Flight passenger goes viral for revealing how crew member 'saved' her with hack to relieve 'airplane ear'

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A passenger aboard a plane found herself in immense pain as her ears began to pop amid the flight's descent. 

Shelby Heiskell, a Kentucky mom and content creator who posts under the username @babygriffin on TikTok, shared an arguably little-known hack from a flight attendant who knew how to help her find relief from the ear pain she experienced. (See the video at the top of this piece.)

Heiskell and her family were traveling home to Kentucky after spending Thanksgiving in California, and she was also battling congestion due to a virus she contracted the week before, Heiskell said.

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"I wasn't a very experienced flayer," Heiskell told Fox News Digital.

"I wasn't aware that it could be dangerous to fly in such [health] conditions."

"Upon descending, I felt my ear pop, and it felt like my ear was going to explode. It was excruciating pain that I had never felt before and had absolutely no control over."

In her video, which garnered 6.1 million views, she described the pain as if her "eardrum was going to explode."

The pain Heiskell felt is sometimes known as "airplane ear," which occurs when there's stress on the eardrum. This could happen when "the air pressure in your middle ear and the air pressure in the environment are out of balance," according to Mayo Clinic.

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"You might get airplane ear when on an airplane that's climbing after takeoff or descending for landing," Mayo Clinic's website says.

Heiskell said she knew some ways to possibly relieve the unpleasant feeling, from chewing gum to yawning or even holding her nose and blowing, but ultimately she found no solution.

"The pain kept increasing, until I had to bury my face into our flight pillow - so as not to cause a scene or scare my son," she said. 

There was a flight attendant on board who saw how distressed Heiskell looked and approached her to ask what the problem was.

After Heiskell's boyfriend explained the pain she was feeling, the flight attendant told them that "she had just the thing."

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The flight attendant returned to the couple with a disposable coffee cup containing a "steaming hot, damp washcloth" found at the bottom of the cup, Heiskell said.

The attendant then instructed Heiskell to place the cup over her ear.

"I almost immediately felt relief," Heiskell said.

"Although it didn't solve the temporary hearing loss or actual problem at hand, it soothed the pain and took away the feeling of impending pressure."

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Heiskell shared the video on TikTok, captioning it: "I owe that girl! Apparently, it's a trick not a lot of people are aware of, because one of the flight attendants on the next plane didn't know what I was talking about when I ordered one for take off (my ear was still plugged)… so I thought I'd share."

Heiskell once again tried the hack on her second flight, describing the "hot cup" method to the flight attendants.

This time around, the attendants used napkins instead of a hot towel, but Heiskell was still able to find relief.

After posting the video on TikTok, Heiskell engaged in conversation with many people who said they had never heard of this hack before.

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The comments section was soon filled with tips from other people for avoiding the ear "popping" sensation when flying.

"Many suggested [that] flyers take a decongestant or Sudafed 24 hours before flying and then 45 minutes before boarding," Heiskell said.

"[The social media users] say to use Affirm or Flonase when boarding and to fly with an ear plug product called 'Ear Planes.' Also, they said to follow up with taking another decongestant/Sudafed after the flight to save any ear issues after the fact," Heiskell added.

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Some flight attendants chimed in. They shared their own stories while also recommending that parents use this hack for babies and toddlers by putting a cup over each ear to help relieve that pressure, said Heiskell.

"I am so thankful for that first flight attendant [on the plane]! I swear her trick saved my hearing and my sanity!" Heiskell said.

So why does the "hot cup" method relieve ear pressure pain?

First, it's important to understand why ears "pop" when ascending and descending during your flight, said Dr. Purvi Parikh, a New York-based allergist with the Allergy & Asthma Network.

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"There are changes in ear pressure as flights take off and land that cause pressure outside of the ear to decrease while pressure inside the middle of [the] ear increases," Parikh told Fox News Digital. 

"To relieve the pressure, your Eustachian tube, which connects the ear, nose and throat opens up to fix this imbalance and causes a popping sound," Parikh said.

The pain behind the ear pressure is a result of the Eustachian tube being blocked from other outside factors including allergies and infections - with kids being more susceptible due to having smaller Eustachian tubes.

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Parikh revealed why the "hot cup" method would help relieve the pain that comes from the pressure in the cabin.

"The steam from the hot towel in the cup likely opened up the Eustachian tube, relieving the pressure and pain. Inhaling steam through your nose would also work too, for the same reasons," she said.

While Parikh had not heard of this method specifically, she regularly suggests her patients use steam as a form of decongestant.

If you find yourself dealing with ear pressure pain while flying, Parikh recommends swallowing, chewing gum or even opening and closing your jaw as a way to alleviate and equalize that pressure.

"If you're congested due to cold, allergies or other illness, try to talk to your doctor and get treated to relieve congestion BEFORE you fly to prevent it," Parikh added.

"Over-the-counter allergy medications and nasal sprays can help also before you fly to open things up," she said. 

"Finally, filtered ear plugs can also help equalize pressure - but [you] still need to yawn and swallow with them."