6 tips for unblocking your ears after travelling
If you’ve ever experienced blocked ears after a flight, you’ll know what a pain they can be. This tends to occur during take-off or landing, due to a change in balance. There are several fixes for this, so that you can have a more enjoyable flight.
1. Yawning
During take-off and landing, yawn as much as possible. The action of yawning encourages the muscles to open the tube in your ear, which balances the pressure.
2. Sweets
Another idea is to suck on a hard sweet, which encourages you to swallow more often. This also helps balance the pressure in your ears.
3. Chewing gum
In the same way, chewing on gum helps to encourage swallowing, and the act of chewing can help prevent your ears getting blocked.
4. Nasal spray
Use a decongestant or nasal spray an hour before your flight departs. These open up the nasal passages, which can help to keep the tube responsible for blockages open during the flight.
5. Blow your nose
An idea for unblocking your ears is to hold your nose and take in a deep breath. Close your mouth and gently blow from your nose (like you are trying to blow your nose) until you hear a pop sound. This sound tells you that your ears are unblocked. Repeat until you feel some relief.
6. Water
Stay well hydrated on the flight, to help reduce any irritation of the throat and nasal passages. This allows the tubes in your ears to function more efficiently, and hopefully reduce the risk of any blockages.
Have you got any other tips for unblocking your ears after a flight? We would love to hear from you in the comments.
Related links:
How to protect your ears from the cold
Natural remedies to prevent in-flight ear pain
4 problems that arise from untreated hearing loss