Jet Lag

 

 - Definition:

The term “jet lag” describes the difficulties you may have in adjusting to the time difference on a long-distance flight crossing several time zones. Such flights disrupt your body’s normal 24-hour rhythms and affect your typical sleep pattern. You may also experience certain physical problems as a result of jet lag.

 - Typical symptoms:

Tiredness, exhaustion, slowed reactions, memory dysfunction, difficulty in concentrating, irregular appetite, and insomnia

 - How to relieve your jet lag symptoms

Adapt to local time as soon as possible after arrival

Make sure you get enough sleep during the first night in your new location

Eat food that is easy to digest and rich in carbohydrates, which facilitates sleep

Eat food rich in protein, which will help you to feel more alert while you are awake

 

Travel sickness

  

 - Development:

The uneven movement that occurs during in-flight turbulence disturbs one’s normal sense of balance and can cause travel sickness (motion sickness), the effects of which are nausea and/or vomiting.

 - Prevention:

Be aware of what your stomach can tolerate during in-flight turbulence. When you book your flight, request a seat near the middle of the aircraft, where the effects of turbulence are minimized. Follow with your gaze the aircraft’s movements and changes in position. Avoid activities that involve additional movement of the head and eyes, such as reading. 

 

Cabin air

  

Thanks to technically advanced systems designed to equalize air pressure and clean cabin air, modern air travel poses no health risk to healthy passengers.

 - Air pressure in the cabin

Pressurized aircraft cabins can largely equalize the atmospheric pressure that occurs at cruise altitudes (5000 to 7000 meters for turboprop equipment; 9000 to 12,000 meters for jet aircraft).  Air pressure in the cabin is thus equivalent to that found at an altitude of 1500–2400 meters above sea level. At this pressure, oxygen saturation of the blood in healthy patients of any age is slightly reduced, from 98 percent to 92-94 per cent.

 - Air circulation

Cabin air is constantly exchanged, with about 60 per cent fed in from outside and the other 40 per cent recalculated through High Efficiency Particulate Airfilters (HEPA), which filter out all particles larger than 0.3 microns. Such filtration efficiency is equivalent to that of a hospital isolation ward.

The fresh air supply per passenger is 10 to 20 times greater than the necessary minimum.

 - Humidity

The extremely low relative humidity of the air drawn from outside the aircraft reduces the relative humidity of the air inside the aircraft to about 10 per cent, compared to the 60 per cent that is normal in Central Europe. To prevent dehydration of the nose, mouth and eyes, we recommend the following measures:

Maintain sufficient fluid intake during the flight: water and fruit juice are preferable to other beverages. Drink at least one-quarter liter per hour of flight.

Drink only moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee, as they tend to dehydrate the body.

If you normally wear contact lenses, use glasses during your flight. Eye drops are helpful for particularly sensitive eyes.

Apply moisturizing cream to your skin. Use as often as necessary during your flight.

 

In-flight Exercises

  

Sitting in the same position for prolonged periods during travel can cause your muscles to become stiff and your cardiovascular system to function less effectively than normal. It is recommended that you perform a few specific stretching exercises designed to help keep your muscles relaxed and your circulation performing properly. Each exercise listed below should be performed ten times at a time.

 - Upper body exercises:

Stretching your neck: turn your head to the side and point your chin toward your shoulder. Keeping your head lowered, move it toward your other shoulder in a rolling motion. 

Stretching your shoulders: gently roll your shoulders forward, up, back and down. Repeat in the reverse direction.

Open and clench your hands, spread your fingers.

 - Leg exercises:

Relax your calf muscles. Press your hands against the seat and raise one leg with your knee bent. Tense your thigh muscles. Relax. Perform the same exercise with your other leg.

Stretch your legs: place both feet on the floor and lean forward slowly, keeping your back straight. Allow your hands to glide along your shin toward your ankle. Hold this position for 15 seconds. Then lean back.

Stretch and rotate your feet: Lift one foot off the floor. Rotate your foot 10 times clockwise, then 10 times counter-clockwise. Relax. Repeat with the other foot. For greater effect, do the exercise with both feet simultaneously.

Relax your buttocks: tense your buttock muscles for five seconds. Relax.