Why is there so much pressure in my head when I fly?

Why does this happen? Known as aerosinusitis, the inflammation in the paranasal sinus cavities (those are the air-filled spaces that stem from the sides of your nose to between your eyebrows) is caused by a difference in air pressures inside and outside the body.



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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. 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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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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The frequencies of AH-attacks are relatively high; 42 flight passengers experience AH in every flight travels and 39 flight passengers experience AH in more than 50% of the flight travels [4–6, 12, 19, 21, 27, 39, 40].

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A blocked sinus ostium during a flight descent causes a relative negative intrasinusal pressure, resulting in mucosal edema, hemorrhage, or transudation of serosanguinous fluid to compensate for the decreased volume.

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3. Take your medication at least an hour before your flight. If you're taking antihistamines, decongestants, or over-the-counter pain medicine like ibuprofen or acetaminophen, it's important to take your medication at least an hour before your flight so it has time to work before your plane takes off.

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Pilots also feel an immense sense of freedom when flying an airplane; it's like being able to soar through the sky without any boundaries or limitations. The view from up high can be breathtakingly beautiful, which adds to their enjoyment as well!

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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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Aerophobia is a fear of flying. It's very common, affecting more than 25 million adults in the U.S. Psychotherapy can usually help people overcome their fear and fly without extreme anxiety or panic attacks.

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