From headache to bloating: 11 unpleasant side effects of air travel

Although air travel is generally safe, you may experience some not very pleasant side effects at an altitude of 10 kilometers above the ground, writes The Healthy.

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Flying on an airplane can be stressful or exciting, but there are a few things that can happen to your body, no matter how you feel about flying. Here are the side effects that may occur in your body when you fly on an airplane, and tips on how to reduce or avoid these discomforts.

Low oxygen levels may cause drowsiness or headache.

Although the air pressure in the cabin is regulated to prevent altitude sickness, you can still experience drowsiness or headache.

“Lower oxygen pressure in an airplane cabin is equivalent to an altitude of 6000 to 8000 feet—like Mexico City,” says Paulo Alves, MD, medical director of aviation healthcare at MedAire. “The drop in pressure creates mild hypoxia [low oxygen levels], which can cause headaches in some susceptible people.”

To prevent headaches, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol and caffeine.

Blood collecting in your legs can cause swelling and more

Sitting for many hours in tight spaces can affect blood flow throughout the body, resulting in swollen legs and ankles. It is also well known that the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) increases when blood circulates poorly, as happens when traveling by plane.

“In this position, the veins in our legs constrict and blood flow through them slows,” says Dr. Alves. While many people advise getting up and walking around, Dr. Alves says this can be dangerous if unexpected turbulence occurs.

“Simple ankle exercises—rotation, flexion, extension—usually help, and can be done in your own seat as often as possible,” the expert recommends.

Risk factors for developing DVT include obesity, pregnancy, or the postpartum period, birth control pills, over the age of 40, or a serious medical condition.

“People with risk factors for DVT will benefit from the use of compression stockings, and some people at high risk may even benefit from anticoagulant medications,” says Dr. Alves. Talk to your doctor if you have one or more risk factors and are planning to fly in the near future.

You can get dehydrated

The air you breathe in the cabin actually comes from the outside, and at high altitude it has very little moisture.

“This air is very dry, with less than 10% humidity,” says Quay Snyder, MD, president and CEO of Aviation Medical Consulting Services. — Dehydration can cause fatigue, especially when combined with reduced cabin air pressure. Medical conditions and certain medications can make these feelings worse.”

The best way to prevent dehydration is to drink plenty of water before boarding the plane. Bring your own water bottle so you don't have to ask the flight attendant for one (do not fill your bottle in the toilet, this water is undrinkable). The Aerospace Medical Association also recommends using eye drops to relieve dry eyes and saline nasal sprays to moisten nasal passages and prevent nosebleeds.

On the subject: The 10 craziest things to do when flying in 2019

Pressure changes in the cockpit cause bloating

The Aerospace Medical Association claims that gassing in the gut at high altitude can increase up to 25%.

“We know from physics lessons that gas tends to expand under pressure,” says Dr. Alves. “When we take off in an airplane, the external pressure gradually decreases, and any gas trapped in our body cavities will expand accordingly.”

This includes gas in the intestines, which can lead to bloating. What do we have to do? Holding gas is not good for your body, so the best thing to do is to let it out - preferably in the toilet, of course.

From the pressure drops lays ears

Along with an increase in gas formation in the intestines, your ears will most likely also feel the effects of changes in air pressure.

“As we take off, the gas expands, causing the eardrum to bulge outward, giving us the well-known feeling of pressure,” Dr. Alves says. “This continues until air escapes through the Eustachian tube to the pharynx and the ears return to normal.”

Chewing gum is useful for this process. During the decrease, the opposite happens: the air pressure increases, so more air should return to the middle ear.

“This is achieved by swallowing or yawning,” says the doctor. “Another way to do this is to gently force the air out of the lungs by covering the nose and mouth so that the air passes through the Eustachian tube into the middle ear, equalizing the pressure again.”

You may not taste the food

Food on the plane is hardly as soft and tasteless as you thought. The thing is that the low-humidity air that you breathe on an airplane dries out the mucous membranes of your mouth and nose, which can affect your taste. Some studies show that reduced cabin pressure and background noise from aircraft engines also affect your ability to taste during a flight.

“Dry mouth can reduce taste sensitivity, but taste is restored with hydration,” adds Dr. Snyder.

Overflight can cause toothache

Less common gas changes in the body can even affect the teeth, as the gas enters the fillings, cavities or sinuses adjacent to the teeth. A toothache due to changes in pressure during the flight is called barodontalgia. Unfortunately, it is difficult to do something to prevent these discomforts. You can take painkillers during the flight to alleviate the symptoms, but if you have even a slight toothache, consult your dentist before you plan your flight.

Your skin is losing moisture

Another unpleasant effect during a flight is dry skin.

“Dehydration can lead to dry skin and chapped lips,” says Dr. Snyder. “Moisturizing before a flight can mitigate these effects.”

Keep drinking water to fill the cells of your entire body with fluid, and wash yourself when you exit the plane.

On the subject: 7 Tips to Easily Reschedule a Long Flight

You may smell bad from your mouth

During a flight, your mouth produces less saliva, which can encourage bacterial growth and lead to bad breath. If you don't eat anything or drink water, you risk experiencing what is called "morning breath", even if you are not flying in the morning.

“The combination of dry mouth and lack of brushing on long flights can lead to bad breath,” says Dr. Snyder. You can correct this by taking a toothbrush with you and continuing to drink plenty.

Long range flights change your circadian rhythm

The circadian rhythm is your internal clock that controls many of your body's functions.

“Hormon secretion, sleepiness, alertness and hunger, among other functions, are influenced by our internal clock,” explains Dr. Alves. Traveling to a different time zone confuses the body and it needs time to adapt.

“The rule is that we need about one day for every hour of the time zone we cross, meaning that after a six-hour transatlantic flight we would need about six days to fully re-synchronize our cycles with local time,” the expert says.

What can you do if you plan a trip for a week or less?

“On a short business trip, it's often best not to try to really adjust to a new time zone, since full adaptation is physiologically impossible,” he says. “On the other hand, if we want to extend our stay on a tourist trip, it is better to try to adapt as quickly as possible by spending more time in the sun and doing physical exercise outdoors.”

Since we are better able to adapt to a longer day than to a shorter one, flights from east to west carry more easily than from west to east.

Most likely you will not get sick

Despite the fact that airborne infections spread in low humidity, it is almost impossible to avoid this in the cabin with HEPA filters.

“The benefit is that the air in the cabin is changed more frequently than in most industrial buildings, schools or homes,” says Dr. Snyder. “This air exchange, combined with filtration and circulation modes, reduces the risk of airborne infections compared to a non-flying environment.”

If you are not sitting next to someone who is coughing or sneezing, this is not a reason to worry about a possible illness. However, bacteria can live on surfaces in the cabin, so wash your hands often and keep microbes out of your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

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