A still from the Manifest series
(Image: NBC)
In a Boeing 737-800 you fly an average of 7 to 12 kilometers above the ground. Every day more than 43,000 planes fly around the world with about 2.6 million travelers on board. But what does that actually do to your body, flying so high in the sky?
There is a laundry list of things that happen to your body once you are that high in the sky. How about that? We explain it per stage (from ascent to landing). This way you can prepare extra well for your next flight. Or rather: a nice stick behind the door to fly less and avoid Schiphol.
To rise
Once you settle into your seat and the airport stress is over, the adventure begins. Now comes the stress of sitting on a plane per se to surface. It is and always will be a bit exciting.
High in the air you can dehydrate considerably. During a flight of 3 hours you can lose up to 1.5 liters of fluid. How is that possible? High altitude air contains less water and oxygen, hence the low humidity in the cabin. As a result, your skin and eyes often feel dry after a long flight. Just for the record: at home the humidity is around 30 percent, in an airplane it can drop to 4 percent. You notice it, in addition to dry eyes, also in your ears, nasal passages and the mucus in your nose. Bacteria can then settle more easily in your nose, increasing the chance of a cold.
Do: drink water, lots and lots of water.
Don’t: caffeine (coffee and tea) and alcohol. These drinks will dehydrate you even more. And there’s this raunchy side effect.
During the flight
Are you also someone who, so to speak, has already take-off dozed off to sleep? This is not (only) due to the hustle and bustle at home, jet lag or other external factors. No, the cause of your sleepiness is the low oxygen level in the plane. As a result, your blood can absorb less oxygen, making you feel sleepy. Headaches and dizziness are also possible consequences of low oxygen levels.
Suffering from bloating? This could also be due to the pressure in the plane. In fact, one study shows that you shouldn’t hold back a fart on the plane, as it can make your bloating worse and cause blood pressure to rise. So let’s go, next timeOr maybe just go to the toilet.
Another study shows how many bacteria are on the fold-out table, the armrest and on the airplane seat. Do you want to avoid getting sick? Wipe them with an antibacterial cloth.
Do: try to exercise every now and then to improve your circulation. Stand up and sit down again and move your arms and legs.
Don’t: holding back your fart and sitting still for too long.
Landing
Now that the plane has started landing, you may be unlucky enough to get your ears hurt. When the pressure inside the plane changes, your ears can pop shut. The air will start to press inside, which can cause temporary hearing loss and pain. To remedy this, chew gum or try to yawn. The air can then flow more easily through your ear tube until there is normal pressure.
Do: have chewing gum on hand or buy a nasal spray at the drugstore. Use this for 30 minutes for take-off and landing.
Don’t: forgot this above.
Jet lag
However innocent or affected jet lag may sound, it is a real physical condition, caused by a disturbed rhythm. The worst that can happen is insomnia, a disturbed rhythm (for example, suddenly you are awake at 4 a.m.) and that can make you very cranky.
Do: fly in the same time zone or rotate with the time zone of the new destination to get your body used to it as quickly as possible.
Don’t: sleeping at illogical hours at the new destination. The longer your body will have to get used to it.
The combination of bacteria on the plane, your dehydrated status and likely poor sleep make you a lot more prone to getting sick. On average, people appear to be 113 times more likely to catch a cold during a flight than normal. So be prepared.
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This Happens To Your Body On An Airplane (From Takeoff To Landing)