Hazardous to health: what should not be done on the plane if ears are blocked

There are many myths about flying and what you should not do on board an airplane. Takeoff and landing are the most stressful flight times, the human body can unexpectedly respond to changes in pressure. So what should you never do on an airplane? Writes about it Express.

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There is an unpleasant sensation when taking off and landing an airplane - this is the ear pain that people experience due to changes in air pressure during flight.

Ben McFarlane, an aviator and author of Holiday SOS: The Adventures of a Rescue Doctor, told you what you shouldn't do on a plane if your ears are full.

He wrote that airplane passengers should not resort to chewing gum to overcome earache, because this can cause suffocation.

“Forget chewing gum,” the doctor wrote. “Chewing makes us swallow more air—like soda water.” This poses a risk of suffocation during turbulence or bumpy landings."

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“Better move your lower jaw and make big fake yawns,” the doctor adds.

According to Earex ear care expert Dr. Henderson, ear plugging is quite common in people with potential ear problems.

Pain is the result of a change in pressure. This painful or stuffy feeling in the ear is caused by tubes inside the eardrum, which try to adapt to atmospheric change.

The pressure inside and out of your ear is different. Change pushes the eardrum, stretching it and hurting you.

While pressure changes occur with everyone, some experience more pain than others.

Dr. Peter Barrett recommends the Valsalva maneuver (pinch your nose, close your mouth and exhale).

He wrote that it would "make the Eustachian tubes open."

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Barrett added: "If they are blocked due to infection or an allergic thickening of the walls, decongestants or antihistamines can help."

Experts warn that it is important not to sleep when the plane takes off and lands.

Boots Pharmacist Angela Chalmers said: "Try not to sleep during take-off and landing, as you will not swallow so often, and this can lead to obstruction of the ears."

Potential health problems include dizziness, ear infections, and damage to the eardrum; or in the worst case, nosebleeds and serious hearing loss may also occur.

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