Stay awake please!
When sleeping on a plane can be dangerous
© anzebizjan / Shutterstock
Aaah, found a seat, buckled up, aaand: compulsory break! Sleeping on a plane is the best thing to do. Or? Not always!
You can catch up on sleep on the plane, after all, the activities on board are rather limited: reading, maybe watching films, talking, eating – there is not much more in it, so tightly lashed into a small space.
However, there are two phases of any flight when it’s best to stay awake: takeoff and landing. Because there are people whose ears could otherwise be damaged.
What’s going on in that ear?
The air pressure in an airplane at an altitude of 10,000 meters is different than on Earth. Not usually a problem: our bodies managed to adapt to it during takeoff and landing.
And it works like this: The air in our middle ear is adapted to the external pressure of our environment. If the ambient pressure changes, a pressure difference arises in the ear. This is usually compensated automatically by opening the ear trumpet. If the pressure in the ear does not equalize, we get an uncomfortable feeling of pressure or even pain in the ear. In this case, we actively ensure the necessary pressure equalization.
Anyone who is asleep cannot react
However, a sleeping person cannot react appropriately because he does not realize that the pressure equalization has not taken place. Ear, nose and throat doctor Armin Mechkat told “Travelbook” that in such cases there can even be bleeding into the middle ear or the eardrum. “In the worst case, the eardrum or a thin membrane in the inner ear ruptures, which can result in acute hearing loss.”
This danger is more likely to affect people who tend to be sensitive to the change in external pressure or who are particularly vulnerable due to an ear infection.
How can I actively ensure pressure equalization?
First and foremost, of course, you have to be awake in order to equalize the pressure in your ear. Sometimes it is enough to swallow dry several times or have something to drink, eat, chew gum or yawn. If that doesn’t work, you can pinch your nose, close your mouth, and then blow hard. If there is a crackling sound in the ear, the pressure equalization has taken place.
“If the pressure in your ears doesn’t go away within 24 hours, you should see a doctor,” says Achim Mechkat. Even if you suffer from ringing in your ears or vertigo after landing, you should get yourself examined as soon as possible.