Angela Chalmers, Boots UK Pharmacist comments: “When on an aeroplane it is important to keep moving during your flight. Blood clots can happen when the legs are in the same position for twenty minutes or more, so take your shoes off to allow you to wriggle your toes and circle your ankles at regular intervals. Remember to walk up and down the aisles a few times when you are flying too as this will keep your blood circulation flowing freely.” You may not realize this but surveys have shown that as much as 30 percent of fliers feel ear pain due to changes in air pressure, and the percentage of sufferers increase dramatically if they suffer from allergies or fly with a cold or flu. Commercial passenger planes are pressurized to minimize the effects of changing altitudes, but your ears still experience changes in pressure during take offs and landings. The noise reduction rating (NRR) is something to pay attention to when selecting the custom earplug for you. Each custom earplug and/or filter (where available) has a different NRR, which means that they provide hearing protection for different levels of sound intensity. Depending upon your need and/or your work environment, you will want to choose the custom earplug that has the NRR that gives you the protection that you need—and allows you to hear other necessary sounds, like voices, radio communications, etc. (if any). Comfort Finding the right size of pre-molded earplugs for you requires quite a bit of trial and error; you may even need to use a different size for each ear. Note that the correct earplugs should seal your ear canal without causing any discomfort. Make sure you choose ones that state they have the right level of hearing protection. For example, if the DIY noise was 100dB and you wore ear plugs reducing it by 15dB, this should mean you're hearing a safe 85dB.

But you might also choose to buy ear defenders for use at home - for example, when you're doing DIY or doing loud garden machinery work (strimming, mowing, digging up concrete etc) for an extended time. Ears popping is caused by changes in cabin pressure, which your Eustachian tube struggles to adapt to. This is why you’re most likely to feel your ears popping when the plane starts to descend. If you’re in these parts of the plane, wearing earplugs can minimize the noises you hear. They’re helpful, especially on long-haul flights when you want time to sleep or rest. The Alpine FlyFit ear plugs are some of the main rivals to Earplanes. They’re designed to minimise air pressure changes thereby preventing your ears from popping.Big Ear Custom Aviation Earplugs: Best for a range of aviation industry uses (Link the option to the product) Airplane earplugs are designed for long-term comfort and should not cause any pain in your ear canal. If you feel discomfort, you can remove them and let your ears relax momentarily. What is the noise reduction rating?

Ear plugs can cause problems by not giving wax a chance to escape, so it's important for your ears to have a rest between uses.

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Boots UK is the leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer in the UK, with close to 2,500* Boots UK stores and over 60,000* employees. Boots UK’s purpose is to help customers look and feel better than they ever thought possible. Customers are at the heart of our business which is committed to providing exceptional customer and patient care, be the first choice for pharmacy and healthcare, offer innovative products 'only at Boots' such as the UK’s leading skincare brand No7, all delivered with the great value our customers love. Created over 160 years ago, the Boots brand is still at the heart of the communities it serves. Whether it is advice on helping to stay comfortable and healthy while you are in the air or making sure you feel rested and ready to hit the beach when you land, Boots UK has your inflight health needs covered.

There are also airplane earplugs that protect your ears from pain caused by changes in air pressure, so make sure to look into those, too, if that’s something you suffer from. Wax ear plugs are harder to find, but are typically around 40 to 55p a pair. The cheapest option we found from a big high street chain supermarket or pharmacy was: The low profile design provides excellent noise isolation and can improve comfort when worn under a headset. The Valsalva manoeuvre involves closing your mouth, pinching your nose shut and trying to exhale through your nostrils. It’s a common technique for stopping your ears popping when flying. The Impulse Pro filter allows air to enter the ear, retaining spatiality and sound directionality and is comfortable in indoor and outdoor environments.Use the Valsalva maneuver during ascent and descent. Gently blow, as if blowing your nose, while pinching your nostrils and keeping your mouth closed. Repeat several times, especially during descent, to equalize the pressure between your ears and the airplane cabin. Custom plugs made of harder materials, or generic plugs that are too big or small, can rub where they sit in the ear and make it tender and painful. If worn inappropriately they can even break the skin.