What are some preventative measures that i can take to prevent ear trouble while flying?

Preventive measures: The usual cause of ear pain from flying is inability to equilibrate pressure across the eardrum. Simple non-medical things to relieve the pressure include pinching your nose and blowing gently and yawning. Also you can spray your nose with Afrin (oxymetazoline) before you get on the plane to make sure that the eustachian tube is open but you have assure that the Afrin (oxymetazoline) gets all the way to the back of your nose.