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Why do my ears pop on an airplane? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
There’s more to our ears than just the part we can see from the outside. Have you ever learned about the eardrum? It’s located inside your ear where you can’t see, and it’s one of the essential parts of the ear that helps us to hear.
Also inside your ear, near the eardrum, are tube-like spaces filled with air. When you’re at ground-level, wherever you are, the air inside these spaces is at equal pressure with the air around you. Because of that, you’re probably not even aware that those air-pockets exist!
But when you fly in an airplane, something different might happen. As the plane climbs up or descends down, you go through parts of the sky where the air pressure is different than it was on the ground. If the air inside your ears doesn’t adjust quickly, the air around you might push on the air in your ears, or vice verse. This is what causes your ears to hurt and “pop” as the air inside your ear and the air around you try to equal out again!
Lots of people try chewing gum when they fly to help prevent their ears from popping. The chewing motion helps move and open the tubes that hold the air in your ears, so they can equal out with the air around you more quickly. You can also try opening your mouth really wide and yawning!
Under pressure
There are other times that your ears might “pop” aside from just being in an airplane -- driving up a tall mountain or riding a ride at the fair, for example. Sometimes they also pop when you go swimming!
Think about different times that your ears have popped. Where were you and what were you doing? How did you finally manage to get the popping to stop?
Also inside your ear, near the eardrum, are tube-like spaces filled with air. When you’re at ground-level, wherever you are, the air inside these spaces is at equal pressure with the air around you. Because of that, you’re probably not even aware that those air-pockets exist!
But when you fly in an airplane, something different might happen. As the plane climbs up or descends down, you go through parts of the sky where the air pressure is different than it was on the ground. If the air inside your ears doesn’t adjust quickly, the air around you might push on the air in your ears, or vice verse. This is what causes your ears to hurt and “pop” as the air inside your ear and the air around you try to equal out again!
Lots of people try chewing gum when they fly to help prevent their ears from popping. The chewing motion helps move and open the tubes that hold the air in your ears, so they can equal out with the air around you more quickly. You can also try opening your mouth really wide and yawning!
Under pressure
There are other times that your ears might “pop” aside from just being in an airplane -- driving up a tall mountain or riding a ride at the fair, for example. Sometimes they also pop when you go swimming!
Think about different times that your ears have popped. Where were you and what were you doing? How did you finally manage to get the popping to stop?
- “Listen Up.” First Human Body Encyclopedia. Ed. Penny Smith. 1 vol. New York: DK Publishing Inc., 2005. 44-45.
- Phelps, William Clarence, Sr. “Why your ears pop when you are riding on an airplane?” PhysLink.com. 09 Jun. 2011
- Myers, Jack. “Why do your ears pop when you’re in an airplane?” Science Question. Highlights Kids. 09 Jun. 2011