- Ear barotrauma happens when you change altitudes quickly. Flying, scuba diving or just taking a leisurely drive through the mountains can cause this condition, brought on by pressure changes inside and outside of the ear.
- Symptoms of ear barotraumas are pain in the ear, a stuffy feeling, diminished hearing and sometimes dizziness. Severe barotraumas can lead to nose bleeds, significant hearing loss and a sensation of being underwater.
- Swallowing hard and yawning may be all you need to do to equalize the pressure in your eustachian tubes, as noted on the University of Maryland Medical Center website.
Avoid sleeping while your plane is descending so that you can take care of the discomfort before it becomes too painful.
Have hard candies or chewing gum available. Chewing a stick of gum or sucking a lollipop or hard candy will usually unblock your eustachian tubes.
Earplugs such as Earplanes can decrease the effects of pressure changes while flying and may prevent the pain. They are available at drugstores and airport shops.
Inhaling and pinching your nostrils together while exhaling with your mouth shut can open the eustachian tubes and relieve discomfort. You may have to do this a few times during each flight.
Using an antihistamine, oral decongestant or decongestant nasal spray 30 minutes before the flight can help your ears adjust to the pressure changes. You should use it again 30 minutes before landing, according to the University Health Services website.
Infants should suck from their bottles or breast feed, particularly while the plane is ascending or descending. Be sure to have drinking cups available for toddlers to sip periodically during takeoff and landing.
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