Foam Ear Plugs on Airplane

Hi all,

I recently went on a short airplane trip (2 hours each way) and wore foam earplugs. Now typically I have never had issues with wearing foamies from takeoff to landing (notwithstanding air pressure changes), but this time I feel like there's more of a fullness in my right ear that won't go away (the trip was about a month ago). There was a little bit of discomfort on the flight, but not that much. No great pain or anything. The only thing that changed this time was the brand of foam earplugs -- I used Walgreens' brand instead of Mack's. I went to the doctor afterward and there was little to no wax in the canal and nothing wrong with my eardrum.

I have another short trip coming up. I'm thinking about maybe ditching the plugs altogether. Cabins can be somewhat noisy (I usually clock about 79-85 dB, and takeoff is ordinarily louder), but I'm becoming more worried about the potential for damaging my ears by way of air pressure than by way of these noise levels, at least on short flights. I don't think there were any pressure issues on this last flight, mostly because there was no intense pain or anything, but then again the ear fullness (though maybe the fullness was always there and now I'm just noticing it because I wore very uncomfortable foam earplugs that I usually don't wear) still gives me some pause. I'm worried about messing around with things in my ear canal during flights and potentially causing permanent damage to the middle ear or inner ear structures.

What are people's thoughts on foamies during air travel? I've read most of the older threads. Some people have expressed air pressure concerns; others have said (as accords with my general experience prior to this flight) that foam earplugs "breathe" (ostensibly because of the porous nature of the foam design) and therefore don't cause pressurization problems even if worn from takeoff to landing.


Thanks

 

I fly SD to SF (1 hr) and never have a problem. I have a box of 3M classic foam earplugs so I use them frequently. They have a noise reduction rating of 29 dB. I also have EarPlanes which don't necessarily protect from noise exposure but help equalize the air pressure in the ear canal when the cabin pressure rapidly changes.

 

@Alue travels a lot for work, always wears earplugs, and has never had any problems. I had also wore earplugs "takeoff to landing" on several occasions, and was ok afterwards. I think the problem is that your earplugs gave you almost no protection. Try
https://www.amazon.com/3M-1100-Foam-Plugs-200-Pair/dp/B008MVYL7C/

I wear those 3M plugs underneath Bose 25 noise cancelling headphones.