Tips for Healthcare During Flights

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

Summer vacation has started. One of the most important things when traveling is maintaining health, and, for overseas travelers, it should start in the airplane. Here are some useful health care tips provided by airlines and medical experts for holidaymakers heading abroad.

Glasses Rather Than Contact Lenses

The humidity level at which people feel most comfortable is 30 to 40 percent, but in the aircraft it is about 15 percent. The air in the cabin is dry as air conditioning is always operating.

Those on long-range trips are advised to wear glasses rather than contact lenses. Soft lens sticks to the cornea in the dry air, disturbing fluid circulation between cornea and the lens.

Long flights or sleeping with contact lenses can cause blood-shot eyes or itchiness.

More Water, Less Alcohol

Due to the dry cabin, passengers easily feel stuffy. It is also easy for diabetic patients to get dehydrated, so they are advised to drink enough water on the plane. Water and juice are recommended, while soda, coffee and black tea are not, as they dehydrate the body.

Overeating or drinking alcohol is not recommended. In the plane, people have less metabolizing ability for alcohol than on the ground, as they have less oxygen in their body. People usually get drunk more easily on the plane and it takes more time for them to sober up. People also do not digest food well in the cabin, as air pressure is low and intestinal activity is low because people do not move a lot.

Sleep to Overcome Jetlag

Sleeping is recommended during flights to avoid jetlag. It is said that about 90 percent of travelers to Europe or America, where the time difference from Korea is big, suffer from insomnia, fatigue, indigestion, excessive urination, hypersensitivity or headaches.

If possible, travelers are advised to take a plane departing in the evening and sleep during the flight. Drinking alcohol before departure can disrupt sleep.

Others

Passengers may feel pain in their ears when planes are climbing and descending to different altitudes because of different air pressure. They can chew gum or suck candy, so that they can swallow saliva often and relieve the pain. Yawning or blowing the nose can also help.

Seating for a long time can cause blood circulation problems, so travelers are advised to walk along the aisle or stretch themselves from time to time during the flight.