STUPID QUESTION Ask a

WHY DO WE GET EARACHE WHILE FLYING?

‘It’s due to pressure changes in the middle ear, the air-filled space behind the eardrum,’ says Alasdair Mace, ENT specialist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. ‘As a plane ascends, air pressure in the cabin reduces. This makes the air in the eardrum expand and it bulges outwards, causing pain. When landing, the drum contracts, which is a more painful process.’