Travel Woes

I’ve finally returned from a long week of travel. After 8 flights and 6 airports, I’m thankful to be back to my stomping grounds.

In traveling, I only saw a handful of people wearing masks covering their mouths and noses. I had been expecting more based on the swine flu media frenzy. Of course, it’s unclear whether these mask-donning folks were trying to avoid swine flu, allergy or respiratory disease sufferers, or immuno-compromised.

Perhaps all air travelers should wear masks since international hubs like Dulles pack a lot of people in small terminals and the recycled air on planes may make us all more susceptible to infection.

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me they got sick after air travel, I’d be a millionaire. But the looming question is “why?” Why does air travel make us sick? I’ve already mentioned recycled air and small terminals, but I think there are key mistakes travelers make that cause them to be more susceptible to illness.

• Not drinking enough water. The truth of the matter is when you fly on an air plane you become dehydrated. Staying hydrated may help you avoid upper respiratory and GI illness.

My suggestion: bring a water bottle with you on the plane. The flight attendants can only provide you with so much water on a flight, so bring your own. Yes, it means you may have to ask your neighbor to move so you can get to the lavatory, but trust me, it’s worth it.

• Not eating enough or healthful foods. Many travelers choose to not keep a regular meal schedule when traveling. Yes, airport food prices are expensive, but not getting the calories and nutrients you need for your body to properly function can be detrimental to your health.

My suggestion: bring snacks from home. Many travelers are under the impression that you are not allowed to bring outside food through security. Well, this is not a movie theater, and that rule never stopped you before. Granola bars, nuts, and dried fruit hold up really well and will also provide nutrition that will help keep you “regular”.

• Being stressed out. I get it. Air travel is a stressful thing. Between rushing to a connecting flight, delays, lost baggage, and squishing into a tight space between strangers, air travel can be a major trigger of elevated blood pressure and anxiety. Did you know that elevated stress levels are related to weakened immune functioning? It has to do with elevated hormone (Cortisol) levels and inflammation and little things called cytokines. It’s kind of complicated so I won’t explain in detail, but all you need to know is that stress can make you susceptible to disease.

My suggestion: deal with your stress! I know, easier said than done. Try some deep breathing in your seat. Close your eyes and focus on how your stomach expands and contracts with every breath. Take a walk in the terminal or find a space to do some stretches. Exercise is a great way to combat stress, not to mention it feels great to stretch your legs after sitting for several hours.

If you have any travel tips for avoiding illness, please comment!