Sinusitis and Flying: A Bad Idea



Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010

by Scott Siegel
Intergalactic Products LLC

Sinusitis and flying is a bad idea. Why is it a bad idea? If you don't mind pain, if you don't mind headaches and pressure and if you don't mind the possibility of rupturing your ear drum, then go ahead and fly. If you do mind those things then flying with a sinus infection is a bad idea.

How can flying cause all of those things to happen? The best way to illustrate this is to explain what I saw happen the other day when I was on a flight home. I had been drinking a bottle of water. It was about 25 percent full when I had enough and put the cap back on to close it. I promptly forgot about it until we landed.

When we landed I emptied all the personal items I had placed in the seat pocket in front of me and one of the items I pulled out was the partially used water bottle that I had sealed during the flight. The bottle was almost crushed flat. I looked at the bottle and chuckled to myself that the crushed bottle was a perfect example of what happens inside your head when you fly with an infection.

You see, your sinuses are open air cavities in your head. They are air spaces. One thing that air naturally wants to do is be at equilibrium. The air pressure in your sinuses needs to be equal to the air pressure of your environment.

When you have an infection you have blocked airways and swollen membranes. The swelling and the blockages prevent the air in your sinuses from freely flowing. When the air pressure outside of your head gets greater as in when you land, the air in your head needs to be supplemented with outside air until it reaches the same pressure.

When you have sinusitis and the air is blocked, you start to feel pressure build inside your head as the air is trying to equalize. The outside greater pressure starts to squeeze the tissues in your head just like it squeezed the sealed bottle I described earlier. You start to experience what is known as sinus squeeze. It can become very painful.

The only way to stop the pain and the pressure is to equalize. If there is a blockage that is not going to happen. You could find yourself experiencing severe head pain.

Your inner ear is close to the sinuses and is subjected to the same problems. If you have blocked sinuses chances are you have blocked ear canals too. If the pressure differential between your head and the outside pressure is strong enough it could cause your eardrum to rupture.

About the only thing you can do if you are stuck in a situation where you have to fly with sinusitis is to use a decongestant. The decongestant should open enough of the blocked areas that it will allow your head to equalize. Be careful, many decongestants don't last long. If you take a decongestant at the beginning of the flight, make sure it will last at least as long as the flight itself.

The changes in pressure experienced while flying can cause severe pain and damage if you have a sinus infection. Sinusitis and flying is a bad combination. Avoid it if you can. If you must fly take a decongestant that will open up the airways for the duration of the flight.

Scott Siegel is a researcher, author and editor. He has done extensive research on the sinusitis flying connection. For more great information on how to solve your sinus problems visit http://www.sinusprobleminfo.com

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