Dryer skin, swollen legs, headaches… it’s not just your imagination. outside jet lag, travel by plane It affects various parts of our body.
fluctuations in pressure, temperature and oxygen levels in the cabin, as well as the drier air inside the aircraft, creates an environment that can affect us from the inside.
We are not talking about becoming volatile hypochondriacs, but we can take certain precautions to avoid such effects.
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Economy class syndrome: venous thrombosis from air travel
Swelling of the legs is one of the typical consequences of long flights and may eventually cause clots or blood clots.
The reason is simple: long hours of sitting increase accumulation of water in the legswhich causes swelling. This, in turn, leads to the fact that the blood “gets stuck” in the lower body and has difficulty returning to the heart.
In short, this interferes with blood circulation returns and increases risk of blood clots.
The danger of contracting respiratory viruses on an airplane
The air inside the aircraft is updated every 2-3 minutes, even more often than in an air-conditioned building. This means that there is almost no moisture, which increases the risk of a cold and respiratory infections because the viruses that cause them are at home in these very dry conditions.
Since he appeared COVID-19 virusOn the importance of maintaining safe distance between people to avoid infection. The reduced space inside the planes makes it impossible to maintain distances, which makes the use of other devices more important. protective measures such as masksalthough more and more companies are refusing to implement them.
Review of published research on probability to date covid virus infection indicates that can be transmitted during air travelalthough the available data do not allow us to determine with certainty what the probability and range are.
Air travel also increases the risk of infection. other diseases. According to a study by the University of Alabama (USA), bacteria such as E. cabbagei, which causes urinary tract infections and diarrhea, can live on an airplane for up to a week.
Flying increases fatigue and headaches
This is because the cabins have lower atmospheric pressure (only 75% of the norm). For this reason, the level of oxygen in the blood is also lower. The consequence of this is fatigue, dizziness and even migraines. prone people.
During aircraft takeoff and landing there is also an increased risk of headaches. Remain calm and breathe deeply at this time. avoid headaches.
Airplane travel exposes you to cosmic rays
In particular, in During the 7 hours of flight, you are exposed to the same amount of radiation as a chest x-ray. The longer the flight, the higher and closer to the North Pole you fly, the more cosmic radiation the body receives.
For example, on a round-trip flight from Washington to Beijing, a passenger can easily exceed the dose of radiation you would receive from a chest X-ray.
Experts assure that this is not a problem for a tourist, but this should be taken into account when planning. people who fly frequently.
Mouth, nose, skin dry out during air travel
Humidity levels inside planes are so low that a three-hour flight you can lose up to 1.5 liters of water.
This causes the mucous membranes (nose, mouth, throat…) and skin to dry out, aggravating problems such as psoriasis or eczema.
traveler’s constipation
Possibly during the flight reduce the urge to go to the toilet and suffer from gas because you sit for hours and this greatly slows down digestion like bowel movements. Also, since you are also losing water due to the dry environment, constipation gets worse.
The distance traveled also affects intestinal transit: “It has been proven that the more meridians crossed, the less bowel movement within a few days”he tells us Dr. Fermin Mearin, Director of Digestive Services at Teknon Medical Center (Barcelona).
deterioration in breathing during flight
The pressure in the aircraft cabin during flight is similar to what you can feel in the high mountains. The consequence of this is that you have less oxygen and it affects breathing.
In addition, the level the humidity in the plane is lower 25%, which is also makes breathing difficult.
Breathing gets worse when you travel by plane
When you fly, many processes in your body slow down, including saliva production, which causes bacterial growth in the mouth and bad breath. Problem It gets worse if you take sugar.
How to reduce the negative effects of air travel
- Take disinfectant wipes with you or antiseptic gel to “cleanse” hands before and after eating, going to the toilet… or just every half an hour to disinfect them from possible bacteria.
- On long flights get up and walk every 30 minutes to avoid constipation and activate blood circulation in the legs. If they are swollen, unbend them and try to stay without shoes. As you sit, rotate your body from side to side to mobilize your bowels.
- Drink bottled water. This is the best remedy for constipation, dry mucous membranes, and fatigue from lack of oxygen.
- Chew gum to relieve pressure in your ears and uses saline to moisten the nasal passages and prevent infection.
- Eat light, avoid alcohol And coffee, because they dehydrate you.
