Solutions When You Are On Flight

SOME of the side-effects we associate with long flights might crop up on other forms of transport. Catching an infection from a fellow passenger could happen on a train as well as a plane, and you might be as vulnerable on an overnight coach trip as on a plane to deep-vein thrombosis (blood clots that can be life-threatening if they reach your heart or lungs).

But what is clear is that flying at high speed and high altitude in a sealed container across several time zones produces a cocktail of negative effects that can, at the very least, make the journey extremely uncomfortable.

So what exactly does flying do to your body?

And what can you do to avoid the worst?

Dehydration

We usually feel most comfortable when the humidity in the air around us is about 40 to 70 per cent. In an aircraft cabin it falls to about 20 per cent. It is unlikely that your body will become seriously dehydrated for this reason alone, but it is common to suffer from dry eyes (which can cause serious problems for contact-lens wearers) and a sore or dry throat and nose. This dryness is often uncomfortable, but it might also make you more prone to infections.

The solution

Drink plenty of liquid throughout the flight - ideally water.

 Avoid alcohol, coffee and tea (which all have a diuretic effect),unless you compensate with even more water. Don't worry if you have to keep getting up to go to the toilet - the exercise might help prevent deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT (see below).

Lower pressure

Although the cabin is pressurized, during the flight the maximum pressure is much lower than you would experience at or near sea level.

My observation confirmed that subjecting someone to this lower pressure reduced the amount of oxygen absorbed by the blood (a condition known as hypoxia).

One effect of this is to leave you listless and perhaps dizzy or faint. There are also concerns that it can increase the likelihood of clotting or DVT.

Lower pressure can also cause pain or discomfort in your ears, which is made worse by a cold, and some people find that it causes their feet and legs to swell.

The solution

There is little you can do to combat hypoxia; to avoid DVT see the suggestions below. Swallowing, sucking sweets and yawning all help to "pop" your ears. Removing shoes and avoiding tight clothing will make swelling less uncomfortable.

Recycled air

About 50 per cent of the air in the cabin is likely to be recycled, although the oxygen level remains pretty constant.

There have been reports of infections - some serious, - being transmitted during flights. But there is disagreement as to whether this could be through the air being recycled around the plane (it is cleaned by very fine filters), or simply because the victim is seated close to someone with an infectious disease.

Consumers' Association also reported that cabin air in some planes may be polluted by fumes and ozone.

The solution

If you are seated next to someone with obvious symptoms of illness, ask to be moved.

Confinement

This is the biggest issue for most travelers and the most controversial on health grounds. Apart from the sheer discomfort of minimal legroom - cramps, neck cricks and so on - long periods of immobility lead to a higher risk of DVT, and the risks may be greater at lower pressure.

DVT occurs when blood in the lower leg flows sluggishly and eventually clots, causing pain and swelling in the short term and a risk of sudden death from clots reaching the heart or lungs.

The solution

• Buy as much legroom as you can afford.
• Wear comfortable, non-restricting clothes.
• Get up and walk around the cabin at least once every hour and exercise in your seat either by alternately tensing and relaxing your calf muscles or by using a specially designed exerciser such as the Aerogym or Push-Cush. These are two-chambered air-pillows that you push with your feet, squeezing air back and forth from one side to the other.
• Avoid crossing your legs, or keeping the same position for a prolonged period.
• Don't take sleeping pills unless you are able to sleep in a horizontal position.
• Consider wearing compression stockings such as the “ travel stocking “, which increase the pressure around the lower leg and help to prevent clots forming.
• People at slightly increased risk of DVT include those on the Pill or hormone-replacement therapy, smokers, people who are overweight, very tall, very short, have varicose veins, previous or current leg swelling from any cause, are pregnant or have a history of cancer or vascular disease. Compression stockings (see above), and on medical advice only, a low-dose aspirin tablet, which will thin the blood and help to prevent clotting, should be considered.
• You might be at high risk if you have had DVT before, if you have a known clotting tendency, if you have recently had major surgery or a stroke, or if you have a malignant disease or are undergoing chemotherapy or have paralysed lower limb(s). Use support stockings and discuss with your doctor the possibility of an anti-coagulant  therapy .

Fatigue and stress

Being unable to sleep properly is one of the worst frustrations. It can be made worse by the inevitable stresses of travel and fear of flying.

The solution

Try to book day-time flights whenever possible. Make a conscious effort to keep calm and relaxed - give yourself plenty of time to check in, for example. Eat only a light meal before trying to sleep. Try an inflatable neck support to avoid cricks. Be wary of sleeping pills.

Jet lag

As a rough guide, for each time zone you cross where the clock moves forward or back by an hour, it takes about a day for your body's natural rhythm to re-adjust to the change.

After a long flight you can be left feeling ill, disorientated and unable to keep awake during the day, or you may find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night.

Some people suffer more than others, but few of us escape entirely. The farther east or west you fly, the worse you are likely to feel, though many people believe that the shortened nights that you suffer when flying west to east make things worse.

The solutions

Some of the advice for avoiding fatigue, such as taking day flights where possible, and avoiding heavy meals just before trying to sleep, also applies to dealing with jet lag. But there are other things you can do.

• Avoid the problem altogether - if you are simply looking for winter sun, for example, choose destinations in Spain, Portugal or western/southern Africa, which are within the same or similar time zones to the UK.
• Fly in a westerly direction when travelling around the world - but try not to nap during flights or you might have difficulty sleeping when you arrive.
• Set your watch to the new time when you board the plane - it helps you start adjusting as early as possible.
• On arrival, try to keep awake until bedtime, and try to stay in bed until it is time to get up. Sleeping pills might help you adjust if taken at the right time.

Some people believe that the hormone melatonin (which can be bought in the United States in health food shops ,helps them sleep better and adjust to new time zones more quickly.

You define a good flight by negatives: you didn't get hijacked, you didn't crash, you didn't throw up, you weren't late, you weren't nauseated by the food. So you are grateful. 

Your take………..?  You can't even complain because they might stop you getting on to the flight.

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Thanks for reading!   QUESTIONS…… ?  Happy Landing !