During a plane flight, a passenger experiences ear pain due to a head cold that has clogged his Eustachian tub?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustachian_... Pressure equalization Under normal circumstances, the human Eustachian tube is closed, but it can open to let a small amount of air through to prevent damage by equalizing pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere. Pressure differences cause temporary conductive hearing loss by decreased motion of the tympanic membrane and ossicles of the ear. Various methods of ear clearing such as yawning, swallowing, or chewing gum, may be used intentionally to open the tube and equalize pressures. When this happens, humans hear a small popping sound, an event familiar to aircraft passengers, scuba divers, or drivers in mountainous regions. Devices assisting in pressure equalization include an ad hoc balloon applied to the nose, creating inflation by positive air pressure. Sometimes I hold my nostrils closed with my thumb and first finger. As I attempt to exhale and inhale, I feel the pressure changing inside my ears. My eardrum moves in and out. This helps remove the problem caused by unequal pressure.
Do ear plugs really work to alleviate pain during a flight?
Ear plugs cannot prevent the pressure changes that occur during flight, and so they cannot prevent problems. The pain comes from your eardrum, which is put under unequal pressure during a climb or descent in the aircraft. The air pressure in the cabin drops slightly as the airplane climbs, and rises again as the airplane descends, in much the same way as it changes when you drive up into the mountains or back down from the hills. This means that you end up with more pressure on one side of your eardrum than there is on the other side. This can hurt if the difference in pressure is large (if it's small, usually your ears just feel like they are blocked, although they really aren't). Air pressure is equalized by the eustachian tubes, small tubes that leave from the middle ear (on the inside of the eardrum) to your mouth. When a pressure difference develops on opposite sides of the ear, the eustachian tubes allow air to move in or out of the inside of your eardrum to equalize the pressure. However, if they don't open easily, the pressure difference can build, causing pain and temporary hearing impairment. Chewing and swallowing are actions that tend to open the tubes. Blowing with your nose pinched shut can also force air into the tubes, but that works only when you are descending (don't try it when climbing, it will only make things worse). Yawning can help to open the tubes as well. Earplugs are good for reducing noise, but since they can't actually change the pressure on opposite sides of the eardrum, they usually don't work for pressure issues. A perfectly airtight earplug can slow pressure equalization to compensate for closed eustachian tubes, but since the speed of equalization still wouldn't likely be the same on both sides of the eardrum, it won't eliminate the problem completely.
Can flight attendants use ear plugs during a flight?
I am going to start training with a flight attendant school in a few weeks to become a flight attendant. the problem is, i have problems during flights with the air pressure. I usually wear ear plugs during flights to relieve ear aches i suffer or for my ear to stop popping. i want to know if flight attendants are allowed to wear them if so what type do they wear or arent they allowed to wear them.