Why do my ear pop when I go up in an airplane?
457693
Equalization of pressure in your ears.\n\nAs you go higher in elevation, the air pressure is reduced but the air pressure inside your ears is still much the same as the pressure from when you were on the ground (higher).\n\nHigh pressure moves toward low pressure in an effort to balance out so it makes your ear drums make a popping sound.\n\n:)
378987
air pockets are simply put pockets of air that are at a different pressure than the sir surrounding them. thus there is a heavy movement of air in these pockets (hight pressure air moving in). this is generally caused by different air tempretures. when an airplane enters these pockets then the fast moving air collides with the airplane wings and gives it a sound shake. that is when you face turbulance.
1072685
Noise is created with the movement of particles.  The popping noise is caused by the air particles inside the balloon very rapidly moving outside the balloon.
892300
Take a decongestant to start off with. Try to take them for a day or so to see if it help clear it out. As for the popping, you could try buying one of the ear canal cleaning kits to get everything out of there. The qtips just push it farther in and can also cause damage to your ear drum. The wax is supposed to naturally work its way out.  That said, I still use qtips, but I only clean around the very outer part of the ear canal and very carefully at that. If you feel any pain or the popping continues, see a doctor.
670267
EEK! I did  that at a concert when I was young. I think the worst of it was over in 2 days, but my ears had a slight ring for quite a long time after that.  Chances are you've done some permanent damage. You might want to go get a hearing test at a Ear/Nose/Throat doctor.
562752
sounds like a blocked pore in your earlobe
759428
I use noise cancellations headphones for flying, they definetly cut the noise down.  They won't damage your hearing, they are designed to let your ear canal "breath" and function normally.  If you want to see some info on it go to www.davidclark.com.  They provide all the headset for the armed forces and for movies.  You can find info on the technology there
1181997
Well, that is quite an open question.  If the someone complaining about trouble hearing who previously had normal hearing acuity it could be earwax (cerumen) buildup in the ears, or a sudden hearing loss.  If this is the case they should seek medical attention as soon as possible.  If the person says they have noticed a gradual decline in their hearing over years it could be many things.  They could be having hearing loss as a result of the aging process.  They could have a hearing loss as a result of noise exposure if they work around loud noise or have hobbies that put them in loud noise like car racing, motorcycles, high powered tools or hunting without hearing protection.  If this is the case they should seek medical attention and audiological evaluation as well.  \n\nIf the person is a child and has trouble hearing it could be earwax build up or they may have fluid in their middle ear.  This condition can also occur for adults as a result of upper respiratory infections or recent air flights where they were unsuccessful in clearing their ears from the descent.  \n\nThose are the most common reasons, but not inclusive of all possibilities that could cause difficulty hearing.  \n\nThe bottom line is that the person should seek medical attention with their primary care physician and if the physician feels it is necessary then a referral on to audiology or ENT.  I hope that  helps
134593
The subtle differences in atmospheric pressure at ground level will not contribute to changes in sound waves. Although this is a viable concept because sound is a wave and the atmospheric pressure will change its progression through that environment, thus changing the sound and if our ear is in the same pressure the interaction upon our ear as well.\n\nI suspect other noises act as a source to drown out the airport noise at certain time and not at others. For example, in a crowded mall ever notice how hard it is to carry on a simple conversation with someone next to you, however in a quiet room you can hear you dog let gas go! Sound waves combat other sound waves, and the strongest will win. Strongest being in most cases the one closest to you.
359657
Yes , just not to often! It will pop and go make noise it is normal!
1141380
Yes, it does for some.  Most often is ears being clogged and/or popping.  It's much worse when you have a cold and/or sinus infection.
75603
why not? just because they are going over the speed of sound does not mean that they produce no sound themselves.  if you were standing still and it flew overhead, the sound would be "out of synch" with where you think it should be (from the plane) and where it comes from (behind the plane) but it would still make noise.  Also, if you were traveling alongside of the plane, you would hear it just fine.  Sound would still travel at the same speed relative to the moving bodies.\nno! going over mach 1 does not mean you would not hear sound.  You are not right in thinking that.  read my anser again, cowboy//
501303
No airplane, no matter how well built, is entirely air tight.  A bit of air leaks out slowly through many points and therefore the plane needs a mechanism to keep the pressure up so we can breathe inside.  \n\nThe air pressure inside the airplane is generated by a compressor.  As airplanes get older, the compressors don't work as well and thus take time to adujst the pressure in the cabin, and thus why you can feel the difference in your ears.
18318
If you are in the aircraft you would be able to hear the engine due to its noise being transmitted through the aircraft structure, to the air surrounding you, which then is heard by your ears.\n\nIf you were outside of the aircraft, somewhere in front of the engine, and travelling at the same speed of the aircraft you would not hear the engine noise.\n\nThis is because as the aircraft accelertates towards the speed of sound the aircraft starts to catch up with the shock wave which causes the sound of the engine in front of the aircraft.   At the speed of sound the engine sound shock wave will be somewhere near or on the front of the engine, so if you are far enough in front of the engine you would not hear it.
1023073
I'm no Doctor, so take this with a grain of salt, but the same thing happened to me on two flights.  During the descent the pressure in the sinuses changes, and if the sinuses are full it can cause a really painful experience.  My solution to this was to take a decongestant pill such as "Contac" about an hour before the flight.  That dries up the sinuses and prevents the congestion during flights.  Good luck.
1160588
If your eardrum is ruptured, there is no reason you can't fly.  The problem comes with a clogged eustacian tube (tube between the nose and the ears) the changes in air pressure with flying can cause some people problems.  Once the tympanic membrane is ruptured these changes can't do anything to the ear.
790139
Not completely. There is a connection between the ear, nose and throat (ENT). That's why there is a specialty called ENT Surgery or Otorhinolaryngology. When yawning, your eustachian tube is closed and due to pressure differences between your middle ear and outer ear, the ear drum is partially/temporarily displaced. This makes sound vibrations not easily detectable. Try flying in a pressurized aircraft cabin and experience this. Try also tha valsalva maneouvre.