydration.

By the way, pressure difference occurs not only during takeoff, but also during landing of the aircraft. At the same time, the pressure in the middle ear becomes lower than atmospheric pressure and the eardrum is pressed inward, which can cause pain, sometimes quite strong.

Aircraft earplugs

If severe congestion occurs on every flight, buy special earplugs for flights >>>. There are adult and children's earplugs.

Colds and allergies - "contraindications" to flying

In most healthy people, the pressure equalizes quickly and the discomfort disappears. The key word is "healthy". Because if you have a cold or an allergy, flying can lead to unpleasant complications.

The thing is that during inflammation, the lumen of the Eustachian tube (the canal that communicates the middle ear with the pharynx) narrows or even closes due to swelling, the air stops circulating normally through the tube and it becomes much more difficult to equalize the pressure.

If it is impossible to avoid flying, use vasoconstrictor drops 30-60 minutes before takeoff and before landing, if you have allergies, take an antihistamine 60 minutes before the flight.

Children and flight

Small children may have a hard time flying. They can have not only severe congestion, but also pain in the ears. The recommendations are the same - something to suck, chew and swallow. Babies can suck on a pacifier. Just in case, stock up on anesthetic ear drops in advance. And never fly with sick children!

Ear congestion during air travel is one of the most common annoyances. Plugged ears bring serious discomfort and can cause important information to be missed from the guide or flight attendants.

Moreover, many tourists regularly complain that their ears are not only stuffy, but there are also unpleasant pain sensations after landing. This article is intended to tell travelers about what to do so that they do not lay their ears on the plane.

Experienced tourists who have repeatedly traveled by plane know perfectly well the answer to the question: why do they lay their ears on the plane. The fact is that during takeoff and landing, the plane quickly changes altitude, which causes a serious pressure drop in the tympanic cavity of the organ and the air begins to seriously put pressure on the auditory membrane. Due to the small rarefaction of air in the middle section, the membrane is drawn inward and causes congestion or pain.

How much ears can be blocked after an airplane depends, first of all, on the individual physiological characteristics of the body and the presence of diseases.

In healthy people, the cranial cavities are interconnected and air freely circulates between them, which leads to a rapid recovery of auditory function after a flight.

Some tourists, who have anatomical features of the structure of the ears, expressed by a narrow lumen of the Eustachian tube, suffer from ear congestion much longer and more often.

Most often, the auditory organs on the plane hurt and are laid down due to the presence of such diseases in a person as:

Colds and runny nose. A banal accumulation of mucus in the airways of a traveler can lead to air blockage in the auricle and subsequent obstruction of the ear canals.
Otitis. This disease is often found in children. The occurrence of severe pain in the organ of hearing during otitis media is caused by damage to the integrity of the eardrum. If the tourist is ill or has recently had otitis media, it is necessary to consult with the attending physician before departure.
Sinusitis. Sinuses clogged with mucus can cause prolonged ear congestion. The fact is that with the involuntary retraction of mucus by the nose, serious pressure is exerted on the eardrum, which enhances the effect of the pressure drop several times. Patients with sinusitis before the flight should definitely clear the sinuses as much as possible and rinse the nose.
Hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss is the most dangerous disease for tourists. Patients with a similar disease when traveling by plane can completely lose their hearing. You can avoid serious problems by contacting a specialist, taking an audiogram and assessing all the risks.
Allergy. An allergic reaction can often trigger a buildup of mucus in the nasal passage, so allergy sufferers are advised to stock up on antihistamines before flying.

Young children are more prone to laying the auditory organs, since the growing body is characterized by an increased reaction to changes in the situation. Before traveling with a child, you should consult with a pediatrician.

Accumulation of water in the ears

If your ears hurt when landing an airplane, and none of the above problems is present, then the matter is in the water accumulated in the auditory shell. One of the common causes of stuffy ears in tourists returning from a seaside holiday is the accumulation of fluid in the ear canals.

Divers asking why they stuff their ears in an airplane and how to deal with it should remember that when diving to a depth, water droplets enter the external auditory region and cause the sulfur secretion to swell. Enlarged sulfur accumulations put pressure on the eardrum and cause pain.

Avoiding unpleasant symptoms is very simple. For this you need:

Get a cleaning stick.
Clean the ear canals as carefully as possible, absorbing the remaining liquid and removing excess sulfur;
Take a few sips and open your mouth wide.
Yawn.

For a guaranteed absence of problems, it is enough just not to dive deep a day before the flight.

Ear pain on an airplane can be caused by a wax plug. Symptoms of an ear plug in the ear canal include:

hearing loss;
noise in the organ of hearing;
echo sensation;
dizziness or imbalance;
neuralgia;
emotional and mental disorders.

All of the above symptoms are seriously aggravated during the flight.

One of the most effective methods for removing sulfur plug at home is to use olive oil or hydrogen peroxide. The removal of the accumulated sulfuric secretion is carried out in several stages:

Purchasing olive oil or a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution.
The position of the patient in the position of the damaged organ up.
Placement of a towel under the head.
A set of liquid in a pipette.
Instillation of the ear canal with three drops of solution.
Extraction of oil or peroxide 5 minutes after instillation.

With a successful extraction of the sulfuric secretion, earwax should flow out along with oil or hydrogen peroxide on a towel located under the patient's head. After the plug is removed, it is necessary to clean the ear canal with a cotton swab or a piece of cloth.

In order to avoid stuffy ears after the plane due to the presence of sulfur plugs, you should regularly clean the ear canals with cotton swabs. If the plug is already there, you need to contact a specialist and remove it.

Ways to get rid of congestion

There are a fairly large number of methods to avoid stuffy ears after the plane and during the flight. In order not to lay the ears on the plane, it is enough for a child and an adult to use one of the following methods:

You can eliminate problems during air travel using the simplest procedure: open your mouth and do not close it for one minute. To improve efficiency, it makes sense to make several swallowing movements.
You can free your ears from congestion after the flight using the Toynbee maneuver. To equalize the pressure in the ears, simply close the respiratory organs and swallow saliva. This procedure involves the muscles responsible for opening the Eustachian tubes. If the effect is insufficient, the maneuver should be carried out several times.
Use nasal steam. For the procedure, you must ask the flight attendant for a tea bag and two cups. Pour hot water into one cup and drop the sachet. After that, you should pour 90% of the tea into an empty cup and bring the tea bag with the rest of the liquid to your nose. With the gradual inhalation of steam from the bag, the pain in the organ of hearing should decrease.
The best way to relieve stuffy ears in young children is to actively yawn. Several powerful yawns allow you to completely break through the vacuum constipation and unblock the auditory organ.
Another simple way to unblock the ears in children is the Valsalva maneuver. To perform the procedure, it is enough to hold your nose with your hand and exhale into it. As a rule, when unlocking the ears with this method, a person feels a click.
If the parents took lollipops with them, then they should be given to their son or daughter. Active resorption of the candy provokes profuse salivation and makes the child constantly swallow. Some airlines give tourists special candies designed to unblock blocked ears.
Twisting and massaging the auricles is also a good way to eliminate stuffy ears.
If none of the methods helped, then you can try to put pressure on the cartilaginous part of the hearing organ, located approximately in the middle of the height of the shell.
Try to drink plain water or sweet non-carbonated liquid in small sips through a straw.

Prevention and helpful tips:

Before flying, it makes sense to purchase special earplugs with a pressure valve. Such a device is able to unblock stuffy ears. If it was not possible to purchase earplugs, then you can use in-ear vacuum headphones.
If there is a runny nose, then before departure it is necessary to drip the nose with vasoconstrictor drugs, for example, Tizin or Xymelin. Such prevention will relieve swelling and increase the lumen of the tube.
Travelers who often suffer from allergies will not be superfluous to drink an antihistamine tablet.
45 minutes before departure, you can try to open the auditory tube with a nasal spray. Such prevention will help to avoid stuffy ears during takeoff and landing.
If you have a runny nose just before the flight, it makes sense to steam. To do this, pour hot water into a bowl, place your head over it and cover with a towel. Unblocking of the nasal channel is made during inhalation of hot steam. The procedure must be performed until the ear canals begin to open.
The folk method called Cheburashka also has many positive reviews. The essence of the procedure consists in soaking napkins in hot water, placing them in plastic cups and applying containers to the auricles.

To successfully eliminate stuffy ears, you should not oversleep the process of takeoff and landing. If you try to relieve stuffy ears after a certain period of time after the problem occurs, then it will be much more difficult to do this.

Note! In no case should you try to relieve congestion with ear sticks or other hard objects. Such actions can damage the eardrum and provoke serious consequences.

What to do if the pain does not go away after a recent flight

If the ears are blocked on the plane and do not go away, then it may be an infection of the auditory departments. Ear pain after an airplane is a relatively common problem, caused in most cases by insufficient restructuring of the hearing organ after a flight, especially if the landing was not ideal.

Ear congestion can continue for several days after traveling by plane. If after three days the pain does not go away, then you can try to drip the organ with such drugs:

Normax drops, which block swelling and prevent the development of inflammation in the ears, nose and throat;
the anti-inflammatory drug Otinum, which is extremely effective in relieving general ear congestion;
non-steroidal drug Otipaks, which relieves inflammation in the middle section and auditory membrane;
anti-infective medicine Otofa, which ensures the destruction of the infection and the reduction of pain.

In addition to the use of medicines, you can try to massage the ears. To do this, simply twist your ears or insert your fingers into the ear opening and quickly move them. A similar procedure can unblock the ears if the cause of the problem is the deformation of the membrane due to the pressure difference in the auditory regions.

If none of the above methods has brought the desired result, you should immediately seek help from an otolaryngologist. In the presence of inflammation of the inner ear, delay can lead to hearing loss or a ruptured eardrum.

Conclusion

What to do if your ears are stuffed up after the plane is a fairly common question among travelers. First of all, you should not go on a trip with a runny nose, otitis media, sinusitis and hearing loss.

Such diseases exacerbate the consequences of the pressure drop in various parts of the auditory organ. The soreness that occurs when laying the ears can be caused by several reasons: deformation of the auditory membrane, the presence of an infection in the internal section, or damage to the membrane.