How to prevent sore ears when flying on a plane

A nurse has shared a trick for avoiding ear ache and pain while flying on a plane. Photo / 123rf

A British nurse has shared a tip for alleviating intense ear pain while on a plane during takeoff and landing. However, if you want to give it a try, prepare for some peculiar stares from fellow passengers.

The sensation of congested ears is caused by the alteration in air pressure during takeoff and landing. This occurs when the Eustachian tubes, which connect the middle ear to the back of the throat, become blocked.

Consequently, some travellers can experience partial or complete hearing loss, while others feel a dull (or not so dull) ache.

There are several techniques to help alleviate this bothersome problem, such as yawning and consuming fluids. However, Charlotte Stanley, a nurse from the UK suggests a very unique approach.

Stanley, who posts videos on TikTok under the handle ‘the_ear_nurse’, shared a video about how travellers can avoid ear pain. All you need to do is soak a paper towel in hot water, place it in a plastic cup and then put the cup over your ears.

The video, which has been viewed more than X times, explains how it works.

“I’m going to show you the earache hack in real time,” Stanley said while sitting in a plane seat.

“Ask your flight attendant for two plastic cups with hot paper towels. Trust me, they’ll know exactly what you’re asking for.”

After pushing the towels into the bottom of the plastic cups, Stanley places them over each ear, explaining how it will stabilise the pressure in the middle of her ear.

“When the plane rapidly climbs or descends, it changes the pressures so quickly that the Eustachian tube often can’t keep up,” she said, adding that the trick works for travellers of all ages.

@the_ear_nurse

#Airplaneearache sucks! #Earache in general sucks… My last version of this hack went viral but it was really nice to put it into practise & show you all in real time. It just makes it make sense. I did get some funny looks filming this though! 🤣 This is an #airhostest #flightattendant trick of the trade. Thanks to the lovely lady from #ryanair that new exactly what i was asking for when i asked for cups & hot paper towels. She even came back to ask me how i felt & if it worked 😊 Turns out we taught the lad she was working with somthing new 👌🏼 He had never witnessed this trick before. Maybe we ahve armed him with some earache fighting tools to help future sufferers 🙌🏼 It also works for #earache in general. #earacheremedy #earachehack #flying #flightpain #ryanair #traveltiktok #travelhack #parenthack

♬ original sound - The Ear Nurse

Hundreds of viewers commented on the video. Many said they looked forward to trying it.

“This is so cool – we can try this,” wrote one person, tagging someone else.

“OMG! I have mild hearing loss and I get lots of ear infections. Thank you so much,” another person wrote.

While the trick surprised some viewers, others said it has been a trick known by flight attendants for years.

“Flight attendants did this for me back in 1981. Throwback!” commented one user.

“This absolutely works. A flight attendant taught us this when my six-year-old old had an issue on a flight home many years ago,” another added.

A third person said they used to do this but had moved on to a new tactic. “I used to do this all my childhood! I now use the Earplanes ear plugs ... and I swear they’ve been a blessing,” they wrote.

Stanley said she shared the process in ‘real time’ while on a flight after a previous video about popping her ears went viral.

“My last version of this hack went viral but it was really nice to put it into practice and show you all in real-time,” she said, before adding how she did get some “funny looks” while filming.