Paris Airports  -  Air Travel Tips for a Healthy Flight

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Air Travel Tips for a Healthy Flight

• Before Departure
• On Board
• Stress of Flying
• Motion Sickness
• Cabin Pressure Changes
• Food and Drinks
• Pre-existing Medical Conditions
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
• Jet Lag and Time Zones

Before Departure

• Sleep well before your departure. If your place of arrival is more than five hours away, prepare yourself in advance to ensure your routine coincides with the timetable of where you are going to.
• Before boarding, have lighter meal and avoid alcoholic or fizzy drinks.
• Wear comfortable, loose clothing in natural fibres. Shoes should be low heeled, comfortable and not too tight.
• Scuba divers should only begin travelling 12 to 48 hours after their last dive due to decompression risks.

On Board    

• Arrange your hand luggage so it is not in your way or that of the other passengers. Keep your belt fastened whenever you are seated.
• Pay attention to the safety instructions given by the crew.
• Drink liquids, especially water or juices. Alcoholic or fizzy drinks are not recommended. Avoid sitting cross-legged. And whenever possible get up and walk around a little.
• If for any reason you don't feel well, don't hesitate - call the cabin crew to help.

Stress of Flying    

Some of us get a little nervous when we fly, but there are relaxation techniques you can practice that are designed to relieve stress:

• Put your seat in the recline position.
• Close your eyes.

Controlled Breathing
Breathe in steadily, in a controlled fashion, as you count slowly to three. Hold your breath momentarily, than breath out steadily, counting to three. Practise for 10 to 15 minutes.

Biofeedback
Alternatively, picture yourself in a relaxed situation, perhaps on a tropical beach. You may even be flying there on vacation! Concentrate on each part of your body in turn. Feel it gradually relax.

Feet, legs, thighs, tummy, chest and so on. Over several minutes, you should reduce your pulse and breathing rates and gradually tension will drain away.

Motion Sickness    

Fortunately, most modern jets fly at relatively high altitudes and so avoid major turbulence. Which means motion sickness is increasingly rare. But if you are especially prone to it, there are one or two things you can do.

The evening before you fly, it is common sense to have a quiet night in - stay off the spicy food and booze. Avoid alcohol the day you fly.

When inflight, eat lightly and drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration. If you start to feel nauseous, try to keep your head still. Simply drop your seat back and close your eyes.

if such simple measures fail, there are a number of anti-sickness tablets on the market. Many contain the drug Hyoscine (such as Kwells and Joyrides). They are usually taken half an hour before a flight and four to six hourly thereafter, but read the label for specific instructions. Antihistamines such as Avomine are an alternative.

Cabin Pressure Changes    

Minor pressure adjustments occur within the aircraft during take off and landing - pressure falls and rises respectively. Customers notice changes in the form of 'blocked' ears. To avoid discomfort, you need to equalize the pressure in your middle ear.

Try that well known measure, sucking on sweets. Simple but often effective. Alternatively, perform the so-called Valsalva Manoeuvre - pinch your nose and blow, which 'pops' your ears. Incidentally, if you have a suspected ear infection you should see a doctor before you fly as pressure changes can make the condition worse.

Food and Drinks    

Another cabin pressure effect is, to put it delicately, 'gas production'. As cabin pressure fails, the air in the intestine expands and causes mild bloating and discomfort.

Always eat and drink in moderation. Heavy meals can lead to indigestion during a long flight. Keep fully hydrated at all times with lots of clear fluids - good old 'sky juice' cannot be bettered!

Pre-existing Medical Conditions     

Asthma and Chest Diseases
Well controlled asthma should be no bar to flying. Make sure you are well stocked with your usual inhalers and avoid anything that may trigger an attack. If you are wheezy before your flight, seek medical advice and treatment, then a final medical OK to board.

Other chest conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema can cause inflight problems when the oxygen pressure drops a little as the aircraft takes off. If you are breathless at home, even at rest, you may not be fit to fly.

Similarly, if you cannot manage a 50-meter walk without breathing difficulty. If in doubt, get a formal medical evaluation from a specialist chest physician.

Heart Disease     
As a general guide, people with heart disease who are able to walk up a dozen stairs without problems, should be fit to fly. But patients with frequent chest pains (angina attacks) should be very cautious - they are twice as likely to suffer an attack in the air as on the ground.

If you recently had a heart attack (myocardial infarction), you are usually advised not to fly. Well-controlled blood pressure (hypertension) should create no problems for the air traveller.

Diabetes     
People with diabetes are often confused by long-haul travel across time zones - when should they eat, when should they take their diabetic medication or insulin?

The standard advice is to stay on home time throughout the journey. Eat breakfast and take an insulin shot in the middle of the night if necessary - meals should be arranged with the airline before departure.

Only when they have landed, should they readjust to local times. They should make sure they have their medication in their hand

(not locked in the hold!) and have a letter on hand outlining their condition and medication, in case they get into difficulties.

Pregnancy     
Pregnancy in itself is no bar to lying. Most airlines do not allow flight after 35 weeks. And pregnant women should always check with the immigration authorities at their destination, to make sure they are allowed to enter the country.

Miscellaneous Conditions     
A minimum of three weeks is recommended for anyone intending to fly after a recent stroke. People with epilepsy are perfectly able to fly.

But if prone to regular fits, they should increase their medication on the advice of their doctor and tail it down upon landing at their destination.. People with severe anaemia (blood count or haemoglobin less than 7.5g/dl) are usually advised not to fly.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)     

DVT is a blood clot that forms in the deep veins within the calf and leg muscles. It is usually a spontaneous condition that occurs in people especially at risk, such as those with heart disease or the elderly. However, periods of prolonged leg immobility can trigger it very occasionally.

Warning signs are pain and tenderness in the leg muscles, redness and swelling of the skin. If the blood clot moves to the lung (a pulmonary embolus), breathing difficulties can occur.

If you experience any of these symptoms, let one of our cabin staff know immediately or, if you have already left the aircraft, seek medical attention right away. While flying it is adviced that you keep exercising those leg muscles.

If practical, take regular walks about the cabin, except when the fasten seat belt sign is displayed. While seated, perform a few simple exercises as shown in the Healthy Air Travel chart.

Alcohol also increases the risk of developing such a condition. We would advise you to drink more water, which not only keeps you hydrated, but also maintains your physical well-being.

Jet Lag and Time Zones    

Insomnia at night, drowsiness during the day, difficulty in concentrating and physical tiredness, stomach trouble, and generally feeling unwell; these are the most common signs of jet-lag.

This happens because the brain is not prepared for crossing several time zones in a few hours, which is what happens on long flights.

When you arrive at your destination, your biological clock is still regulated, for a while, by your time of origin, whilst the sun and all the rest is on a different time scale.

In certain cases even with jetlag precautions, it can take up to 4 or 5 days to get back to normal. Full recuperation - meaning that your body has overcome all the deregulation - can take up to 15 days after an eastward journey and up to 12 days after a westward trip.

According to some experts, jet lag effects last the same number of days as the number of time zones crossed on the flight.

Advice    

• Sleep well before the trip.
• Alcohol, upsets sleep patterns, so try not to drink too much.
• Try to sleep at night during the flight. On a westward flight daylight lasts longer but even so do your best to sleep. At least, dim the lights and drop your seat back.
• As soon as you arrive, even if it is hard, try to get used to the local rhythm of sleeping times and mealtimes.
• Avoid intense light, because daylight plays a part in the confusion which occurs in your organism.
• After an eastward flight, avoid morning light as long as you can.
• After a long flight, either eastward or westward, avoid intense light at the end of the day.
• If you are travelling on business, when you arrive, try to reserve two or three days for resting. If possible, avoid any commitments in the first couple of days - admittedly not always easy if you are on a business trip.