We know, we all have a habit of spazzing out a little before we board a plane. Especially if we know we have a long way too. We know how tempting sleeping right before your flight is but snoozing through taking off and landing is actually a bad thing to do. Why? Well, there are medical reasons for it.
Turns out, when a plane takes off and lands, the air pressure changes rapidly with the altitude. If you are not properly prepared and are sleepy, as most of us get, the damage caused can be long lasting.
A British Pharmacist, Angela Chalmers explained, “A quick change in altitude affects the air pressure in the ear.”
Here is why you should never fall asleep before your plane takes off.
“The altitude effects lead to a vacuum in the Eustachian tubes which makes the ears feel blocked and sound dull,” said Angela Chalmers.
It is advised not to sleep while the plane is taking off.
It has nothing to do with safety but your health.
According to MedlinePlus which is also a health information site, if your ears stay blocked, they create a lot of health issues.
The health issues include dizziness, ear infections, ear drum damage and hearing loss.
When you’re asleep on the plane while it takes off, you are inhibiting your body’s ability to acclimate to the new pressure or the altitude change and damage your ear drums because at that time you’re not awake and are also not prepared properly to wake up all of a sudden.
By staying awake during the take-off and the landing, passengers can try and pop their ears to equalize the air pressure on the ear drums.
According to Medline Plus, the website, “Swallowing or yawning opens the tube and allows air to flow into or out of the middle ear. This helps to equalize pressure on both the side of the ear drum.
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It is said if the Eustachian tube is blocked, the air pressure in the middle ear is different than the pressure on the outside of the eardrum and that creates a problem.
Now, how should one snooze on the plane in order to get rid of the problems?
According to experts the best way to sleep on a plane is to carry ear plugs along.
Ear plugs help block out noise and help your ears from the damage of change in altitude. You can even use your earphones and listen to some music while enjoying watching the clouds.
The next way to enjoy some sleep can be chewing on sweets, candies or even gum if you can.
Go for drinking water, that will help you clear out all the blockage in the ear.
