During long flights with the bodies of passengers terrible things are happening, travel experts warned at viewfromthewing.com. But why? What happens to the bodies in the air that makes you feel gloomy, and how to avoid it?
Flights can make passengers feel pretty terrible, especially when they are in the air for a long time. The two most common consequences of long plane stays are jet lag and, in the more extreme case, blood clots. But there are steps travelers can take to avoid both.
Jet lag
One of the most common side effects of travel is jet lag, when the passenger's body has difficulty adjusting to the new time on the clock: long flights mean a greater gap between the person's biological clock and the time of the country in which he is located.
It can sometimes take a few days for the body to adjust to the time at a new destination, but there are a few things hikers can do to minimize the effects and acclimatize to a new destination as quickly as possible. The main advice of experts is to start focusing on local time before boarding the plane, i.e. the one that will be expected by the tourist at the destination. You should also eat and sleep based on these recommendations – this way the body is more easily synchronized.
Sleep is also an important part of acclimatization. If the arrival at the destination is scheduled for the morning, the maximum time spent on the plane should be given to sleep so that in the morning there is the necessary cheerfulness and energy. Another rule applies to evening landings. Do not sleep on the plane, it is best to go to bed at the same time as the locals.
How to avoid thickening of the blood?
Long-haul flights increase the likelihood of passengers developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and blood clots, doctors have noticed.
Help: DVT is a serious condition that occurs when a blood clot (a sticky mass of blood cells) forms in a vein that is deep under the skin. It usually occurs in the leg and tends to affect the thick veins that run through the muscles of the calf or thigh.
During periods of inactivity, blood tends to pool in the lower body, such as the calf muscles. If the absence of movement is observed for a significant period of time, the blood may slow down – this significantly increases the risk of developing DVT.
Sitting on an airplane is an ideal environment for deep vein thrombosis, especially in older or overweight people. In addition, on flights shorter than four hours, the risk of developing DVT is low – once in every 106,667 flights. However, on longer flights, this risk rises to 1 in 4,656 flights, reaching 1 in every 1,264 flights for those itineraries that last more than 16 hours.
However, there are things that passengers can do, to avoid DVT, such as moving your legs regularly or wearing compression stockings. They work by applying light pressure to the muscles in your lower legs, so they increase blood flow and in turn reduce your chances of developing DVT, edema, and other problems.
There is one more tip, however, that can also support blood flow during flight, i.e. when long walks are not possible. It was voiced by Emirates flight attendant Lauren Gilfoyle in an interview with Reader's Digest. “Draw the letters of the alphabet with each foot so that blood flows faster and your ankles do not swell,” the expert gave such a simple recommendation.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “A nutritionist told the rule how to eat pasta and lose weight at the same time.