Air Travel Precautions

Tips for staying healthy on your long-distance flight

Traveling by air cuts down on time taken to reach your holiday destination but make sure you take appropriate precautions while on the aircraft to enjoy the time ahead of you. Taking care of your health while air travel is important because traveling in a pressurized cabin at high altitudes can affect your health.

Read below a few steps that will keep health risk miles away from you –

Comfortable Clothes and footwear

Do not wear tight-fitted clothes and shoes. Opt for comfortable wears as they are breathable. Slip-on shoes are the best because you can remove them easily and massage your ankles.

Keep yourself hydrated

According to tips for air travel issued by Aerospace Medical Association, relative humidity in an aircraft is less than 20%. It therefore becomes important to keep yourself hydrated. This is how to do it –

• Drink a lot of fluids like water and fruit juice.

• Avoid caffeine, alcohol and carbonated beverages.

• If you wear contact lenses, switch to glasses for flight duration.

• Carry wet tissues and saline nasal spray.

• Carry a moisturizer and a hand sanitizer to kill germs.

Stay mobile

• To avoid developing clotting disorders such as deep vein thrombosis it is advised that you always move around.

• Try changing your position and stretch your arms, legs and shoulders and rotate your ankles.

• As a mandatory rule, you must not cross your legs because your blood circulation is already slow if you have been sitting for long.

Walk

Move out of your seat and walk around to improve blood circulation. If there are channels that ask you follow exercise advice make sure you do them. This would keep your fresh throughout your air travel.

Say no to medications

• Unless recommended by doctors never take medicines.

• Avoid sleeping pills; they make you feel lethargic.

Avoid heavy meals

Since you’re traveling in pressurized cabins avoid heavy meals as they promote bloating. You can perhaps fast prior to your air journey and feat later.

Jarring jetlags

Adjust your sleep pattern according to your destination times to minimize jetlags.

Avoid travel

You must avoid air travel if you have cold because cabin pressure will cause more discomfort. But, if you can’t avoid then chew a sweet and gently blow your nose at intervals.

Get some sleep

Try relaxing and get yourself some sleep before you have an anxiety attack. If you have problems sleeping try listening to some light music to calm your nerves. You may also use an eye-mask.

As a potential traveller you must understand aircraft cabin environment and keep the above points in mind. If you follow these tips, be assure, you are ready to go!