How can you stop ear pain when flying?

Question

I have to fly with a cold and have done this before and had excruciating pain in my ears. Is there anything to prevent this?

Answer 1

Get your doctor to prescribe some decongestants or use over the counter ones if you can not see the doctor - if possible take them a few times to ease the congestion as much as possible before flight, chew several pieces of gum on flight. Those are what my brother was told to do, and it helped. Have a safe flight.

Answer 2

Three prongs to flying w/a cold: Take a decongestant about an hour before your flight; take a breath, then w/your nose pinched & mouth closed, try to blow air out through your nose; finally, get some Ear Planes. Each pair is good for one round trip flight. They are available at drugstores and on-line travel stores like magellans.com. Good luck!

Answer 3

Here's what the military teaches pilots: Hold your nostrils closed by pinching between your fingers, hold your breathe, and contract your diaphragm like you're trying to exhale. This forces air into your eustation tubes and equalizes pressure inside your eardrum. Do it before the pain gets too bad. Also taking an over the counter decongestant like pseudophed helps alot, but you don't want it to wear off during the flight, maybe take it 2 hours before landing. The nose pinch thing is called the valsalva maneuver, try it on the ground, you can feel it work.

Answer 4

I feel your pain; I've had this happen before, too. Take the maximum safe dose of OTC decongestant beforehand and try Afrin nasal spray just before boarding. The spray, especially, should help. Also, you could try calling your doc's office and speaking to the advice nurse (if you have a regular doc). I really hope this helps because I've had that pain and it's baaad.

Edit: I should've said use the Afrin a few minutes before LANDING (20-30 mins.), not boarding. Oops.

Answer 5

Oooh! That is sooo painful. Anymore, whenever I fly, I take some ear plugs, some chewing gum, hard candies, nasal decongestant spray & water just so I'll always be prepared.

Answer 6

There are three ways :-
1)Put Cotton in your ears (works very less)
2)Hold your breath , for 10 - 15 seconds , then hold your nose and let out the breath very very slowly. Do this exercise for 2 - 3 minutes.
3)Try chewing some Bubble Gum
Hope it goes well.

Answer 7

oh yeah. i know exactly what you go through. Here are some things that may help: put earplugs in before takeoff and don't remove them until you've landed and cabin door is open. Take sudafed or a decongestant an hour before landing. Use afrin nasal spray 15-20 minutes before landing.

Answer 8

Chewing gum while flying supposedly helps this but other then that there's not much I know on the subject. Good luck on this..

Answer 9

Though Ive never travelled by air in my life..ive heard people say u should chew gum or chocolate to avoid ear pain...

Answer 10

take some tylenol right before takeoff, then again every hour into the flight.. i used to be fine, but sometime when i was 18 i was on a flight they just wouldn't pop.. and every flight since then has been a pain :/ the tylenol actually helps fix the ear for the flight, it doesn't just relieve the pain (well it does that also :))