Airplane Ears

Airplane Ears Airplane Ears Airplane Ears By Maeve Maddox Filip from Sweden has a question about an unpleasant accompaniment to flying: My question is simple but yet hard to explain. Its about the phenomenon blocked ears, or cap of the ears or whatever you might call it. You know when you land with an airplane and you feel theres pressure inside your ear and after a while . . . the bubble bursts. I guess you understand what it is Im referring to. So, my question is, what is it really called? . . . Whats right, in both English and Latin? I certainly know what Filip is referring to. Once my ears remained blocked for more than a week after a flight. Thats when I began carrying a big package of gum when flying. I chew furiously at take-off and upon landing. That seems to do the trick for me. No more blocked ears. Since I didnt know the medical term for this phenomenon, I decided to call it airplane ears. Apparently thats a term that other people use. Heres the definition from the Mayo Clinic site: Airplane ear is the stress exerted on your eardrum (tympanic membrane) and other middle ear tissues when the air pressure in your middle ear and the air pressure in the environment are out of balance. You may experience airplane ear at the beginning of a flight when the airplane is climbing or at the end of a flight when the airplane is descending. These fast changes in altitude cause air pressure changes and can trigger airplane ear. Airplane ear is also called ear barotrauma, barotitis media or aerotitis media. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Avoid Beginning a Sentence with â€Å"With†At Your Disposal6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know