Give your ears a day or two to clear. The plane will wait. Your hearing won’t. Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider before flying with an active ear or sinus condition.

There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of a vacation or the relief of heading home—until the plane starts its descent and your ears feel like they’re being squeezed in a vise. For most people, ear discomfort during flying is a minor nuisance. But if you already have clogged ears due to a cold, allergies, sinus infection, or recent ear surgery, that pressure can become excruciating.

When you’re on the ground with healthy ears, the tube opens automatically when you swallow or yawn. But when your ears are clogged from inflammation, mucus, or fluid, that tube swells shut. As the plane ascends and (especially) descends, the pressure outside changes rapidly. The trapped air inside your middle ear can’t escape or adjust. The result? Sharp pain, a feeling of fullness, muffled hearing, and in severe cases, a ruptured eardrum or inner ear damage. The honest answer: If you have an active middle ear infection (otitis media) or a severe sinus infection, most ENT doctors will advise you not to fly. The pain is often unbearable, and the risk of permanent hearing damage is real.

Here’s what you need to know about the risks, the remedies, and when to simply rebook your flight. The culprit is barotrauma . Your ears have a narrow passage called the Eustachian tube that connects the middle ear to the back of your throat. Its job is to equalize air pressure between your ear and the outside world.