Stop sleeping on planes
If you’re one of those people who goes to sleep once the jet reaches cruising altitude, you might want to rethink your air travel habits. There’s a high price for not paying attention to what’s going on. You could suffer from ear barotrauma. This happens when you don’t take steps to clear the Eustachian tubes when the outside air pressure doesn’t match the inner pressure. This mismatch usually occurs on takeoff and landing. If the tube stays blocked, fluids could build up behind the eardrum causing pain and hearing problems. Set your cell phone or other device to wake up and prepare. Flight attendants wake up sleeping people because they want everyone to be ready for landing, but they might overlook you if they’re busy. Don’t risk hearing damage. Take care of your own needs. You don’t want to be distracted by ear pain and muffled hearing once you land.
