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Staying Healthy While Flying The seasoned traveler knows all too well how daunting air travel can be. Airplanes are like germ incubators, and their dry, cramped conditions make the flying experience far from comfortable. Here are some tips on how to sustain wellness in the air. Air Woes Oftentimes passengers will experience flu-like symptoms shortly after they’ve boarded the plane. These headaches, sluggishness, light-headedness, sore throats, coughing, dry lips, and dry or watery eyes are in fact due to the elbow-to-elbow seating and lack of fresh air that only an air cabin could so effectively create. The culprit here is an increased level of carbon dioxide--brought about by those very conditions of limited air and too many people sharing it. To make matters worse, the air at soaring altitude is drier than the atmosphere above the Sahara. Dehydration can easily exacerbate any of the above symptoms. Some tricks to prevent these unsavory effects: Drink plenty of fluids (preferably water) before, during, and after your flight. Not only will you feel better, but keeping up your fluid reserves also helps your body ward off a whole other host of maladies. Staving off dehydration will also decrease your risk of getting jet lag. If need be, slap on some moisturizer and lip balm to combat the dry air in the flight cabin. If you wear glasses, don’t fly with contacts--don your specs instead. Contacts will only dry out and further irritate itchy or burning eyes. If your budget allows, fly in first or business class, where fewer people share air space and seating is much more spacious. If you’re flying coach, request a seat in an emergency exit row--the roomiest of all rows. Don’t leave home without your inhaler if you have asthma. If you’re on a connecting flight and have sufficient time, try to get as much fresh air as you can between connections. Clear your head with a hot, steamy shower after you land. Avoid smoky bars when you reach your destination or while you wait for a connecting flight. Dehydration also weakens the immune system. Cramped conditions breed the contraction of germs. Cabin air pressure can wreak havoc on your ears. As a result, colds, as well as sinus and ear infections, often inflict passengers. To minimize the discomfort of pressure building in your ears, here’s how to make them pop: Pinch your nostrils closed and inhale deeply. Then exhale through your nose, blowing out in short, firm bursts until you feel your ears pop. Yawning, drinking liquids, and chewing gum also help. It’s generally not a good idea to fly while you’re suffering from a cold. Passengers sitting in close proximity to those with colds are clearly at risk for catching bugs. If you must fly, pop a decongestant tablet or use a nasal spray (not one containing an antihistamine, which would induce drowsiness) before and after your flight. Jet Lag Anyone who’s suffered from the fatigue of crossing time zones can attest that it’s no fun being bleary-eyed and groggy for the first couple days of and after your trip. Westward travel may be easier on you than eastward, yet both directions can be problematic. There are ways of minimizing the effects of jet lag, so take note: Adjust your sleeping and eating patterns to the new time zone a couple days before your flight--usually one day per time zone. If possible, flights should be completed well ahead of an important event requiring concentration (business travelers--avoid heavy commitments on the first day!). Breaking up the trip helps the body adjust more readily. If crossing multiple time zones, scheduling overnight stopovers isn’t a bad idea. Drink plenty of fluids, keeping yourself as hydrated as possible. While trying to knock yourself out with a couple glasses of wine or wake yourself up with coffee may seem like good ideas while flying, think again--alcohol and caffeine dehydrate the body, making your even more tired when you arrive at your destination. If it’s daytime in your destination, take a walk after you get settled. The exercise will stimulate your body and help convince it to stop producing sleep-inducing hormones. Consider anti-jet lag or sleeping medicines on the market as a last resort, particularly if you’re going on a long flight. Melatonin, a natural hormone that helps regulate sleep, is not prescribed and no standards have been set. However, experts recommend a 0.5mg dose of synthetic melatonin beginning three days before the flight at a time when it would be about 8pm in the destination time zone. The dose should be repeated daily until after arrival or when proper sleep in the new time zone has been established. There’s also a homeopathic remedy, called No Jet Lag, made of all natural ingredients. Chew one of these sweet-tasting tablets before boarding the plane and take one every two hours until after the plane has landed; if you fall asleep on the plane, no worries--just increase the interval between tablets to four hours. Keeping the Juices Flowing Sedentary travelling in such cramped conditions for several hours is terrible for your circulation, and can cause swollen ankles and muscle cramps. Due to prolonged inactivity and impaired circulation, blood can stagnate in the veins and become susceptible to clotting--a potentially dangerous condition known as deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). Elderly, pregnant, or obese passengers are especially susceptible to DVT. If one of your feet, ankles, or legs swells or aches for longer than 24 hours after you board a plane, seek medical help immediately--from an emergency room, if necessary. To avoid such extreme measures, here are some helpful hints on how to keep your blood pumping solidly throughout the flight: Wear slippers or no shoes at all--not only will freeing your feet increase your comfort, but also circulation in your feet. Take frequent walks up and down the aisles. Try to keep your legs elevated while sitting. Drink lots of water and avoid caffeine and alcohol. Practicing some in-seat exercises several times an hour will help--flex and point your feet, do round-the-clock ankle rotations, move your legs in stair master motions, or practice seated knee lifts. Doing a bit of stretching also does wonders for your circulation, as well as the nasty cricks you might develop from sitting for so long. Aspirin helps to thin the blood. Precautions for Kids Kids are especially susceptible to germs, and it’s more difficult for them to make their ears pop during takeoff and landing. This can make ascent and descent painful--even dangerous--for a child with congested sinuses. If your child is suffering from a cold or the flu, keep her on the ground until she gets better (if that’s an option). If you must travel with your little one as scheduled, give him an oral child’s decongestant an hour before ascent and descent or administer a spray decongestant before and during takeoff and landing. When Are You Too Unhealthy to Travel? Passengers with the following conditions (some of them extreme, mind you) should seriously consider postponing flying or should not fly at all: If you’ve had a heart attack within the last month, a stroke within last two weeks, have severe high blood pressure or heart disease, or any other conditions that weaken the heart, you should seriously consider postponing travel. Those with severe respiratory illnesses should remain on land. If you have the flu, a cold, allergies, acute sinusitis, or middle ear infections, avoid flying if you can. If you’ve had abdominal surgery within two weeks of your flight, consider postponing your trip. You should not fly if you have acute diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, acute esophageal viruses, acute gastroenteritis, or an intestinal virus. If you have epilepsy you shouldn’t fly unless your condition is under sound control or you know that you’ll only be flying at altitudes below 8,000 feet. If you’re suffered a recent skull fracture or brain tumor, you should stay on the ground. Those with severe anemia or hemophilia with active bleeding shouldn’t fly. If you have sickle cell anemia, you shouldn’t fly over 22,500 feet. If you’ve had recent eye surgery or had your jaw wired shut, you shouldn’t fly. If you’re more than eight months (or 240 days) pregnant or if miscarriage is a serious threat, you shouldn’t fly. If you went scuba diving 24 hours before departure, you should not fly--you may suffer an unfortunate bout of the “bends” from the rapid decrease in air pressure experienced in the compressed air environment of a plane. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, neuralgic pains, and paralysis. Newly born babies (during first few days after birth) shouldn’t fly. Airlines' regulations may vary. If in doubt, advice should be sought from the airline’s medical department. Be Prepared If you suffer from a chronic illness, consult your physician before you depart. If you must fly with a condition such as epilepsy, diabetes, or heart disease, wear a Medic Alert Identification Tag, which will immediately alert doctors to your condition and give them access to your medical records through Medic Alert’s 24-hour hot line. Membership is $35, plus a $15 annual fee. Contact Medic Alert at 800/825-3785 or www.medicalert.org. Related Links Find out how to maximize your in-flight comfort More info on combating jet lag Get the facts on melatonin

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