How to Stop Your Ears Hurting on a Plane

The familiar pop in your ears is your body adjusting to changing cabin pressure.

For some passengers it is barely noticeable. For others, especially during descent, the pressure can become painful. A few simple habits can help, and they usually work best before the pain starts.

👂 Why Your Ears Pop

Behind each eardrum is an air-filled space called the middle ear. A narrow passage called the Eustachian tube connects it to the back of the nose and throat.

As cabin pressure changes, the tube needs to open briefly so that air can move and the pressure on both sides of the eardrum stays similar. If it does not open quickly enough, you may notice:

• pressure or fullness
• muffled hearing
• popping or crackling
• discomfort or sharp pain

This temporary pressure problem is often called airplane ear.

🛬 Why Descent Is Usually Harder

During takeoff, cabin pressure falls and air inside the middle ear can usually escape fairly easily.

During descent, cabin pressure rises again. Air must move into the middle ear through the Eustachian tube, which can be more difficult. A cold, sinus problem, allergy, or ear infection may narrow the passage further.

That is why ears often become uncomfortable as the aircraft prepares to land.

⏱ 1. Start Early and Stay Awake

Do not wait until your ears feel completely blocked.

Start equalising when you notice the aircraft descending. Small pressure differences are usually easier to manage than pressure that has already built up.

If ear pain is a regular problem for you, try not to sleep through the descent. When awake, you naturally swallow, yawn, drink, and move your jaw more often.

💧 2. Swallow, Yawn, or Chew

Swallowing and yawning activate muscles that can briefly open the Eustachian tubes.

Try:

• taking small sips of water
• swallowing deliberately every so often
• making a slow, wide yawning movement
• chewing gum or sucking a sweet, when appropriate

The gum or sweet does not change the cabin pressure itself. It simply encourages jaw movement and frequent swallowing.

👃 3. Equalise Gently

If swallowing is not enough, you can try a gentle Valsalva manoeuvre:

1. Close your mouth.
2. Pinch your nostrils closed.
3. Very gently try to breathe out through your nose.
4. Stop as soon as you feel a small pop or pressure change.

Do not blow hard or keep forcing the movement. Stop if it causes significant pain, dizziness, or any unusual symptom.

🎧 4. Filtered Earplugs May Help

Pressure-regulating or filtered earplugs are designed to slow the pressure change reaching the ear. They may give your ears more time to adjust during takeoff and landing.

They are different from ordinary foam earplugs used mainly for noise. You should still swallow and yawn while wearing them.

🤧 5. Congestion Makes Equalising Harder

A heavily blocked nose, sinus infection, or ear infection can make pressure changes more painful. If your symptoms are severe and your plans are flexible, ask a clinician whether delaying the flight would be sensible.

Some adults consider a decongestant when flying, but these medicines are not suitable for everyone and product advice varies. Ask a pharmacist or clinician about your own circumstances rather than relying on a flight-specific dose or timing rule.

Do not give a young child an antihistamine or decongestant just for flight-related ear pain unless a qualified clinician advises it. Evidence does not show a clear benefit for this purpose, and these medicines can cause unwanted effects in children.

👶 Helping Babies and Children

Children may find pressure changes harder because their Eustachian tubes are smaller and they may not know how to equalise deliberately.

During descent, swallowing can be encouraged with:

• breastfeeding or a bottle for a baby
• a pacifier
• small sips of water for an older child
• age-appropriate gum or a sweet for a child who can use it safely

Keeping children awake for the descent makes it easier to encourage regular swallowing. Never ask a child to blow forcefully against a pinched nose.

🩺 When to Get Medical Advice

Most blocked ears improve soon after landing. Seek medical advice if pain is severe or does not settle, or if there is bleeding from the ear, marked dizziness or vertigo, or hearing loss.

Those symptoms can indicate more than the usual brief pressure imbalance and deserve proper assessment.

✨ What to Remember

Start early, stay awake for descent, and swallow or yawn regularly. If needed, equalise gently rather than forcefully.

🟢 Quick Fact

Landing is usually harder on the ears because rising cabin pressure must push air back into the middle ear through a narrow passage.

For most passengers, a little preparation is enough to turn a painful descent into a much more comfortable one.