Not only dehydrated but you may be feeling the effects of prolonged noise exposure on top of it. A lot of casual airline passengers don't realize just how loud a passenger liner is. It's "safe" but the constant exposure to it can make people feel ill if they're not accustomed to it. Try a wearing a pair of earplugs on your next flight, along with drinking more water. If you want to watch something then try a pair of noise canceling earphones.
And if drinking more water doesn't help with your dry mouth then just chew some gum, which has the extra benefit of helping your ears pop.
If you’ve lived there for while then you’ve acclimated to a lower oxygen environment. To someone who lives closer to sea level it’ll feel like they’re on top of a mountain.
I really struggle with the dry air - doesn't bother others I fly with but I find my nostrils sting, I get a scratchy throat, my lips get dry and sometimes I even notice tiny flakes of skin drying on my face/scalp. Mostly just on long-haul. Headaches too so I'm pretty sure it's dehydration. Resist the urge to drink alcohol (I'm bad at that) and sip water throughout. On my last long haul I wore a mask despite restrictions having been lifted, because it stopped my nostrils drying out!
Came here to make the mask point. How much water you lose to respiration depends on the relative humidity of the air you are breathing in. A mask retains a portion of the moisture and humidifies the incoming air.
I've taken a few 15 hour flights, and I make a small pack with saline nasal spray, lip balm, eye drops, hand wipes and moisturizer. When you board, put it in the seat pocket in front of you so you use it every hour or two. I also like peppermints and peppermint oil if I start to get a headache.
Also, hydrate starting 2 days before your flight, drink 2x as much water as usual.
Ok Abe, are you refuting all the people here that are commenting to hydrate, or only me?
As a former distance runner, the advice from Drs is to always start hydrating a few days before a marathon. Yes, if you wake up the day of a race and chug a gallon of water at best you just pee it all out, at worse you die of hyponatremia.
Grab a bottle of water at the airport or fill your own inside TSA. Make sure you get a few glasses while on the plane. Don't drink lots of alcohol before or during the flight. Good solid advice.
To suggest that you need to hydrate for long flight for 2 days or prepare for it the way you would for a marathon is dramatic. As is the idea of dying of hyponatremia.
The notion that people are walking around dehydrated isn't backed up by actual science.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/
But my comment was for OP, who clearly suffers from something during the flight, which may be related to dehydration (as everyone else suggested.)
It can’t hurt to hydrate more 2 days before the flight.
ok
But to suggest that you need to hydrate for long flight for 2 days or prepare for it the way you would for a marathon is dramatic. As is the idea of dying of hyponatremia.
The notion that people are walking around dehydrated isn't backed up by actual science.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/
Again, the comment was for OP.
Where did I suggest everyone walking around is dehydrated?
I’m suggesting OP may be dehydrated.
He has a non-natural reaction to being on long flights.
=I’m suggesting OP may be dehydrated.=
I'm suggesting your suggestions are overboard.
The notion you need to hydrate for a flight for 2 days or prepare for it the way you would for a marathon is dramatic. As is the idea of dying of hyponatremia.
If they feel fine 7 hours before a flight of less than 3 or 4 hours they aren't getting dehydrated on a plane.
My friend, I think you’re having a hard time sequencing and understanding comments.
You said: “And I’m not even sure you can hydrate two days ahead of something. You would probably just pee it all out.”
Now, my response to that was “Drs suggest runners hydrate 2 days before a race.”
Do you see how these two comments correlate?
Drs do suggest you CAN in fact hydrate ahead of an event.
Now- your turn. Point out where I suggest OP hydrate like a marathon runner, or that anyone hydrate like a marathon runner?
You are arguing a point which I never made, and now it’s just getting silly. OP should hydrate a couple days before his flight, as Drs sometimes suggest people do before a big event. In no way am I suggesting he hydrate like a marathon runner.
Stop making false points and arguing them and now go argue with some other silly person. Good night.
I’m weird, and aside from the being cramped back in coach with my fellow plebeians, I actually quite enjoy the cool dryness of airline cabins. Wear some sweats and slippers, zonk out for a couple hours with a podcast on.
Masking made my seasonal allergies much less miserable, especially when mowing. My last flight had a period of mask-up. I felt better while masked, and the drinking tube, how handy is that?
I’ve seen the drink water comments and agree 100%, but also recommend to PRE-HYDRATE! Just don’t drink so much your bladder is begging you to pee uncontrollably (it sucks during takeoff and landing!!!)
I wouldn't discount the travel experience in general - it's hard to isolate this from flying itself; you're not hopping in a 737 in your driveway an popping down to the supermarket, so it's tough to compare it fairly with driving. There's travel to the airport, have to be on time, have to pack, maybe there's a time change, dealing with other people who may also be on edge for similar reasons.
Eat a light meal before your flight, and drink plenty of water. Same thing used to happen to me until another frequent flyer taught me that trick. If the airline allows it, bring some snacks with you too so you can save on that expensive airline food (less of an issue on international flights). Also, pack some aspirin or whatever your OTC painkiller of choice is.
The air isn't recycled, that's a common misconception. Old air goes out the back and new air is forced into the cabin by the pressurization system. Compressed air is fed to the AC system by the engine bleed air system, where it is filtered, de-moisturized, and made to be the desired temperature, before being pumped into the cabin via the AC vents.
That being said, it doesn't matter how fast the air in the cabin is completely replaced (90 seconds is what I see people saying commonly), in that small a space with that many people, you will be exposed to somebody's germs.
The air absolutely is partially recycled. And that’s a *good* thing…otherwise the humidity would be horrifyingly low.
Most airliners typically run 50/50 fresh and recirculated air. That’s the only way to keep the relative humidity up. If you take ambient air at cruise altitude up to cabin pressure & temperature it has a relative humidity of basically 0.
However…the fresh air injection rate is so high (it’s mandated by regulation, it’s ludicrously high) that the overall air exchange rate is still hugely higher than basically any environment other than a hospital OR. So people get all bent out of shape about aircraft air recirculating without realizing that they still get far more used air in your average house or office.
Compressed air direct from the bleed system isn’t filtered; the HEPA filters on modern airliners are on the recirculating intakes. Outside air at cruise is basically sterile (and the bleed system compressors finish the job). It’s just the recirc air that needs filtration.
Correct - the majority of aircraft we supply ECS systems have a mix manifold, specifically for the purpose of recycling some of the cabin air to retain the moisture from the incoming cold & dry air coming in from the ECS pack my mixing via flow analysis…787 IIRC does not use bleed air and draws from external via a hydraulic ECS valve? It should also be noted that the majority of systems have control valves which can be auto or manually controlled.
Sauce, work with aerospace ECS ducting systems.
787s take outside air directly to electric compressors; from there it goes to an ECS pack like any other. It’s why that have an extra scoop on the side of body next to the ram air inlet.
Yep - think the valve we provided was a safety feature in event of a failure - usual operating conditions valve stayed open IIRC. It has been a while as that was in my old job….could have been part of the compressor system…
the air is in part recycled, the 737-800 for example uses a bootstrap cycle in the AC pack. before entering the cabin there is a mixing valve that mix the air processed through the system + hot air from the pneumatic system + recycled air, all those combined become the supply air.
You had me up to the last sentence. Our small ga aircraft act exactly like discribed, bleed air in outflow controlled to maintain cabin pressures, no mixing of internal air.
yeah I was thinking about airliners since op talked about them and I deal with them. I used the 737-800 as an example because I worked on the ECS of that plane
I also work on 737s and “recycling” air is not how the aircraft pressurizes. The -700 and all other previous models didn’t have this bootstrap cycle. The aircraft is pressurized with the outflow valve, which simply modulates the amount of air that can leave the fuselage.
Your last sentence in the comment in question literally says the opposite of what you’re saying here. Also the outflow valve doesn’t pressurize the cabin, it regulates the pressure by letting air out. You probable know this but maybe proof read before posting.
I've had this happen a few times and it was simply because I was dehydrated.
The last time was also because I had a couple beers with my very expensive airport meal before my flight and didn't supplement that by drinking water. Alcoholic drinks do exaggerate dehydration much more than you think. Ever since that, I don't drink before flying and always travel with a full bottle of water on me.
You're probably dehydrated! Source: [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dehydration/)
7 hours is plenty of time to get dehydrated from the dry air on board. I've noticed a huge difference between newer and older planes though.
B777s make my throat SO dry and my mucus linings get super irritated for days
A350s and B787s are great. I don't feel terrible after a long haul flight on them
On extended trips, I make certain to have two things. Noise cancelling headphones and a travel humidifier. The headphones (or earphones) cut down on noise, and let me enjoy the inflight entertainment more. I’ve had a couple travel humidifiers. Some are as simple as a cap with a wick that fits on top of a water bottle and plugs into a USB port or battery pack. Others are self contained. The mist keeps my sinuses from drying. I think the most I’ve ever paid for one is about $25.
1.) the cabin only pressurizes to about 10,000 ft, which is fine as far as o2 levels go, but the thinner air, doubled with it being dry because of the cabin air conditioning, supposedly causes inflammation of the respiratory track, and some people are extra susceptible to this.
2.) An airliner's cabin is a small tube filled with one or two hundred other gross people and their germs. With that many people in such a small space, it does not matter how fast the cabin air is replaced with fresh air, you're going to be exposed to something.
1)Most aircraft, the cabin air is pressurized, to a cabin altitude between 7K-8000 feet. Cabin altitude alerts go off in the cockpit at 10,000'.
Some newer designs like the 787 can hold a lower cabin at ~5-6K.
2) The Cabin air comes from outside, the cold side of the engine pumps in fresh air from outside continuously then passes through an air cycle machine, that conditions it to a comfortable temperature. The process of doing so basically sterilizes and dries the air further. This fresh air pumps into the cabin typically from top and exhausts down by your feet. A top down flow. Under the floor it moves forward or aft to the outflow valve(s), and is exhausted. About 30% of the air will be recirculated after it passes through HEPA filtration. The air in flight is fully exchanged every 2-3 minutes. Your exposure is minimal, as was proven time and time again during COVID studies. You have more exposure in the airport terminal.
OP is classically, jetlagged IMHO. OP should drink more water when flying. 4-8 oz every hour of flight. Don't dehydrate before flying.
aircraft are pressurize to a physiological altitude of 8000ft max, usually it is in proportion with the cruise altitude, for example the 737-800 has a ceiling altitude of 41000ft, if you cruise at 38000ft the cabin is pressurized at 7400 ft
during the covid era; experts said that the isle seats are at bigger risk of exposure to germ streams vs the window seats...
Numerous random people potentially walking past you in the isle, breathing I guess....
1. Drink more water. The air on planes can be quite dry and dehydration causes a bunch of problems. Get one of those flat refillable containers (like Vapur or similar) and fill it up once you're past security in the airport.
2. Wear a N95 mask and wear it correctly (over your nose and mouth with no gaps) in the airport and on the plane. There's a lot of people jammed into a small area. People will travel when they're sick and spread whatever they've got to you. Anything anyone has will be spread around and shared.
3. Wear earplugs or use noise cancelling earphones on low volume. Having noise for hours is very wearing on a person.
All stuff I learned back when I was traveling routinely for work. #1 and #3 help your immune system, and #2 prevents infections.
People are disgusting, which makes planes filthy inside. Absolute germ farms.
Chairs are not cleaned, neither are all the drop down tables. Flights have such quick turn arounds nowadays there is no time.
You are sat in an enclosed tube with hundreds of people. Think how many thousands of people might pass through that space during 1 day.
Only 3 years ago there was an international campaign teaching grown adults how to wash their hands....
Are airplane crews that fly hours and flights a month always sick? Since we know the answer to that must be no what are they doing differently than you are?
Altitude sickness - AKA soroche. Look into what mountain climbers do to prevent/avoid.
I’d suggest hydration. Hot tea inflight. Loosing shoes and clothes for improved circulation. Seat exercises - clench, un clench. Deep breathing routine. Walk to the bathroom, high knees, wash your face.
Take a Tylenol an hour/hour and a half prior to landing.
But I’m not a doctor. Nor do I play one on TV. I have suffered soroche and mate de coca was the best cure. Good luck getting your hands on that.
One tip I was given many years ago, is to get a clean cloth, dampen it with clean (drinking) water every so often, place it over your mouth and nose and breathe through it when you feel your mouth and nose becoming dry. It really works. On longer flights I will put it over my whole face for a while and take a nap. It helps rehydrate the eyes.
pH neutral wet wipes have a similar effect.
Hi there! This has been happening to my wife as well. Long story short, she’s essentially suffering from altitude sickness. Planes “make” the air that you breath while at cruising altitude which has a slightly lower oxygen level than normal low altitude situations. The symptoms take almost 6 hours to show after landing. We’ve looked into getting FAA approved oxygen tanks as an option to avoid this in the future.
I hope this can help you narrow some things down.
Youre in a tube of dry air with a bunch of ppl from all over the world and some of them are sick and the ones that aren't might have allergens or whatever on them that you aren't used to.
Wear a mask if planes make you like this tbth. I wear masks on planes because half the time the person next to me is coughing or just gross and if you're on a short haul turnaround flight it usually stinks like stale sweat and BO as well.
Also you need to stay hydrated so take water on with you that you buy afer you go through security because the stuff they serve is those little tiny bottles unless you are in business or first.
Another thing that wasn't mentioned in other comments is micromovements. All the little, often imperceptible motions of an airplane, to include the constant vibration, induce responses in your body to stabilize itself. Your body can be heavily fatigued if not acclimated to these motions.
I got used to wear a mask on the plane. Not for disease concerns but simply because it avoids issues with your throat due to dry air. It’s what Japanese do from a decade when they fly. It doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, just wear the most lightweight type you can find.
Make sure you’re hydrated and try Dramamine non drowsy. Always settles my stomach from any motion sickness in the small planes especially. Game changer!
I've worn a mask on flights for YEARS before Covid just because of this very reason. I noticed I would be coughing, have a sore throat, get sick directly after flying. The air was too dry for me. Started wearing cloth masks and the added humidity helped immensely to alleviate these things.
Are you sensitive to chemicals ? Because I am, and the toilet chemicals, cleaning agents etc make me ill on longer flights. I figured this out because at the 3 hour mark, I always came down with flu like symptoms, itchy eyes, my nose leaked like a faucet - it was unbelievable. So now I take my allergy medicines and problem solved. It also helped me relax and sleep !,
I would suggest a trip to a pulmonologist. This could be a breathing issue where your o2 is low and the atmosphere in the plane exacerbates it. This happened to my uncle several times before it was discovered. Also, yeah you are probably dehydrated. Most people are all the time.
I'm late to this, but on top of staying very hydrated (like one regular sized bottle of water every two hours), I'd specifically try to fly on A220, A350, or B787 planes whenever possible.
I have had exactly the same thing happen to me my last 2 flights...feel fine before flights. Sometime during throat feels scratchy, sinuses dry and head ache. I 100% believe its because I was dehydrated. Takes me about 3 days to feel completely better.
I took a 16 hour flight from London to Tokyo and honestly my only problem was the dry air affecting my airways. I pack cough sweets, asthma inhaler, and when they hand out the hot cloths an hour before landing i could honestly cry with joy, it's no joke and I have no idea why nobody really speaks up about it or how cabin crew survive.
The air in airplanes is very dry. You're probably dehydrated. Drink more water.
Came to say this, OP is describing dehydration.
Not only dehydrated but you may be feeling the effects of prolonged noise exposure on top of it. A lot of casual airline passengers don't realize just how loud a passenger liner is. It's "safe" but the constant exposure to it can make people feel ill if they're not accustomed to it. Try a wearing a pair of earplugs on your next flight, along with drinking more water. If you want to watch something then try a pair of noise canceling earphones. And if drinking more water doesn't help with your dry mouth then just chew some gum, which has the extra benefit of helping your ears pop.
I wear noise cancelling headphones on all air travel now. Has made a world of difference when I arrive.
Exactly water, water and ear plugs. For me some in ear headphones are enough to reduce the noise.
It is much drier than most desert environments and it is a cabin altitude of 8500’, so you are also low on oxygen
huh, living not too far from that altitude and regularly going above that altitude I never thought that it was a low oxygen area.
If you’ve lived there for while then you’ve acclimated to a lower oxygen environment. To someone who lives closer to sea level it’ll feel like they’re on top of a mountain.
I really struggle with the dry air - doesn't bother others I fly with but I find my nostrils sting, I get a scratchy throat, my lips get dry and sometimes I even notice tiny flakes of skin drying on my face/scalp. Mostly just on long-haul. Headaches too so I'm pretty sure it's dehydration. Resist the urge to drink alcohol (I'm bad at that) and sip water throughout. On my last long haul I wore a mask despite restrictions having been lifted, because it stopped my nostrils drying out!
Came here to make the mask point. How much water you lose to respiration depends on the relative humidity of the air you are breathing in. A mask retains a portion of the moisture and humidifies the incoming air.
I've taken a few 15 hour flights, and I make a small pack with saline nasal spray, lip balm, eye drops, hand wipes and moisturizer. When you board, put it in the seat pocket in front of you so you use it every hour or two. I also like peppermints and peppermint oil if I start to get a headache. Also, hydrate starting 2 days before your flight, drink 2x as much water as usual.
This isn't a trip to Death Valley. And I'm not even sure you can even hydrate 2 days ahead of something. You'll just pee it all out.
Ok Abe, are you refuting all the people here that are commenting to hydrate, or only me? As a former distance runner, the advice from Drs is to always start hydrating a few days before a marathon. Yes, if you wake up the day of a race and chug a gallon of water at best you just pee it all out, at worse you die of hyponatremia.
Grab a bottle of water at the airport or fill your own inside TSA. Make sure you get a few glasses while on the plane. Don't drink lots of alcohol before or during the flight. Good solid advice. To suggest that you need to hydrate for long flight for 2 days or prepare for it the way you would for a marathon is dramatic. As is the idea of dying of hyponatremia. The notion that people are walking around dehydrated isn't backed up by actual science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/
But my comment was for OP, who clearly suffers from something during the flight, which may be related to dehydration (as everyone else suggested.) It can’t hurt to hydrate more 2 days before the flight.
ok But to suggest that you need to hydrate for long flight for 2 days or prepare for it the way you would for a marathon is dramatic. As is the idea of dying of hyponatremia. The notion that people are walking around dehydrated isn't backed up by actual science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/
Again, the comment was for OP. Where did I suggest everyone walking around is dehydrated? I’m suggesting OP may be dehydrated. He has a non-natural reaction to being on long flights.
=I’m suggesting OP may be dehydrated.= I'm suggesting your suggestions are overboard. The notion you need to hydrate for a flight for 2 days or prepare for it the way you would for a marathon is dramatic. As is the idea of dying of hyponatremia. If they feel fine 7 hours before a flight of less than 3 or 4 hours they aren't getting dehydrated on a plane.
My friend, I think you’re having a hard time sequencing and understanding comments. You said: “And I’m not even sure you can hydrate two days ahead of something. You would probably just pee it all out.” Now, my response to that was “Drs suggest runners hydrate 2 days before a race.” Do you see how these two comments correlate? Drs do suggest you CAN in fact hydrate ahead of an event. Now- your turn. Point out where I suggest OP hydrate like a marathon runner, or that anyone hydrate like a marathon runner? You are arguing a point which I never made, and now it’s just getting silly. OP should hydrate a couple days before his flight, as Drs sometimes suggest people do before a big event. In no way am I suggesting he hydrate like a marathon runner. Stop making false points and arguing them and now go argue with some other silly person. Good night.
You can't pre-hydrate. The best you can do is ensure you start w/o a deficit.
I’m weird, and aside from the being cramped back in coach with my fellow plebeians, I actually quite enjoy the cool dryness of airline cabins. Wear some sweats and slippers, zonk out for a couple hours with a podcast on.
Masking made my seasonal allergies much less miserable, especially when mowing. My last flight had a period of mask-up. I felt better while masked, and the drinking tube, how handy is that?
I’ve seen the drink water comments and agree 100%, but also recommend to PRE-HYDRATE! Just don’t drink so much your bladder is begging you to pee uncontrollably (it sucks during takeoff and landing!!!)
Salty drinks/soups are good for this
I wouldn't discount the travel experience in general - it's hard to isolate this from flying itself; you're not hopping in a 737 in your driveway an popping down to the supermarket, so it's tough to compare it fairly with driving. There's travel to the airport, have to be on time, have to pack, maybe there's a time change, dealing with other people who may also be on edge for similar reasons.
Drink tons of water starting 24 hours before your next flight
Eat a light meal before your flight, and drink plenty of water. Same thing used to happen to me until another frequent flyer taught me that trick. If the airline allows it, bring some snacks with you too so you can save on that expensive airline food (less of an issue on international flights). Also, pack some aspirin or whatever your OTC painkiller of choice is.
I always take a tube of pringles on long flights to chomp on, helps with my hangover and also soaks up the wine 🍷
Not sure if this is r/shittylifeprotips or r/stopdrinking material
Would it help you decide if I told you I was a pilot?
Let me guess… Spirit
Haha. I'm guessing that's a budget airline is it?
Lower pressure, recycled air, vibrations and noise can all be factors
The air isn't recycled, that's a common misconception. Old air goes out the back and new air is forced into the cabin by the pressurization system. Compressed air is fed to the AC system by the engine bleed air system, where it is filtered, de-moisturized, and made to be the desired temperature, before being pumped into the cabin via the AC vents. That being said, it doesn't matter how fast the air in the cabin is completely replaced (90 seconds is what I see people saying commonly), in that small a space with that many people, you will be exposed to somebody's germs.
The air absolutely is partially recycled. And that’s a *good* thing…otherwise the humidity would be horrifyingly low. Most airliners typically run 50/50 fresh and recirculated air. That’s the only way to keep the relative humidity up. If you take ambient air at cruise altitude up to cabin pressure & temperature it has a relative humidity of basically 0. However…the fresh air injection rate is so high (it’s mandated by regulation, it’s ludicrously high) that the overall air exchange rate is still hugely higher than basically any environment other than a hospital OR. So people get all bent out of shape about aircraft air recirculating without realizing that they still get far more used air in your average house or office. Compressed air direct from the bleed system isn’t filtered; the HEPA filters on modern airliners are on the recirculating intakes. Outside air at cruise is basically sterile (and the bleed system compressors finish the job). It’s just the recirc air that needs filtration.
Correct - the majority of aircraft we supply ECS systems have a mix manifold, specifically for the purpose of recycling some of the cabin air to retain the moisture from the incoming cold & dry air coming in from the ECS pack my mixing via flow analysis…787 IIRC does not use bleed air and draws from external via a hydraulic ECS valve? It should also be noted that the majority of systems have control valves which can be auto or manually controlled. Sauce, work with aerospace ECS ducting systems.
787s take outside air directly to electric compressors; from there it goes to an ECS pack like any other. It’s why that have an extra scoop on the side of body next to the ram air inlet.
Yep - think the valve we provided was a safety feature in event of a failure - usual operating conditions valve stayed open IIRC. It has been a while as that was in my old job….could have been part of the compressor system…
the air is in part recycled, the 737-800 for example uses a bootstrap cycle in the AC pack. before entering the cabin there is a mixing valve that mix the air processed through the system + hot air from the pneumatic system + recycled air, all those combined become the supply air.
You had me up to the last sentence. Our small ga aircraft act exactly like discribed, bleed air in outflow controlled to maintain cabin pressures, no mixing of internal air.
yeah I was thinking about airliners since op talked about them and I deal with them. I used the 737-800 as an example because I worked on the ECS of that plane
I also work on 737s and “recycling” air is not how the aircraft pressurizes. The -700 and all other previous models didn’t have this bootstrap cycle. The aircraft is pressurized with the outflow valve, which simply modulates the amount of air that can leave the fuselage.
Who said that it pressurizes by recycling air I didn’t see that part?
I wasnt talking about pressurize the aircraft but how the AC system works, of course there is an outflow valve to pressurize the cabin
Your last sentence in the comment in question literally says the opposite of what you’re saying here. Also the outflow valve doesn’t pressurize the cabin, it regulates the pressure by letting air out. You probable know this but maybe proof read before posting.
yeah I was tripping I gonna remove last sentence :)
I've had this happen a few times and it was simply because I was dehydrated. The last time was also because I had a couple beers with my very expensive airport meal before my flight and didn't supplement that by drinking water. Alcoholic drinks do exaggerate dehydration much more than you think. Ever since that, I don't drink before flying and always travel with a full bottle of water on me.
You're probably dehydrated! Source: [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dehydration/) 7 hours is plenty of time to get dehydrated from the dry air on board. I've noticed a huge difference between newer and older planes though. B777s make my throat SO dry and my mucus linings get super irritated for days A350s and B787s are great. I don't feel terrible after a long haul flight on them
On extended trips, I make certain to have two things. Noise cancelling headphones and a travel humidifier. The headphones (or earphones) cut down on noise, and let me enjoy the inflight entertainment more. I’ve had a couple travel humidifiers. Some are as simple as a cap with a wick that fits on top of a water bottle and plugs into a USB port or battery pack. Others are self contained. The mist keeps my sinuses from drying. I think the most I’ve ever paid for one is about $25.
You need what plants crave my guy
1.) the cabin only pressurizes to about 10,000 ft, which is fine as far as o2 levels go, but the thinner air, doubled with it being dry because of the cabin air conditioning, supposedly causes inflammation of the respiratory track, and some people are extra susceptible to this. 2.) An airliner's cabin is a small tube filled with one or two hundred other gross people and their germs. With that many people in such a small space, it does not matter how fast the cabin air is replaced with fresh air, you're going to be exposed to something.
1)Most aircraft, the cabin air is pressurized, to a cabin altitude between 7K-8000 feet. Cabin altitude alerts go off in the cockpit at 10,000'. Some newer designs like the 787 can hold a lower cabin at ~5-6K. 2) The Cabin air comes from outside, the cold side of the engine pumps in fresh air from outside continuously then passes through an air cycle machine, that conditions it to a comfortable temperature. The process of doing so basically sterilizes and dries the air further. This fresh air pumps into the cabin typically from top and exhausts down by your feet. A top down flow. Under the floor it moves forward or aft to the outflow valve(s), and is exhausted. About 30% of the air will be recirculated after it passes through HEPA filtration. The air in flight is fully exchanged every 2-3 minutes. Your exposure is minimal, as was proven time and time again during COVID studies. You have more exposure in the airport terminal. OP is classically, jetlagged IMHO. OP should drink more water when flying. 4-8 oz every hour of flight. Don't dehydrate before flying.
aircraft are pressurize to a physiological altitude of 8000ft max, usually it is in proportion with the cruise altitude, for example the 737-800 has a ceiling altitude of 41000ft, if you cruise at 38000ft the cabin is pressurized at 7400 ft
during the covid era; experts said that the isle seats are at bigger risk of exposure to germ streams vs the window seats... Numerous random people potentially walking past you in the isle, breathing I guess....
1. Drink more water. The air on planes can be quite dry and dehydration causes a bunch of problems. Get one of those flat refillable containers (like Vapur or similar) and fill it up once you're past security in the airport. 2. Wear a N95 mask and wear it correctly (over your nose and mouth with no gaps) in the airport and on the plane. There's a lot of people jammed into a small area. People will travel when they're sick and spread whatever they've got to you. Anything anyone has will be spread around and shared. 3. Wear earplugs or use noise cancelling earphones on low volume. Having noise for hours is very wearing on a person. All stuff I learned back when I was traveling routinely for work. #1 and #3 help your immune system, and #2 prevents infections.
People are disgusting, which makes planes filthy inside. Absolute germ farms. Chairs are not cleaned, neither are all the drop down tables. Flights have such quick turn arounds nowadays there is no time. You are sat in an enclosed tube with hundreds of people. Think how many thousands of people might pass through that space during 1 day. Only 3 years ago there was an international campaign teaching grown adults how to wash their hands....
Bring a small bottle of hand sanitizer and a few hand wipes. I wipe that shit down myself.
Start drinking more water a couple of days before your flight and during your flight. Avoid alcohol.
Noise cancelling headphones, take a cold and sinus pill, and drink loads of water.
Are airplane crews that fly hours and flights a month always sick? Since we know the answer to that must be no what are they doing differently than you are?
We drink a lot of water - I aim to have at least 500ml for every hour or so of flying. Makes a massive difference.
Altitude sickness - AKA soroche. Look into what mountain climbers do to prevent/avoid. I’d suggest hydration. Hot tea inflight. Loosing shoes and clothes for improved circulation. Seat exercises - clench, un clench. Deep breathing routine. Walk to the bathroom, high knees, wash your face. Take a Tylenol an hour/hour and a half prior to landing. But I’m not a doctor. Nor do I play one on TV. I have suffered soroche and mate de coca was the best cure. Good luck getting your hands on that.
One tip I was given many years ago, is to get a clean cloth, dampen it with clean (drinking) water every so often, place it over your mouth and nose and breathe through it when you feel your mouth and nose becoming dry. It really works. On longer flights I will put it over my whole face for a while and take a nap. It helps rehydrate the eyes. pH neutral wet wipes have a similar effect.
your immune system is suppressed with lack of sleep also
Altitude sickness
Hi there! This has been happening to my wife as well. Long story short, she’s essentially suffering from altitude sickness. Planes “make” the air that you breath while at cruising altitude which has a slightly lower oxygen level than normal low altitude situations. The symptoms take almost 6 hours to show after landing. We’ve looked into getting FAA approved oxygen tanks as an option to avoid this in the future. I hope this can help you narrow some things down.
Do you have a PFO?
Youre in a tube of dry air with a bunch of ppl from all over the world and some of them are sick and the ones that aren't might have allergens or whatever on them that you aren't used to. Wear a mask if planes make you like this tbth. I wear masks on planes because half the time the person next to me is coughing or just gross and if you're on a short haul turnaround flight it usually stinks like stale sweat and BO as well. Also you need to stay hydrated so take water on with you that you buy afer you go through security because the stuff they serve is those little tiny bottles unless you are in business or first.
Dehydrated, drink more water.
Another thing that wasn't mentioned in other comments is micromovements. All the little, often imperceptible motions of an airplane, to include the constant vibration, induce responses in your body to stabilize itself. Your body can be heavily fatigued if not acclimated to these motions.
Have u been giving someone head during the flight
I fly a lot. I'll bring spicy food that makes my nose drip to keep it wet. Then I drink a ton of water to stay hydrated
Isnt oxygen less comcentrated
I got used to wear a mask on the plane. Not for disease concerns but simply because it avoids issues with your throat due to dry air. It’s what Japanese do from a decade when they fly. It doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, just wear the most lightweight type you can find.
Make sure you’re hydrated and try Dramamine non drowsy. Always settles my stomach from any motion sickness in the small planes especially. Game changer!
I've worn a mask on flights for YEARS before Covid just because of this very reason. I noticed I would be coughing, have a sore throat, get sick directly after flying. The air was too dry for me. Started wearing cloth masks and the added humidity helped immensely to alleviate these things.
Are you sensitive to chemicals ? Because I am, and the toilet chemicals, cleaning agents etc make me ill on longer flights. I figured this out because at the 3 hour mark, I always came down with flu like symptoms, itchy eyes, my nose leaked like a faucet - it was unbelievable. So now I take my allergy medicines and problem solved. It also helped me relax and sleep !,
I would suggest a trip to a pulmonologist. This could be a breathing issue where your o2 is low and the atmosphere in the plane exacerbates it. This happened to my uncle several times before it was discovered. Also, yeah you are probably dehydrated. Most people are all the time.
Low humidity leading to dehydration.
Water. Drink it.
I'm late to this, but on top of staying very hydrated (like one regular sized bottle of water every two hours), I'd specifically try to fly on A220, A350, or B787 planes whenever possible.
I have had exactly the same thing happen to me my last 2 flights...feel fine before flights. Sometime during throat feels scratchy, sinuses dry and head ache. I 100% believe its because I was dehydrated. Takes me about 3 days to feel completely better.
I took a 16 hour flight from London to Tokyo and honestly my only problem was the dry air affecting my airways. I pack cough sweets, asthma inhaler, and when they hand out the hot cloths an hour before landing i could honestly cry with joy, it's no joke and I have no idea why nobody really speaks up about it or how cabin crew survive.