Pop in Your Ears
If you are a jet setter then you probably often experience a pop in your ears when you are on board a plane, thus it is something normal for you. On the other hand, for those people who seldom travel by plane or may be travelling for the first time, it may be something that bothers them.
Why do you hear a pop in your ears when you are on board an airplane?
The main reason for the ear popping is the high air pressure when you are inside the cabin of the plane. It is pretty much the same when you are on top of a high mountain. As we are in an elevated area, there are lesser number of molecules present in the air, thus the air pressure increases and the ears react to balance the pressure inside and outside of our ears. Take note that you also need to breathe in faster since there is lesser oxygen and you need to compensate the amount of oxygen that your lungs need.
How come the sound that we hear becomes barely audible when we are flying on an airplane?
The Eustachian tube inside the ears needs to regularly open wide in order to balance the change in the air pressure. As it fails to balance the pressure, we begin to hear a muffled sound. We only resume hearing sound clearly when the Eustachian tube opens and you hear a popping sound in your ears.
Is there a way to alleviate the popping of our ears during a flight?
Swallowing is a good way of relieving yourself from the pressure that is inside your sinus cavity. As you swallow, the muscles which are responsible for the opening of the Eustachian tube functions. Thus it is advisable to prepare yourself by swallowing just before the plane takes off and lands.
What happens if you hear a popping in your ear and you are neither inside an airplane nor in an elevated place?
This happens when something is wrong with your ears of you have what we call a tinnitus or simply called a ringing in the ears. It happens when the ears is impacted with ear wax. This may be relieved simply by removing the ear wax but never attempt to do it by yourself for you may damage your inner ears and ear drums. Let your doctor handle the removal of the ear wax.
Our ears are a very sensitive organ that we need to take extreme care of it. A pop in your ears is normal when flying a plane but any unusual popping must be checked with your physician for proper identification of a possible health problem.
