Her eardrum was now pulled taut inward. That’s why sounds were muffled—the drum couldn’t vibrate properly. And the sharp, stabbing pain she began to feel? That was the eardrum stretching to its limit, like a plastic bag being vacuum-sealed from the inside.
This, Maya was experiencing, was airplane ear —medically known as barotrauma. The culprit was a tiny, pencil-thin passage called the Eustachian tube. This tube connects the middle ear—the air-filled space behind the eardrum—to the back of the throat. Its job is to equalize pressure. On the ground, it opens hundreds of times a day, silently adjusting when you swallow or yawn. clogged ears from flying
She yawned theatrically, earning a glance from the teenager next to her. Still nothing. Her eardrum was now pulled taut inward
Maya took the gum. She chewed wide, moving her jaw side to side, forcing her throat muscles to work. Then she combined it with a sip of water from her bottle—swallowing hard with her nose pinched. This created a powerful vacuum and muscle pull in the back of the throat. That was the eardrum stretching to its limit,