Everyone has experienced the pressure that builds up in their ears when they are flying. For some people it’s just a temporary thing that is more annoying than anything else. For others though, it can be quite painful.

The pain can be moderate to extremely painful and babies and young children tend to get the pain more than adults. You can help to prevent a lot of the pain caused by the pressure changes in the airplane by some of the things listed below.

One way to avoid the pain caused by the pressure changes in the airplane is getting and wearing specially designed earplugs that help to equalize the pressure in your ears. These earplugs come with filters that will slow down the rate air moves in an out of your ears. You can buy these online or at your local pharmacy.

You can also try to yawn often while you are taking off as well as when your plan lands. This will help to open up your ears and can help relieve the pain. If you have difficulty yawning on purpose you can try and harden your tongue at the back and this will force you to yawn.

You can also try plugging your nose by pinching your nostrils with your fingers and then start blowing very slowly and very gently. Make sure not to blow really hard or you could actually end up doing some damage to your eardrums and this is going to result in even more pain.

Make sure to have some gum or candy with you and chew either when you takeoff and land. This is going to also help to equalize pressure in your ears and cut down on the pain. You can also try drinking fluids by sipping them very slowing when you are taking off and landing.

Extra fluids will also help to keep your passages of your nose moist and helps to prevent you from getting dehydrated. If you have a baby with you, you should have him drink from his bottle during all takeoffs and landings.

» Read more: Travel Advice – Avoiding Ear Pain When Flying on a Plane