The holidays have arrived and, according to Infraero, traffic at airports should increase by 45% during the months of December and January. If the idea is a long trip, there are some health precautions to take into account. Long flights, lasting more than eight hours, may be responsible for the development, for example, of dehydration and thrombosis.
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Intensivist physician Adele Vasconcelos, from Hospital Santa Marta, in Brasília, explains how a long flight can impact the body’s health and unravels ways to deal with long journeys. She check:
1. Dehydration
On long plane journeys, it is common for passengers to become dehydrated. The interior of air transport is dry and at high altitude does not have the same humidity as normal conditions, and Adele adds that the depressurization of the cabin makes the interior even drier.
“It is always recommended that the individual consume more liquid than normal. It’s interesting to take a bottle to stay hydrated on flights,” says the doctor. Another tip is not to drink too much alcohol along the way, as drinking is a diuretic that results in increased urinary flow, causing dehydration.
2. Influence on ears, breathing, intestines and sleep
Adele recalls that the pressure is different inside the cabin and the gases in the body react accordingly. They expand as the aircraft climbs and the pressure decreases, and the opposite occurs as the plane descends. Therefore, it may happen, for example:
- Earaches, which happen when the air pressure on the two sides of the eardrum is different;
- Headaches, which can be caused by expanding air trapped in the sinuses
- Bowel problems, such as passing more gas.
Travel can also cause drowsiness, as the body is not able to absorb oxygen from the air as well at altitude as it does on the ground. So getting drowsy is the body’s way of protecting itself.
3. Thrombosis
Sitting between 8 and 12 hours without moving increases the risk of blood clots in the legs, a problem known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The ideal is to take short walks inside the plane, respecting the appropriate moments.
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Adele suggests getting up at least every hour and avoiding more than 90 minutes sitting, especially in the case of people with heart disease, who already have some previous heart disease.
“Before traveling, this patient should see their cardiologist to guide them on the necessary flight measures to avoid thrombosis”, says the doctor. She highlights the main risk groups for the condition:
- Elderly;
- obese;
- Patients with a previous or family history of clots;
- Person with cancer;
- Individual with immobilization or recent surgery;
- Pregnant women;
- People taking hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptive pills.
4. Jet Lag
The confusion in the biological schedule, which causes a temporary disturbance in sleep, is the jet-lag effect, according to the doctor. “Leaving an environment at night, traveling for many hours and arriving in another country where it’s still night makes us lose track. And then this rebound effect happens, of not being able to sleep even following many hours awake, ”she explains.
The alteration of our normal circadian cycle, the rhythm at which the body performs its functions throughout the day, causes fatigue. Confusion is more common on long flights.
5. Increased exposure to Covid-19
Exposure to disease inside the cabin is greater. Any virus, such as the coronavirus or other respiratory infection, spreads more easily indoors and for a prolonged period of time.
Adele draws attention to the use of hepa filters, which are particle separation technologies, by airlines. “They reduce the spread of viruses, bacteria and fungi within closed environments”, she analyzes.
However, the passenger is still very close to other people and wearing a mask reduces the spread and contamination of diseases such as Covid-19.
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The post Vacation: see how a long flight impacts the health of the human body first appeared on Metropolis.
