How to stay healthy when flying

How to stay healthy when flying

We all know someone who flew home from vacation with an unexpected souvenir: a cold or a virus. It may show that you can get sick when flying, but that is not necessarily true. You can take precautions to reduce the risk of infection during a flight.

"It is better to orientate yourself to data than to rely on hearsay," advises the specialist for infectious diseases Dr. Steven D. Mawhorter. "People believe that the petrol prices always rise before public holidays - but the data show that prices rise and fall equally before public holidays. The same selective memory can also apply to air travel and illnesses."

In the following, Dr. Mawhort position on eight widespread assumptions about air travel and our health.

1. The air in the plane is full of germs

wrong. sitting on the roller train, the air may seem stuffy on the plane because (by HEPA filter with high particle efficiency) it is circulated so that we do not smell of fuel. That changes when you get to high heights. Half of the air in an aircraft at a height of 12,000 meters comes from outside the aircraft and is absolutely sterile. (It does not contain any microbes!) The remaining air is filtered with HEPA filters with high particle efficiency, similar to those used in critical hospital areas. And flight attendants do not become sick more often than the general public.

2. You get sick when another passenger is sick on the plane

not necessarily. You can be exposed to an illness if you sit right next to, in front of or behind someone who has a cold, flu or (in rare cases) something more serious. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diseases are rather unusual as a direct consequence of air travel. Remember that an annual flu shot is the best way to prevent flu, even if you are exposed to it.

3. You get sick when you sit next to a sick passenger

not when you are careful. When you cover your cough, wash your hands and keep your hands away from the face, the likelihood that you are infected with germs decreases (or spread it). The use of hand disinfectants after touching surfaces that were touched by others is also recommended to avoid diseases. (Just make sure that your bottle contains less than the amount of 100 ml that is permissible according to the security guidelines!) Hand disinfectant towels are also a simple and aircraft-friendly way to keep your hands clean and reduce risks.

4. If you have not infected yourself on the plane, you will probably do it at the airport.

possibly. The increased meeting of people at an airport carries a certain risk. If you are handled for a flight or go through the handling hall, you will probably come into contact with more people - and more potentially contaminated surfaces.

5. Good sleep helps you avoid infections

correct . A recently carried out study has shown that the likelihood of getting a cold is greater than seven hours of sleep than with eight or more hours of sleep. Think about how you can get more peace from a trip before, during and on the way home. If you do not plan forward -looking, it can easily happen that you stay up long before the trip. For long flights, sleep masks, earplugs or headphones can promote sleep with noise suppression and a small pillow.

6. Taking vitamins protects you from infections during the flight

unlikely . A popular vitamin mineral and herbal preparation claims to reduce the risk of infection during the flight, but there is no data that supports these claims. Small additional doses of vitamin C or D cannot harm, but good hand hygiene is more effective to avoid infections.

7. You can avoid jet lag with carbohydrates and caffeine.

wrong. There are a lot of rumors about caffeine and carbohydrates, but there is no data that show that any “remedies” actually work against jet lag. One thing that doesn't help is to drink alcohol to fall asleep on the plane. Alcohol consumption promotes dehydration, and dehydration worsens the jet lag.

8. The idea that you get sick when flying increases the probability

wrong. fear does not make her sick, but she will surely affect her journey. Take the above proactive prevention measures to protect yourself and reduce stress.

before using the home remedies

Our articles are always well researched and medically checked, but we cannot predict which allergies, medication and side effects can occur when combined with different means. Therefore, you should always enjoy all articles on home remedies with caution. We have also attached the corresponding warnings in each article so that you can also find out well.

trust in the home remedy

The biggest effect is always the placebo effect. Our body can cause amazing things if we actually get lost in the fact that a supposed home remedy actually works or not. For example, there are countless studies that show that the funds administered had a higher or lower mode of action, depending on how the patient's attitude was set to be effective.

which home remedies really work?

To find out it is best to use our intelligent search function, or browse through the categories. We have always chosen our headings in such a way that they recognize from the outset whether it is an article on effectiveness, or an enlightening article against the effectiveness of the home remedy. Since we constantly publish new and updated articles, we cannot set the number of home remedies exactly, otherwise we would have to revise every contribution again. That is why we took the 10 as a nice sum. Sometimes there are only 4 or 5 aids and sometimes 20.

grandma's tips as home remedies

Listen to your grandma. In over 80% of the studies, “Grandma's tips” could actually be demonstrated as effective. So your first point of contact should be either the grandma, or her memory of her words, what the topic of home remedies, acne
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