Flying is so exciting, getting to new places, having adventures. However, with the excitement of exploring new destinations, it’s important to remember that air travel brings its own set of challenges. A lot of us get sick during vacation, and the enclosed cabin of an airplane, with its fluctuating air pressure, close quarters, and recycled air, can be a breeding ground for discomfort and illness.
To help you stay healthy and comfortable during your next flight, here are some crucial tips to keep in mind - whether you're concerned about avoiding illness or simply looking to make your journey more pleasant.So if you want to avoid getting sick and other negative effects, it's worth reading the following recommendations and applying them on your next flight.
1. Avoid Carbonated Drinks
The increase in altitude we experience during a flight can cause the need to release gases that have accumulated in our intestines, which can expand up to 30% more than their natural size. This is why it's recommended to avoid consuming carbonated drinks during the flight, as well as foods that increase gas production in the body, such as legumes, fried foods, dairy products, and the like. By following this recommendation, you can effectively prevent the discomfort and embarrassing situations that many people face during flights.
2. To Avoid Motion Sickness, Don’t Sit in the Back
If you suffer from motion sickness during flights, the effective tip for preventing it when traveling by car or bus also applies to airplanes—avoid sitting in the back of the plane and try to choose front seats or seats located near the wings. It's also a good idea to pay attention to what you eat the day before the flight and avoid fried or fatty foods and alcohol.
3. Don’t Drink Tea or Coffee and Avoid Ice
The water served to you on some flights comes from water tanks located on the plane, and the ice cubes offered to you may also be made from this water. In some cases, these tanks can be old and dirty. Although the water in the coffee or tea you drink has been boiled, to be safe, it is recommended to avoid drinking them and prefer bottled water or another (non-carbonated) drink that comes in a sealed bottle. Another reason to avoid coffee or tea during a flight is that the caffeine content is diuretic and causes us to lose essential fluids, while we are in a cabin that dehydrates our body even more.
4. Avoid Using Items Provided on the Plane
On some flights with certain airlines, we are given headphones and blankets to make our time more pleasant and to keep us warm in the cold, air-conditioned cabin. Even though the headphones come wrapped in plastic and the blankets look clean, these are not new items or necessarily ones that have been properly cleaned between passengers. Therefore, to avoid contact with dirt and bacteria from other passengers, it's better to use your own headphones and pack a jacket or light blanket in your carry-on bag to use.
5. Don’t Wear Contact Lenses
Wearing contact lenses usually makes our eyes drier. When combined with the dry air in the airplane cabin, the result can be unpleasant and even harmful to your health, as our eyes need constant moisture. If you don't want to wear glasses, prefer using daily disposable contact lenses with maximum oxygen permeability and high water content, and if necessary, also use eye drops to increase moisture in the eye.
6. Don’t Close the Air Vents Above Your Head
If the air vents above your head cool you down too much, it would be wiser to wear a long-sleeved shirt rather than close them. The reason is that the air coming out of those vents blows away the bacteria that can invade your personal space in such a crowded and confined space, so closing them increases the risk of catching various illnesses.
7. Don’t Fall Asleep on the Plane Before Takeoff
Our ears tend to get blocked during takeoff and landing due to changes in air pressure. Those who tend to fall asleep in their seat before takeoff make it harder for their body to naturally find a balance between the pressures, so it's advisable to avoid this. If your ears do get blocked, try chewing gum or forcing yourself to yawn, and if you don’t feel any relief, you can try inhaling, pinching your nose with your fingers, and pushing the trapped air toward your ears.
8. Don’t Fly with a Stuffy Nose
A stuffy nose is not something we can control, but it is definitely something we can treat, and this is especially important during flights. A stuffy nose creates additional pressure on the ears, which tend to get blocked anyway due to changes in air pressure. If you have a cold and suffer from a runny nose, use a nasal spray or drops before the plane takes off and lands. If you suffer from sinusitis, you should consult your doctor before boarding a flight.
