A passenger on board the plane was in great pain as his ears started bursting during the plane’s landing.
Kentucky mom and content creator Shelby Heiskell, who posts on TikTok under the username @babygriffin, shared a little-known hack a flight attendant knew how to help her get relief from ear pain.
Heiskell said Heiskell and her family were headed home to Kentucky after spending Thanksgiving in California, and she was also dealing with some congestion due to the virus she contracted a week ago.
“I was not a very experienced traveler, I did not know that flying like this could be dangerous [health] Conditions,” Heiskell told Fox News Digital via email.
“Upon landing, I felt my ear burst, and it felt as if my ear was going to burst. It was unbearable pain that I had never felt before and over which I had no control.”
In her video, which has been viewed 6.1 million times, she described a feeling of pain as if she felt like her “eardrum was about to burst.”
The pain Heiskell feels is sometimes referred to as “airplane ear”, which occurs when tension on your eardrum And this can happen when “the air pressure in your middle ear and the air pressure in the environment are out of balance,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
“When you’re on an airplane and are boarding after takeoff or descending for a landing, you may get airplane ear,” the Mayo Clinic website says.
Heiskell said that she probably knew some ways to relieve the unpleasant feeling, such as chewing gum, yawning or even holding and blowing her nose, but ultimately she did not find a solution.
She added, “The pain kept increasing until I had to hide my face in the flight pillow – to avoid causing an accident or scaring my son.”
There was a flight attendant on the plane who noticed how upset Heiskell looked and approached her and asked what the problem was.
That’s when Heiskell’s boyfriend told her about the pain she was feeling, and the flight attendant told them “that’s all she had.”
The flight attendant returned to the couple with a disposable coffee cup, Heiskell said, adding that a “warm, damp washcloth” was found at the bottom of the cup.
The attendant then instructed Heiskell to place the cup over his ear.
“I felt relief almost immediately,” Heiskell said.
“Although this did not cause temporary hearing loss or resolve the actual problem, it soothed the pain and took away the feeling of impending pressure.”
Heiskell shared the video on TikTok, captioning it: “I owe that girl! Apparently, this is a trick that not many people know about, because one of the flight attendants on the next plane had no idea what I was talking about when I ordered her to take off. (My ears were still closed)… so I thought I would share.”
Heiskell once again tried the hack on his second flight, and had to explain the “hot cup” method to the flight attendant.
This time, the attendants used napkins instead of hot towels, but Heiskell was still relieved.
After posting the video on TikTok, Heiskell interacted with several people who said they had never heard of this hack before.
The comments section soon filled up with other people sharing their tips for avoiding the ear-splitting sensation while flying.
“Many people suggest travelers take a decongestant or Sudafed 24 hours before a flight and again 45 minutes before boarding,” Heiskell said.
,[The social media users] Ask to use Affirm or Flonase when boarding and to fly with an ear plug product called ‘Ear Planes’. Also, he told me to take another decongestant/Sudafed after the flight to avoid any ear problems after the fact,” Heiskell said.
There were even some flight attendants who joined the conversation by sharing their stories and how they helped parents use this hack for babies and toddlers by placing a cup on each ear to relieve pressure. Recommends, Heiskell shared.
“I’m so grateful for that first flight attendant [on the plane]I swear his trick saved my hearing and sanity!” Heiskell said.
The question is, why does the “hot cup” method relieve ear pressure pain?
First, it’s important to understand why the ears “pop” when boarding and descending during your flight, according to Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist with the New York-based Allergy and Asthma Network.
“There are changes in ear pressure during takeoff and landing, causing the pressure outside the ear to rise while the pressure in the middle of the ear increases.” [the] The ear grows,” Parikh told Fox News Digital.
“To relieve the pressure, your Eustachian tube that connects the ear, nose and throat opens to correct this imbalance and cause a popping sound,” Parikh said.
Pain behind ear pressure is a result of the Eustachian tube getting blocked by other external factors including allergies and various infections, children are more prone to this due to having smaller Eustachian tubes.
Parikh reveals why the “hot cup” method will help relieve pain caused by pressure in the cabin.
“The steam from the hot towel in the cup probably opened the Eustachian tube, relieving pressure and pain. Inhaling steam through your nose will also work for the same reasons,” she said.
While Parikh hadn’t heard of this method specifically, she regularly recommends her patients use steam as a decongestant.
If you’re struggling with the pain of ear pressure while flying, Parikh recommends swallowing, chewing gum or even opening and closing your jaw as a way to reduce and equalize that pressure. Are.
“If you’re experiencing congestion due to a cold, allergies or other illness, try talking to your doctor before flying and seeking treatment to relieve congestion,” Parikh said.
“Over-the-counter allergy medications and nasal sprays can also help before flying to keep things fresh. Finally, filtered ear plugs can also help equalize pressure – but [you] Still need to yawn and swallow with them,” she said.
