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On airplanes, cabin pressure changes during takeoff and landing to help passengers breathe easy at high altitudes. These changes in air pressure may make adults' ears feel a little funny, prompting a few yawns to equalize the pressure. But for babies, kids, or anyone with a head cold, why are air pressure changes such a pain?
飛機起降期間，機艙內(nèi)壓力的變化有助于身處高空的乘客保持呼吸順暢。氣壓的變化可能會使成年人的耳朵稍感不適，讓人不由自主地打呵欠以平衡壓力。但對于嬰兒、小孩或感冒頭痛的人來說，為何氣壓變化如此痛苦？
To understand why babies often cry during takeoff and landing, let's travel to the middle ear, an air-filled cavity containing three tiny bones.When sound waves reach the eardrum, these bones vibrate to transmit sound to nerves in the inner ear. To vibrate properly, the bones have to be surrounded by air at the same pressure as the air outside.
要了解飛機起降期間嬰兒啼哭的原因，我們先來了解中耳這個包含三個軟骨的充氣腔。當(dāng)聲波到達鼓膜時，軟骨震動將聲音傳遞到內(nèi)耳的神經(jīng)。軟骨要保持適當(dāng)震動，其周圍的氣壓必須與外界的氣壓保持一致。
But what happens when the air pressure changes, as it does on an airplane? Connecting the middle ear to the back of the nose and throat is a tiny tube, called the Eustachiantube. In healthy adults, the Eustachiantube opens when outside air pressure changes, allowing air to enter the middle ear and equalize the pressure. But in kids, the Eustachiantube is smaller and may not open enough to do the trick. That means there's extra pressure on the eardrum. Ouch!!!
但是當(dāng)氣壓變化會發(fā)生什么呢，就像在飛機上發(fā)生的一樣？連接中耳、鼻后部和咽喉的是一個小管，被稱為咽鼓管。對健康的成年人來說，外界氣壓變化時，咽鼓管打開，空氣便進入中耳以平衡壓力。但對于孩子來說，其咽鼓管較小，無法充分打開以應(yīng)對這一過程。這就意味著他們的鼓膜要承受額外的壓力。于是便發(fā)出疼痛難忍的哎呦聲。
You can try to prevent earaches on planes by drinking lots of fluids if you have a cold, carrying candy or gum to chew, and yawning. For babies, crying is not a bad idea–as with yawning or chewing, the physical movement around the ears, nose and throat may help open the Eustachiantube and equalize the pressure.
如果你感冒了，可以多喝飲料、吃糖果或嚼口香糖、打哈欠以防止飛機起降引起的耳痛。對嬰兒來說哭未嘗不是一個好主意，正如打哈欠和咀嚼，耳鼻咽周圍的物理運動有助于打開咽鼓管以平衡壓力。
