Air Travel and Tinnitus

[OKShakespeare]

I may need to fly for a few hours and am concerned about increasing tinnitus. I have flown in the past and had ear pain. In addition I suffer from motion sickness which probably has to do with inner ear issues. I travel to the mountains a couple times annually and have trouble releasing the pressure after descent. So with my history I am more than a little concerned. Can anyone here offer some feedback from personal experience?

[bennevis21]

Hi I have flown twice this year with no problems,I think it was an airbus 320 ,used sound app on phone to check noise level and was about 80db,I took ear plugs just in case but didn’t use them .If you wear plugs make sure it’s the ones for flying they have a valve on them to let pressure out.

[OKShakespeare in reply to bennevis21]

Hadn't thought there might be special ear plugs for flight. 80 db will probably make mine worse. Will look for the plugs. Thanks.

[bantams]

Hi, I have flown many times since starting with Tinnitus 3 years ago and have never had any issues, in fact the plane noise seems to mask my Tinnitus and I do not focus on it plus the last few times my ears have not popped when the plane as taken off and when landing.

[OKShakespeare in reply to bantams]

Hope I can be as fortunate but past experience makes me fearful. A couple of times I have experienced sharp ear pain.

[Hidden]

Hi @OKShakespeare

I fly roughly twice a year. I like an aisle seat, like to pop out/keep moving. I drink lots of water during take off and landing. My ears get painful during descent so I keep swallowing water and chew on mints. A fellow passenger was inducing deliberate yawns on descent and said that helped her ears. I usually drink tea, just eat lightly in the flight and try to read. If I fall asleep I often feel sick when I wake up so I try to stay awake. Good luck xx

[OKShakespeare]

Despite yawns and gum chewing I have had sharp ear pain on descent. I don't want to burst an eardrum just to take a flight. I think that is a possibility.

[surreycccfan]

Hi, I have flown many times with my T and had no problems but I understand your concern as I was exactly the same when I first flew and had not really 'accepted' my T and was still fighting it. The BTA have some great information here tinnitus.org.uk/flying-and-... and tinnitus.org.uk/flying-and-... . When I flew when I was struggling with my T, I made sure I had some decent ear plugs if lots of noise (I use alpine but plenty out there), I also had some good podcasts/music downloaded to my phone so I could 'distract' myself not just from my T but also from any anxiety I had from my T getting worse, I made sure I had a good relaxation technique to hand which I used before I flew (and could also use if I got anxious when I was on the plane and was focusing on my T) I had a progressive muscle relaxation and a breathing exercise in my 'toolkit' and lastly if I was flying with someone I made sure they understood my concerns and made sure we chatted or played cards to take the focus away from my T and any anxiety. Hope this helps in some small way, stay safe

[OKShakespeare in reply to surreycccfan]

Thank you for the flight tips. I will try to incorporate them into my trip. Now I need an MRI and am searching for an open, quieter one. I can wear earplugs but no headphone because it will be for my head and neck. Finding one of the newer models with sound reduction has been a task and I have not made any headway. I am in the US and there are major university hospitals nearby but no open quieter MRI's. I will not do an MRI if it means more tinnitus.

[TimSussex]

No problems for me - the flying doesn't seem to affect my T at all. In fact, the airplane noise offers some relief...