The rapid changes in cabin pressure while flying can often cause eardrum pain, vertigo and even temporary hearing loss in some. While figuring out how to pop your ears after a flight can help equalize the pressure in the inner ear, dealing with potentially debilitating ear pain and landing at your destination feeling dizzy and discombobulated isn’t exactly a great way to start your holiday or business trip.
That’s where EarPlanes come in. This seemingly everyday pair of earplugs is a possibly game-changing piece of travel gear for anyone who experiences ear pain or vertigo when flying. The allergy-free silicone earplugs are designed in a screwlike formation and sit snugly in the ear to assist in filtering the shift in air pressure that can enter the ear, avoiding stress on the eardrum that causes pain. These handy earplugs also come with their own carrying case for easy transport.
The brand also recently launched an app that tracks your flight and provides suggestions as to when you should be wearing your EarPlanes to avoid potential discomfort based on the current cabin pressure and rate of air pressure change.
These earplugs are a hero packing essential for those with sensitive ears — and you can grab them for less than $10 a pair.
This set of earplugs is basic on the surface level, but along with offering noise cancellation, EarPlanes are designed to regulate the pressure from takeoff and landing and, in turn, reduce the ear pain sometimes associated with flying.
How I found EarPlanes earplugs
I had tympanostomy — that’s ear tube surgery for us laypeople — when I was a child. The procedure involves drilling a hole into the eardrum and inserting tiny tubes that allow air to pass through the eardrum to the middle ear. It’s supposed to improve the body’s natural passageway from the middle ear to the back of the nose, but it also ended up seriously affecting the way my ears regulate cabin pressure when flying and caused a lot of pain.
I am a full-time travel writer and it’s my job to fly frequently, so dealing with debilitating pain every time I flew was not ideal. Let’s just say there’s nothing professional about crying in pain every time I got on or off a flight.
I first found EarPlanes when chatting with a family friend about the best and worst parts of travel. Her daughter had similar ear pain-related problems when flying, and their doctor recommended trying out EarPlanes. I ordered a pair immediately, and after my first pain-free flight, I was hooked.
So, how do EarPlanes work? It’s simple but effective. The screw-style earplugs are made from a latex-free silicone that provides a snug fit for most ears (it’s worth noting that there’s also a child-sized option). The built-in CeramX then slows the shift in air pressure that enters the ear, lessening the stress on the eardrum and reducing overall discomfort.
I wear my EarPlanes for the entire flight if I’m flying alone. They also reduce cabin noise by 20 decibels, but you only need to wear them for takeoff and landing to reap the benefits. If I want to take advantage of inflight entertainment while flying, I just use my over-ear headphones on top of my EarPlanes rather than wireless earbuds.
Why EarPlanes earplugs are a score
I hated flying before I found EarPlanes earplugs. My ear pain was almost always unbearable (we’re talking to the point of tears), and I would feel uncomfortable for hours, sometimes even days, after landing. Now? I rarely experience ear pain, and I will not get on a plane without them.
My pair of EarPlanes tend to outlast my ability to keep track of them (I’ve probably lost two or three pairs over ten years), but thankfully, they are widely available in most airports, so it’s easy to replace them in a pinch. And at less than $10 per pair, it’s always worth it, even if there’s an airport shop markup.
I’ve found that wearing EarPlanes for the first and last half hours of any flight pretty much completely prevents any ear pain during takeoff and landing. I’ve also noticed that wearing EarPlanes helps to prevent that annoying feeling of my balance being off-kilter or any slight pressure-induced hearing problems upon landing.
I fly four to six times per month, but even if you only fly a couple of times per year, these earplugs last virtually forever, which makes the cost per wear mere pennies. And trust me, even if you don’t fly all that often, the price tag is worth the ear pain-free flying and being able to hear properly upon landing.
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