Aerotitis is the intense pain that people feel in their ears or even the temporary loss of hearing during take-off, landing or flight, it is a specific problem that has its own name, aerotitus. This disorder explains why some people hate flying, while others are not at all uncomfortable.
For many people, the fact that someone does not want to travel by plane because of earaches may seem ridiculous. However, many of them do not know that, due to certain preconditions, a large number of people suffer from much more intense pain than that experienced by most.
Reason for this disorder
The reason this disorder is experienced is the sudden change in air pressure inside the aircraft cabin. Air should enter and exit through the Eustachian tube of the ear, to normalize the eardrum. However, the Eustachian tube can have a difficult time adapting to these sudden pressure changes, both during take-off and landing. This pain can also be exacerbated when the eustachian tube cannot adapt quickly enough.
Factors that produce it
The factors that can make this disorder more acute or frequent have to do with having a previous ear infection, some congestion, or allergies that can make you more prone to aerotitus. In this case, the Eustachian tubes could already have previous problems, and when experiencing the change of air pressure during the flight, it could suffer greater difficulties, causing great pain.
If the person has some middle ear scars, due to chronic ear infections during childhood , the Eustachian tube may not be able to adjust correctly to pressure changes, since it will be less elastic, or smaller.
Way to fight it
There are many things you can do to protect your Eustachian tubes during a flight. If you have an infection , congestion, or allergies, you should wait until these complaints are alleviated before taking a flight.
If you cannot stop boarding it, you should take some steps to avoid, as far as possible, that this pain arises during the flight. First of all, you should consult your doctor for a decongestant.
This medicine should be taken every 6 hours, one day before and after your flight. This will constrict the inflamed mucous membranes in the canals of your ears and nose. You can also use a nasal decongestant spray , which is applied every five minutes, half an hour before the flight and during the flight itself.
Chewing gum during the entire flight and not just when taking off and landing will help you open your Eustachian tube more, and for longer. There are also external applications for the ears, which reduce earache during flight.
Other ways of perceiving it
It is possible that this earache can also be experienced in a car or on a bus, while going down or up a mountain very quickly, with the window closed. Therefore, it would be highly recommended that you always try to lower, even if not more than a few centimeters, the windows.
If you are prone to these earaches and you are on a mike whose windows cannot be opened, ask the driver what measures he takes during descents or ascents, to imitate these practices.