Are there any sure fire ways to keep your ears from closing up during air travel?

I have the problem of my ears closing up while traveling on planes. Most times using the sprays & sinus medicines or chewing gun & yawning help. I do however have those moments when nothing works & you're scared to death. So does anyone know of something that will always work. I have to travel soon.

Take a deep breath through your mouth; then hold your nose and try to breathe out gently while keeping your mouth closed. This can help force air through the tubes between your nose and ears. You may have to do this several times. Don't blow too hard!

i know what u are talking about. it used to happen to me too but someone told me this and it has always worked for me .. close your nose and try to breath out of nose. it sounds funny but it works. the air cant come out of your nose as u are holding it close using your fingers and u will feel that the air pops open your ears. i like it coz it works and coz i dont need to remember to carry chewing-gum etc. good luck with your trip!

hold your breath for the duration of the flight. never fails

;>0

There's a product called "Earplanes". They regulate the pressure within your ear which prevents the discomfort you're talking about.

For take-offs and landings (the WHOLE way up, and starting from the BEGINNING, or TOP of descent), the best thing you can do to help with the ear popping is:

*Chew gum
*Drink something
*Suck on a hard candy or mints
*Yawn
*Pinch the nostrils shut, take a deep breath in through the mouth, then force the air into the back of the nose (gently, but with pressure) as if trying to blow your nose.
*Place hot damp towels (usually like the ones distributed to first and business class before take-off and landing to freshen up with - just ask a flight attendant for them) or paper towels that have been soaked in hot water and wrung out at the bottom of two paper or styrofoam cups, then hold the cups over the ears.

Another trick that used mainly on babies and small children, but can be used on anyone, is to gently but with some pressure, rub your neck repeatedly from the chin to the base of the neck. This will cause a swallowing motion that will relieve pressure build-up in the ears.

You can also try using a decongestant. It is always best to check with your doctor before using any type of medications though, to make sure you are using the one best suited to your needs.



Your ears pop in air planes because the air high above the surface of Earth is less dense than air near the surface. As you ascend in an airplane and the air pressure decreases, the air trapped in your inner ear will cause your eardrums to push outward. This expansion causes not only the discomfort you feel before your ears "pop," but also a decrease in hearing ability, because the pressure on your ears drums makes the sound harder to transmit. Your body can equalize the pressure between your inner ear and the atmosphere by allowing some air from your inner ear to escape through the Eustachian tubes, two small channels that connect the inner ears to the throat, one on each side. When they open, you feel the pressure release and you hear the change because it’s happening in your ear. This equalization of pressure is the "pop."

On the way down from an air plane flight, the air pressure increases, while your inner ear is still at the lower pressure it has adjusted to. Now, the extra pressure pushes the eardrums inward. Eventually, the pressure will equalize again, but many people don’t like to wait, they want to "pop" their ears



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