If you’ve ever taken a flight out of the Portland International Airport, you may have noticed a strange popping sensation in one or both of your ears. Although this popping sensation is rarely painful, it can cause discomfort during a long flight.
Let’s take a look at why that popping sensation occurs and what you can do to prevent it.
What Effect Does Flying Have on the Ears?
Your ears contain Eustachian tubes connecting the middle ears to the back of your throat. The Eustachian tube is responsible for draining fluid and equalizing air pressure inside your ears.
When you fly, the air pressure inside the plane changes rapidly. Your ears pop when the Eustachian tubes can’t react fast enough to the change in air pressure, resulting in an imbalance of pressure between your ears and the environment around you.
How Can You Recognize Airplane Ear?
A popping sensation in the ears is often the first sign of airplane ear, but you may notice other symptoms including but not limited to:
- Moderate discomfort or pain in the ear
- Fullness or stuffiness in the ear
- Muffled hearing or mild to moderate hearing loss
Severe cases of airplane ear may also present with:
- Severe discomfort or pain in the ear
- Perforated eardrum
- Greater sense of fullness or stuffiness in the ear
- Greater degrees of hearing loss
- Bleeding from the ear
- Tinnitus
- Vertigo
What Are the Risk Factors of Airplane Ear?
Risk factors that may increase the chance of airplane ear include but are not limited to:
- Small Eustachian tubes, most common in children
- Sinus infection
- Allergies
- Middle ear infection
- Cold infection
- Sleeping during ascent and descent
While most cases of airplane ear are not serious, long-term complications such as permanent hearing loss or tinnitus can occur if the condition becomes severe or frequently occurs.
How Can You Prevent Airplane Ear?
A couple of essential tips for preventing airplane ear include:
- Yawning or swallowing. Yawning and swallowing activates the muscles that open your Eustachian tubes. Try chewing gum or sucking on hard candy or lozenge to promote frequent swallowing during ascent and descent.
- The Valsalva maneuver. Hold your nostrils closed with your fingers, then blow through your nostrils while keeping your mouth closed. Repeat multiple times during ascent and descent to help equalize pressure.
- Use filtered earplugs. Filtered earplugs are specially designed to regulate pressure between your ears and the air in the environment around you. Pick up a pair before your next flight if you experience frequent airplane ear.
- Take allergy medication. Inflammation from allergies can inhibit the function of your Eustachian tubes. Take allergy medication before your flight to help keep symptoms at bay.
Following these tips can help prevent airplane ear from occurring or becoming severe. For more information about protecting your ear health, contact PDX ENT today to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists.
