Comfortable Ear Pain Relief While Flying With This Technique
Ear pain caused by changes in air pressure is an unwanted side effect of flying. This doctor-recommended pain relief method is simpler and more convenient than some of the existing alternative methods.
William H. Shapiro, an audiologist and clinical assistant professor at New York University, suggests one pain relieving technique that is safer and less inconvenient than the conventional Valsalva maneuver . For the Valsalva maneuver, you usually close your mouth, plug your nose, and exhale with maximum force. For some people, especially children, this can be painful and uncomfortable. Dr. Shapiro recommends replacing exhalation with swallowing instead. Close your mouth, plug your nose, and swallow. This allows the pressure in the ears to be evened out, but much more comfortably. You may need to do this technique more often to balance the pressure in your ears, but it is also much less likely to harm your ears by blowing too much air out of your Eustachian tube.
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