Medical experts have explained why passengers should never sleep during the climb and descent of the aircraft. Such a dream can cause serious health problems. Rapid changes in external pressure affect the air pressure inside the ears. This leads to a vacuum effect in the Eustachian tubes, which is why it just “lays” ears.
If you are asleep, you will not swallow as often as if you were awake, which can lead to ear congestion and eardrum damage. The longer the ear remains blocked, the more problems you can get out of the blue: dizziness, ear infections, trauma to the eardrum, and even nosebleeds and hearing loss.
Doctors say to equalize the air pressure on the eardrums you can close your ears. Swallowing and yawning also help. These procedures open the Eustachian tube and allow air to flow in and out of the middle ear, which means — the pressure on both sides of the eardrum equalizes. It is clear that for this you need to be awake and control your well-being.
For the same reason, doctors do not recommend flying on an airplane with colds.
And one more useful tip: do not lean against the window when you want to rest your head comfortably while you sleep. Porthole — perhaps the dirtiest part of an aircraft cabin as passengers regularly cough and sneeze on its surface.