Why do I feel pressure in my head when flying?

Some studies suggest that the cabin pressure changes in the airplane, which are more pronounced during takeoff and landing, affects the head and sinuses in a way that triggers a headache. Another possible explanation for AHs is a fear of flying, which can cause stress and anxiety and subsequently trigger a headache.



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However, flying is possible for cases of controlled chronic intracranial hypertension. In many cases following treatment and medications, the increased fluid and pressure around the brain is under control and flying is possible, but not completely painless.

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Take an Advil! A comprehensive look at all the literature on airplane headaches agreed that taking an over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) can help relieve an airplane headache.

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Deep breathing is known to trigger a comfort response and will help prevent hyperventilation. Reading a book or listening to a good podcast can refocus your mind and attention. Distracting yourself from the fact that you are flying can be a great way to keep calm if you're a nervous flyer..

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Try holding your breath and then breathing deeply, or better still, force yourself to breathe out for as long as you can and then take a long, deep breath. Seif and Farchione both recommended taking deep breaths, since this triggers the calming response and can help to prevent hyperventilation.

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Airplane headache (AH) is an intense, short lasting headache - usually lasts around 30 min [1], and is exclusively related to airplane travels.

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Headaches can impair a pilot's abilities, and in rare occurrences, headaches have been cited as factors in aviation accidents. Pilots who experience some types of headaches often are denied medical certification.

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The higher up you go, the thinner the atmosphere gets. That means breathing in the same amount of air gets you less oxygen than at a lower altitude. Altitude sickness happens when your body has trouble adjusting to the difference in how much oxygen you're getting with each breath.

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Some studies suggest that the cabin pressure changes in the airplane, which are more pronounced during takeoff and landing, affects the head and sinuses in a way that triggers a headache.

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Understanding Triggers And someone who fears heights might become terrified thinking about flying many miles above the ground. The list of triggers is long: turbulence, take-off, landings, terrorism, crashes, social anxieties, or being too far from home.

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Aerophobia usually doesn't have a specific cause. It's very rare for aerophobia to stem from a traumatic experience on a flight. Specific triggers might include: News stories about terrorism, crashes or violence on airplanes.

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The most important thing to know is that turbulence isn't dangerous. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but your plane is built to handle the worst. Even in the most severe turbulence, your plane isn't moving nearly as much as you think! Much of how we experience turbulence is subjective.

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Fear of flying afflicts as much as 40 percent of the U.S. population. The nation's armrest-grippers may be heartened to know that “aviophobia” is perfectly normal, and easily treated. Only about 5 percent of Americans have aviophobia so severe that they cannot fly.

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It is completely normal to be scared of flying, but it's not as bad as you would think. It should be stated initially and clearly that accidents involving aircraft are extremely rare. It is this fact that makes the media coverage of such incidents so prevalent.

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