Why do my ears hurt when I fly?

For a lot of people, flying can cause ear pain, discomfort and muffled hearing.

This is because rapid changes in altitude negatively affect the air pressure in your middle ears, drawing the ear drum in and causing it to bulge.

Barotitis is the medical name for this condition, but it goes by a lot of other names, including airplane ear, aeroplane ear and ear barotrauma.

Approximately 10% of adults and 20% of children develop Barotitis during flight (Stangerup et al, 2004), meaning millions of people are likely to be suffering from this around the world.

How Negative Pressure Builds Up, Causing Pain in the Ears When Flying

Boarding

As you board your flight middle ear pressure is normal.

Ascent

Middle ear pressure is increased during take off resulting in a build-up of negative pressure.

Landing

Your eardrum bulges inwards and hearing becomes almost normal as you land.

Disembarking

The eardrum remains bulged with negative pressure in the middle ear impairing hearing.

What Are The Symptoms of Barotitis/Airplane Ear?

If you have noticed any of the following symptoms during or after flight you could be suffering with Barotitis:

Ear Ache

Ears Popping On Flight

Dulled Hearing

Nausea

Vertigo

Dizziness

Balance Problems

Earache varies in severity between sufferers, but after flying ear pain can make scuba diving impossible, driving a challenge and in some cases, the ear hurts after flight so severely that the holiday is ruined.

How To Help Avoid Ear Pain When Flying

Otovent is an auto-inflation device which helps equalise the pressure in your
middle ear during a flight.

You simply use Otovent to inflate a specially pressurised balloon with your nose. This helps to open the eustachian tubes which connect your middle ears to the top of your throat. This in turn helps to equalise the pressure and alleviate the pain.

It has a clinically-proven effect on barotitis and:

Works fast.
Is drug and surgery-free.
Is easy to use and carry.
Is suitable for children aged 3+, under adult supervision.

What is Otovent?

How To Use Otovent

Here’s how to stop your ears from popping on a plane with easy to use in-flight ear discomfort remedy Otovent.

Connect

Connect the balloon to the nose piece. Hold the round part of the nose piece firmly against the right nostril with the right hand. Press the left nostril closed with the left hand.

Inflate

Inhale deeply, close the mouth and inflate the balloon until it is the size of a grapefruit by blowing through the nostril.

Repeat

Repeat the procedure with the left nostril. You will know that the treatment works if you experience a pressure increase and/or a “click” in the ear.

Buy Otovent

Clinical Evidence

In 2004 Sven-Eric Stangerup and his team conducted a study titled “Point Prevalence of Barotitis and Its Prevention and Treatment with Nasal Balloon Inflation: A Prospective, Controlled Study“.

They concluded ‘We recommend nasal balloon auto inflation in aircraft passengers who have difficulty clearing their ears during and after flying.’

You can download the full paper and view other Otovent trials via our Clinical Data section.

Can I fly with glue ear?

Glue ear is a condition of the middle ear which occurs when the eustachian tubes become blocked by a thick glue like substance. This results in hearing impairment similar to the hearing experience associated with ear pain when flying. Glue Ear differs from Barotitis in that it is usually a painless condition.

You may have noticed that Otovent is available for the treatment of Barotitis and Glue Ear or Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. This is because the treatment methods are designed to complete identical actions – the opening of the eustachian tubes. According to the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), children suffering with glue ear generally don’t experience problems flying, although your GP should always be consulted.