• Question: Why do our ears pop when we travel (especially on planes) ?

    Asked by ibkdamitos to Audra on 15 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Audra Benjamin

      Audra Benjamin answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      We are all surrounded by air which is at a certain pressure (weight on a defined surface area), this atmospheric pressure can change depending on where we are, so at sea level atmospheric pressure is 1atm but at the summit of Mt Everest, which is 8,848m above sea level, it is 0.33atm.

      The pressure on one side of your eardrum is the same as the pressure outside but if the outside pressure changes quickly like when you are going up in a plane, the pressure difference between the outside and the inside of you ear causes pain etc but this can be relieved by yawning or chewing gum.

      Check out this link for more info http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/earspopping.shtml

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