Airplane ear happens when the air pressure inside your middle ear doesn’t match the rapidly changing cabin pressure during a flight, especially during descent. The good news: a few simple techniques can relieve that painful, plugged-up feeling almost immediately, and preventive steps before your flight can keep it from happening in the first place.
Why Your Ears Hurt on Planes
A narrow channel called the eustachian tube connects your middle ear to the back of your throat. Its job is to equalize pressure on both sides of your eardrum. Normally it opens briefly when you swallow or yawn, letting air flow in or out to keep things balanced.
During descent, cabin pressure rises quickly. If your eustachian tube can’t open fast enough, the higher outside pressure pushes your eardrum inward, stretching it. That stretch is what causes the pain, stuffiness, and muffled hearing. The problem is worse when you have a cold, sinus congestion, or allergies, because swollen tissue narrows the tube and makes it harder for air to pass through.
Three Maneuvers That Work Right Away
These pressure-equalization techniques are your first line of defense. Start using them as soon as the plane begins its descent, and repeat every 30 seconds or so until your ears feel clear.
Valsalva maneuver: Close your mouth, pinch your nose shut, and gently blow as if inflating a balloon. You should feel a soft pop as air pushes through your eustachian tubes. Don’t blow hard, as too much force can damage your eardrum. This is the most commonly recommended technique, and research in pressure chambers shows it generates the highest opening pressure of the three main methods.
Toynbee maneuver: Pinch your nose shut and swallow. The swallowing motion compresses air against your eustachian tubes using your tongue. It produces less pressure than the Valsalva, which actually makes it a gentler option if your ears are already sore.
Frenzel maneuver: Close your mouth, pinch your nose, and make the sound of the letter “K” in the back of your throat. This compresses air in your upper throat and pushes it into both eustachian tubes. Divers prefer this technique because it can be done hands-free with a nose clip and doesn’t require a big breath first. Studies show it falls between the other two in terms of pressure generated, while being equally effective at opening the tubes.
Other In-Flight Remedies
If the maneuvers alone aren’t enough, combine them with these strategies:
- Swallow frequently. Sip water, chew gum, or suck on hard candy during descent. Each swallow briefly opens your eustachian tubes.
- Yawn widely. Even a forced yawn activates the muscles around the eustachian tube and can release trapped pressure.
- Stay awake during descent. You don’t swallow as often while sleeping, so pressure can build up unchecked. If you nap on flights, set an alarm for about 30 minutes before landing.
Preventing Airplane Ear Before You Fly
If you’re prone to ear pain on flights, preparation matters more than anything you do mid-air. An oral decongestant taken about one hour before the expected descent can shrink swollen tissue inside your nasal passages and around the eustachian tubes. A nasal decongestant spray used about 30 minutes before the flight adds a second layer of protection by directly reducing swelling at the tube openings.
If you’re flying with a cold or sinus infection, these steps become especially important. Congestion from an upper respiratory infection is the single biggest risk factor for ear barotrauma during air travel. The CDC notes that pressure changes during ascent and descent can actually trigger middle ear infections or sinus infections in people with pre-existing eustachian tube problems. A vasoconstricting nasal spray used right before the flight can lower that risk. If your congestion is severe, consider whether rescheduling the flight is an option.
What About Pressure-Equalizing Earplugs?
Specialty earplugs marketed for air travel claim to slow the rate of pressure change reaching your eardrum. The reality is less encouraging. A controlled study tested one popular brand on 27 volunteers who were prone to ear barotrauma, comparing the plugs against placebo earplugs during pressurization from altitude. There was no measurable difference in middle ear pressure between the active and placebo plugs. In fact, the ears using the “active” earplugs scored slightly worse on examination afterward. Volunteers did report that the plugs reduced noise, which is a genuine comfort benefit, but they did not prevent barotrauma. Your money is better spent on decongestants and gum.
Helping Babies and Small Children
Young children can’t perform pressure-equalization maneuvers, so you need to trigger the same swallowing reflex another way. Breastfeeding or bottle feeding during takeoff and landing is the most reliable approach, because it combines sucking and swallowing continuously. A pacifier works too, since the sucking motion promotes ear pressure equalization even without liquid.
Timing helps. If you can schedule flights around your baby’s nap time, a drowsy infant is more likely to accept a bottle or pacifier without fussing. Start feeding a few minutes before descent begins rather than waiting for the crying to start, because once an infant’s ears are already hurting, they may refuse to suck at all.
When Symptoms Don’t Go Away
Mild fullness or muffled hearing after landing is normal and typically clears within minutes to a few hours as your eustachian tubes catch up. Common symptoms include ear discomfort, a feeling of stuffiness, and slightly reduced hearing. Keep swallowing, yawning, or doing the Valsalva maneuver on the ground until things equalize.
If those symptoms last more than a few days, something more is going on. Fluid may have accumulated in your middle ear, or the eardrum itself may be damaged. Seek medical attention if you experience severe pain, a significant drop in hearing, ringing in the ear, a spinning sensation, or any bleeding from the ear. These are signs of more serious barotrauma that may need treatment beyond what you can do at home.