That post-flight "clogged" feeling is more than just annoying—it can be painful. Known medically as , it happens when the air pressure in your middle ear doesn't match the pressure in the cabin. While it usually resolves on its own, sometimes your ears need a little help getting back to normal. 1. The Best Techniques to Unblock Your Ears
Most airplane ear resolves in 2–3 days. Seek medical attention if you experience:
| | During Takeoff & Landing | |-----------------------|------------------------------| | Take a decongestant 1 hour before descent (if no contraindications). | Stay awake for landing. | | Use a saline nasal spray to keep passages moist. | Yawn, swallow, or chew continuously. | | If you have allergies, take antihistamines 24 hours prior. | Give babies a bottle or pacifier to swallow. | | Don’t fly with a full cold, sinus infection, or active ear infection. | Use filtered earplugs (e.g., EarPlanes) to slow pressure change. |
For more stubborn cases, applying a over the ear for about 10 minutes can help soothe the area and encourage fluid or pressure to shift. If you have a cold or allergies, an over-the-counter decongestant spray or pill may reduce the swelling in the nasal passages that contributes to the blockage.
