CHEWING GUM REALLY DOES HELP YOUR EARS ON AIRPLANES.

Stocking up on chewing gum before a flight has become just as routine a part of flying as the TSA line or returning your seat to its upright position. But, it turns out, chewing really does help equalize the pressure in your ears (and therefore help ease that uncomfortable or painful blocked feeling).

The reason your ears “pop” on airplanes is because air is less dense at higher altitudes. As you travel higher into the air, the air pressure outside your ears drops while the air pressure inside your ears remains the same. This causes the air in your inner ear to press against your eardrum (in an attempt to escape the inner ear and equalize the pressure). One way to help equalize the pressure is to open the Eustachian tube, a small cavity in the middle ear that connects the ears to the nose and throat. You can do this by swallowing, yawning, or—you guessed it—chewing.

The main thing na to land safely. Planes are like flying coffins to me. I just hate flying.

The ear pain has made me prefer driving to flying.