Sore ears

[Calum]

My wife suffers from sore ears during flight and we are facing two
commercial flights in one afternoon which she is not looking forward to.
Does anyone have any good tips to avoid the pain?

Thanks in advance.

Calum

[Blanche Cohen]

Calum > wrote:
>My wife suffers from sore ears during flight and we are facing two
>commercial flights in one afternoon which she is not looking forward to.
>Does anyone have any good tips to avoid the pain?

"sore ears"

does this relate to air pressure issues? If so, she may want to
have her physician check her sinuses.

[ShawnD2112]

Calum,
Assuming you're talking about pain due to pressure, what she needs to do is
equalize the pressure between her inner ear and the outside air in the
cabin. There are several ways to do this. The simplest are to swallow or
yawn. Those physical movements cause the air pressure in the ear to escape
and relieve the pain.

If that doesn't work, the next thing to try is called a valsalva. It's very
simple and works in most cases (it's what I do). Hold your nose, close your
mouth, and pressurize your lungs so you'd be blowing air if you had your
mouth or nose open. It may feel like you have to press with your lungs
quite a bit but it should eventually work. You can practice this on the
ground to see what it feels like, but don't get carried away or you may hurt
your ears.

In all the above cases you need to repeat it and stay ahead of the pressure
changes. It's easier to do them a little bit and often rather than wait for
the pain to be bad and then try to do it all at once.

Good luck and let us know how your wife gets on.

Cheers,
Shawn
"Calum" > wrote in message
...
> My wife suffers from sore ears during flight and we are facing two
> commercial flights in one afternoon which she is not looking forward to.
> Does anyone have any good tips to avoid the pain?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Calum
>
>

[Gord Beaman]

"ShawnD2112" > wrote:

>Calum,
>Assuming you're talking about pain due to pressure, what she needs to do is
>equalize the pressure between her inner ear and the outside air in the
>cabin. There are several ways to do this. The simplest are to swallow or
>yawn. Those physical movements cause the air pressure in the ear to escape
>and relieve the pain.
>
>If that doesn't work, the next thing to try is called a valsalva. It's very
>simple and works in most cases (it's what I do). Hold your nose, close your
>mouth, and pressurize your lungs so you'd be blowing air if you had your
>mouth or nose open. It may feel like you have to press with your lungs
>quite a bit but it should eventually work. You can practice this on the
>ground to see what it feels like, but don't get carried away or you may hurt
>your ears.
>
>In all the above cases you need to repeat it and stay ahead of the pressure
>changes. It's easier to do them a little bit and often rather than wait for
>the pain to be bad and then try to do it all at once.
>
>Good luck and let us know how your wife gets on.
>
>Cheers,
>Shawn

Yes, Shawn has it just right...as an airman who flew some 13,000
hours in unpressurized aircraft with problem Eustachian
tubes(sp?), I've learned what works and what doesn't.

These tubes connects the throat with the inner ear on each side.
The tubes are sort of 'pursed' at the throat end so that air can
easily pass out of the inner ear but cannot as easily get back
in. This causes problems when higher air pressure tries to get
'into the ear' as it does on descent. This causes the ear drum to
be pushed inward causing pain (and damage if it progresses far
enough)

It's always worse if the person has a cold as the throat lining
swells and makes the opening smaller (or harder to open at least)

As the other poster said you need to practice 'valsalva'. One
small caution here, practicing valsalva while you have a cold can
force germ ridden mucus into the Eustachian tubes (so they say).
I've NEVER been troubled with this even though I had to valsalva
'every time I descended'. (for 26 YEARS) I could not sleep while
descending either because they wouldn't ever clear that way. I
ALWAYS warn the Flight Attendant to wake me before descent, you
should too (for sure)

You MUST 'keep on top of it' too, it's very much easier to 'clear
your ears' if they're only slightly 'blocked'. As soon as you
feel a slight reduction in sound during descent, hold your nose
and apply gentle pressure, keep it up and keep slowly increasing
the pressure till you feel/hear BOTH ears 'pop'. One can (will)
pop before the other but you must keep applying the pressure till
the other one also pops. It seems that long slowly increasing
pressure works best, and especially when the blockage is of short
duration...don't wait to start it...the longer you wait before
starting valsalva the harder it will be to get air into those
tubes...if all else fails, tell the Flight Attendant about your
trouble...you may need her later. Good luck...I feel for you,
it's not a nice problem to have for sure...



>"Calum" > wrote in message
...
>> My wife suffers from sore ears during flight and we are facing two
>> commercial flights in one afternoon which she is not looking forward to.
>> Does anyone have any good tips to avoid the pain?
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>>
>> Calum
>>
>>
>

--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

[Eclipsme]

Also, if you know your ears will block, take Afrin before the flight, or
early on - It will also help if the ears are already plugged, followed by
blowing out as described below. I would be sure to carry some whenever I
flew!

Harvey
>
> >Calum,
> >Assuming you're talking about pain due to pressure, what she needs to do
is
> >equalize the pressure between her inner ear and the outside air in the
> >cabin. There are several ways to do this. The simplest are to swallow
or
> >yawn. Those physical movements cause the air pressure in the ear to
escape
> >and relieve the pain.
> >
> >If that doesn't work, the next thing to try is called a valsalva. It's
very
> >simple and works in most cases (it's what I do). Hold your nose, close
your
> >mouth, and pressurize your lungs so you'd be blowing air if you had your
> >mouth or nose open. It may feel like you have to press with your lungs
> >quite a bit but it should eventually work. You can practice this on the
> >ground to see what it feels like, but don't get carried away or you may
hurt
> >your ears.
> >
> >In all the above cases you need to repeat it and stay ahead of the
pressure
> >changes. It's easier to do them a little bit and often rather than wait
for
> >the pain to be bad and then try to do it all at once.
> >
> >Good luck and let us know how your wife gets on.
> >
> >Cheers,
> >Shawn
>
> Yes, Shawn has it just right...as an airman who flew some 13,000
> hours in unpressurized aircraft with problem Eustachian
> tubes(sp?), I've learned what works and what doesn't.
>
> These tubes connects the throat with the inner ear on each side.
> The tubes are sort of 'pursed' at the throat end so that air can
> easily pass out of the inner ear but cannot as easily get back
> in. This causes problems when higher air pressure tries to get
> 'into the ear' as it does on descent. This causes the ear drum to
> be pushed inward causing pain (and damage if it progresses far
> enough)
>
> It's always worse if the person has a cold as the throat lining
> swells and makes the opening smaller (or harder to open at least)
>
> As the other poster said you need to practice 'valsalva'. One
> small caution here, practicing valsalva while you have a cold can
> force germ ridden mucus into the Eustachian tubes (so they say).
> I've NEVER been troubled with this even though I had to valsalva
> 'every time I descended'. (for 26 YEARS) I could not sleep while
> descending either because they wouldn't ever clear that way. I
> ALWAYS warn the Flight Attendant to wake me before descent, you
> should too (for sure)
>
> You MUST 'keep on top of it' too, it's very much easier to 'clear
> your ears' if they're only slightly 'blocked'. As soon as you
> feel a slight reduction in sound during descent, hold your nose
> and apply gentle pressure, keep it up and keep slowly increasing
> the pressure till you feel/hear BOTH ears 'pop'. One can (will)
> pop before the other but you must keep applying the pressure till
> the other one also pops. It seems that long slowly increasing
> pressure works best, and especially when the blockage is of short
> duration...don't wait to start it...the longer you wait before
> starting valsalva the harder it will be to get air into those
> tubes...if all else fails, tell the Flight Attendant about your
> trouble...you may need her later. Good luck...I feel for you,
> it's not a nice problem to have for sure...
>
>
>
> >"Calum" > wrote in message
> ...
> >> My wife suffers from sore ears during flight and we are facing two
> >> commercial flights in one afternoon which she is not looking forward
to.
> >> Does anyone have any good tips to avoid the pain?
> >>
> >> Thanks in advance.
> >>
> >> Calum
> >>
> >>
> >
>
> --
>
> -Gord.
> (use gordon in email)

[Gary G]

Chewing gum and having sips of drink or water.
My son has this problem, and so we give him a lot to chew and eat, which
helps reduce some problems.
Swallowing helps, but also the mechanical action also helps equalize the pressure by
moving the tissue around the Eustachian tubes, etc.

Just a though - it's worked for us.

"Calum" > wrote in message ...
> My wife suffers from sore ears during flight and we are facing two
> commercial flights in one afternoon which she is not looking forward to.
> Does anyone have any good tips to avoid the pain?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Calum
>
>

[Capt 'Wild' Bill Kelso, USAAC]

I fly for a living and I can tell you, in addition to valsalva'ing, don't drink
anything cold(with ice). The cold constricts the throat and eustation tubes
preventing the pressure to equalize. Keep well hydrated, drink lots of water,
avoid caffeine, keep a bottle of Afrin or Sinex handy.

Calum wrote:
>
> My wife suffers from sore ears during flight and we are facing two
> commercial flights in one afternoon which she is not looking forward to.
> Does anyone have any good tips to avoid the pain?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Calum


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am BillGatus of Borg. Resistance is futile. You will be assim
[General Protection Fault]

[G. Sylvester]

> Yes, Shawn has it just right...as an airman who flew some 13,000
> hours in unpressurized aircraft with problem Eustachian
> tubes(sp?), I've learned what works and what doesn't.
> ....
> As the other poster said you need to practice 'valsalva'. One
> small caution here, practicing valsalva while you have a cold can
> force germ ridden mucus into the Eustachian tubes (so they say).
> I've NEVER been troubled with this even though I had to valsalva
> 'every time I descended'. (for 26 YEARS).....

I did it your way for years (mostly commercial flights as a passenger)
until I learned the correct way at an FAA aviation physiology class
(highly recommended BTW). This makes it MUCH easier. So it is
never too late to learn. ;-)


Tilt your head towards the hand you grab your nose with. This will
pop the ear opposite side from which you grabbed it. Do the same
but now with they otherhand and tilting your head towards that
hand. I know it sounds stupid but this forces the eustacian tube
to stretch and MUCH easier to pop especially if it is clogged up.
The worst thing and the natual thing to do is put your
head down which makes popping your ears even more difficult.

Gerald

[Gord Beaman]

"G. Sylvester" > wrote:

>
>> Yes, Shawn has it just right...as an airman who flew some 13,000
>> hours in unpressurized aircraft with problem Eustachian
>> tubes(sp?), I've learned what works and what doesn't.
>> ....
>> As the other poster said you need to practice 'valsalva'. One
>> small caution here, practicing valsalva while you have a cold can
>> force germ ridden mucus into the Eustachian tubes (so they say).
>> I've NEVER been troubled with this even though I had to valsalva
>> 'every time I descended'. (for 26 YEARS).....
>
>I did it your way for years (mostly commercial flights as a passenger)
>until I learned the correct way at an FAA aviation physiology class
>(highly recommended BTW). This makes it MUCH easier. So it is
>never too late to learn. ;-)
>
>
>Tilt your head towards the hand you grab your nose with. This will
>pop the ear opposite side from which you grabbed it. Do the same
>but now with they otherhand and tilting your head towards that
>hand. I know it sounds stupid but this forces the eustacian tube
>to stretch and MUCH easier to pop especially if it is clogged up.
>The worst thing and the natual thing to do is put your
>head down which makes popping your ears even more difficult.
>
>Gerald
>
Very good Gerald (my brother's name BTW). Yes, it's never too
late to learn...I hadn't come across this one but it makes
sense...thanks...
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

[ShawnD2112]

That does sound like an improvement. Thanks for the tip!

Shawn
"G. Sylvester" > wrote in message
...
>
>> Yes, Shawn has it just right...as an airman who flew some 13,000
>> hours in unpressurized aircraft with problem Eustachian
>> tubes(sp?), I've learned what works and what doesn't. ....
>> As the other poster said you need to practice 'valsalva'. One
>> small caution here, practicing valsalva while you have a cold can
>> force germ ridden mucus into the Eustachian tubes (so they say).
>> I've NEVER been troubled with this even though I had to valsalva
>> 'every time I descended'. (for 26 YEARS).....
>
> I did it your way for years (mostly commercial flights as a passenger)
> until I learned the correct way at an FAA aviation physiology class
> (highly recommended BTW). This makes it MUCH easier. So it is
> never too late to learn. ;-)
>
>
> Tilt your head towards the hand you grab your nose with. This will
> pop the ear opposite side from which you grabbed it. Do the same
> but now with they otherhand and tilting your head towards that
> hand. I know it sounds stupid but this forces the eustacian tube
> to stretch and MUCH easier to pop especially if it is clogged up.
> The worst thing and the natual thing to do is put your
> head down which makes popping your ears even more difficult.
>
> Gerald
>
>

[Chris]

Punch your wife on the nose - its funny because they completely forget about
their ears then!
"ShawnD2112" > wrote in message
. uk...
> That does sound like an improvement. Thanks for the tip!
>
> Shawn
> "G. Sylvester" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>>> Yes, Shawn has it just right...as an airman who flew some 13,000
>>> hours in unpressurized aircraft with problem Eustachian
>>> tubes(sp?), I've learned what works and what doesn't. ....
>>> As the other poster said you need to practice 'valsalva'. One
>>> small caution here, practicing valsalva while you have a cold can
>>> force germ ridden mucus into the Eustachian tubes (so they say).
>>> I've NEVER been troubled with this even though I had to valsalva
>>> 'every time I descended'. (for 26 YEARS).....
>>
>> I did it your way for years (mostly commercial flights as a passenger)
>> until I learned the correct way at an FAA aviation physiology class
>> (highly recommended BTW). This makes it MUCH easier. So it is
>> never too late to learn. ;-)
>>
>>
>> Tilt your head towards the hand you grab your nose with. This will
>> pop the ear opposite side from which you grabbed it. Do the same
>> but now with they otherhand and tilting your head towards that
>> hand. I know it sounds stupid but this forces the eustacian tube
>> to stretch and MUCH easier to pop especially if it is clogged up.
>> The worst thing and the natual thing to do is put your
>> head down which makes popping your ears even more difficult.
>>
>> Gerald
>>
>>
>
>

[Blanche Cohen]

Chris > wrote:
>Punch your wife on the nose - its funny because they completely forget about
>their ears then!

chris, you're a moron.

And inconsiderate.

And rude.

[Chris]

"Blanche Cohen" > wrote in message
...
> Chris > wrote:
>>Punch your wife on the nose - its funny because they completely forget
>>about
>>their ears then!
>
> chris, you're a moron.
>
> And inconsiderate.

But my wife loves me!
> And rude.
>
>
>

[Calum]

Made me laugh. Not going to relate to my wife though, (or try it!)

Calum


"Chris" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Blanche Cohen" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Chris > wrote:
> >>Punch your wife on the nose - its funny because they completely forget
> >>about
> >>their ears then!
> >
> > chris, you're a moron.
> >
> > And inconsiderate.
>
> But my wife loves me!
> > And rude.
> >
> >
> >
>
>

[G. Sylvester]

> Very good Gerald (my brother's name BTW). Yes, it's never too
> late to learn...I hadn't come across this one but it makes
> sense...thanks...

your welcome. I learned it in the FAA aviation physiology
class taught at Beale AFB. Highly recommended. They
also do rapid decompression and the effect of lack of
oxygen on night flight....no exaggeration when I say
it looked like someone turned the lights on in a black
room within seconds of putting on the oxygen mask.
Although I didn't try it myself nor can take any responsibility
for what it would do to a laptop but it would have been
even better to try to 'fly' on MS Flight Sim/XFlight with
the lack of oxygen.

anyway, glad I can pass along the info...

Gerald

[Chris]

"Calum" > wrote in message
...
> Made me laugh. Not going to relate to my wife though, (or try it!)
>

There was some truth in the story. My wife found herself with sore ears and
went to her bag in the overhead locker to get some gum. Some articles had
shifted on take off and as she ducked to avoid something dropping on her
head she banged her nose on her arm.

This resulted in a nose bleed a very painful nose and the forgetting of the
painful ears.

What was even funnier was the look of horror on the flight attendants face
when I pinged the bell and asked for lots of tissues to help staunch the
blood. She came back carrying tissues wearing rubber gloves.

I told here she should not worry about helping and I would deal with it. Its
surprising how much and how easily you bleed at 35000ft.

So a punch on the nose is a good way of dealing with sore ears.

[Gord Beaman]

"Chris" > wrote:

>
>"Calum" > wrote in message
...
>> Made me laugh. Not going to relate to my wife though, (or try it!)
>>
>
>There was some truth in the story. My wife found herself with sore ears and
>went to her bag in the overhead locker to get some gum. Some articles had
>shifted on take off and as she ducked to avoid something dropping on her
>head she banged her nose on her arm.
>
>This resulted in a nose bleed a very painful nose and the forgetting of the
>painful ears.
>
>What was even funnier was the look of horror on the flight attendants face
>when I pinged the bell and asked for lots of tissues to help staunch the
>blood. She came back carrying tissues wearing rubber gloves.
>
>I told here she should not worry about helping and I would deal with it. Its
>surprising how much and how easily you bleed at 35000ft.
>
>So a punch on the nose is a good way of dealing with sore ears.
>
>
Not to be a nitpicker But to nitpick just a 'leedle', you were
likely at about 8500 feet...that's approx what they keep the
cabin altitude at when cruising around 35K...
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)