What happens to your body on a long-haul flight

[reader]

From CNN Travel

CNN  — If crowded airports are a sign, travelers are keen to get back into the skies. And if you’re flying long haul, in a few years you could have an even longer option.

Qantas has announced from late 2025, it will fly passengers on nonstop flights from Australia’s east coast to London that would see you in the air for more than 19 hours in one stretch. That’s compared with current flights that take the best part of 24 hours but are broken up into shorter legs.

So what will happen to your body during one of these longer flights? Is it any different to what happens when you fly long-haul now?

1. You can become dehydrated

Dehydration is common on long-haul flights. It can explain why your throat, nose and skin can feel dry on an airplane. The longer the flight, the greater the risk of dehydration.

That’s because of low levels of humidity in the cabin compared with what you’d expect on the ground. This is mostly because a lot of the air circulating through the cabin is drawn from the outside, and there’s not a lot of moisture in the air at high altitudes.

You also risk dehydration by not drinking enough water, or drinking too much alcohol (alcohol is a diuretic, resulting in an increase in fluid lost).

So drink water before you jump on the plane. During the flight, you’ll also need to drink more water than you usually would.

2. The cabin can play havoc with your ears, sinuses, gut and sleep

As the cabin pressure changes, the gas in our bodies reacts accordingly. It expands as the aircraft climbs and pressure decreases, and the opposite occurs as we descend. This can lead to common problems such as:

• earaches – when the air pressure either side of your eardrum is different, placing pressure on the eardrum

• headaches – can be caused by expanding air trapped in your sinuses

• gut problems – just accept that you’re going to fart more.

You can also feel more sleepy than usual. That’s due to the body not being able to absorb as much oxygen from the cabin air at altitude than it would on the ground. Slowing down is the body’s way of protecting itself, and this can make you feel sleepy.

The good news is that most of these problems won’t necessarily be more pronounced on longer flights. They’re mainly an issue as the plane climbs and descends.

3. You could develop blood clots

Blood clots, associated with being immobile for long periods, are usually a big concern for passengers. These include clots that form in the leg (deep vein thrombosis or DVT) that can travel to the lung (where it’s known as a pulmonary embolism).

If you don’t move around on the plane, and the more of the following risk factors you have, the greater the chance of blood clots developing:

• older age

• obesity

• previous history or a family history of clots

• certain types of clotting disorders

• cancer

• recent immobilization or surgery

• pregnancy or recently given birth

• hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptive pill.

According to a review in 2022, combining data from 18 studies, the longer you travel, the greater the risk of blood clots. The authors calculated there was a 26% higher risk for every two hours of air travel, starting after four hours.

Continues at

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/what-happens-to-your-body-on-long-haul-flight-wellness/index.html

[floridarob]

And when you have the choice, always pick the 787, you'll feel the difference after a long flight.

[thaiophilus]

For me the A380, preferably upstairs 😊.

[reader]

28 minutes ago, floridarob said:

And when you have the choice, always pick the 787, you'll feel the difference after a long flight.

Yes, or the A350 which offers the same pressurization advantage.

[Riobard]

So in other words, when not down south, not unlike an average frigid Quebec low-temp dry-air dead-of-winter couch-potato series of days, eyes locked on TV and device screens, reaching over to pull Labbat Blues out of the cooler, passing loads of wind, and out of sheer necessity forcing oneself out of the recliner to nuke more poutine gravy, drain the snake, or toss a log into the fire. 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, floridarob said:

And when you have the choice, always pick the 787, you'll feel the difference after a long flight.

I wish I could agree but no, I like 350 or 777 better

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, reader said:

 

• gut problems – just accept that you’re going to fart more.

 

my favorite part of finally landing and walking to the immigration is ability to passing the winds freely

[Riobard]

1 hour ago, vinapu said:

my favorite part of finally landing and walking to the immigration is ability to passing the winds freely

With that level of propulsion who needs a stretch of automated ‘people mover’ walkways? 

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, Riobard said:

With that level of propulsion who needs a stretch of automated ‘people mover’ walkways? 

that brings another amazing occurrence, after 15 hours  sitting on the plane one would expect people enjoy some walking but no, most of them gladly stand on people mover conveyor 

[scott456]

2 hours ago, vinapu said:

that brings another amazing occurrence, after 15 hours  sitting on the plane one would expect people enjoy some walking but no, most of them gladly stand on people mover conveyor 

I think the goal is to get to the immigration as fast as possible.  I don't stand on people mover conveyor,  I walk on it.

[scott456]

8 hours ago, floridarob said:

And when you have the choice, always pick the 787, you'll feel the difference after a long flight.

I find 787 engine a lot quieter.

[TMax]

If you have a choice choose a different airline to Qantas, they suck and no not literally. When returning from Thailand I got into the habit of getting a Thai massage at Suvarnabhumi (just need to arrive a bit earlier than normal) and that makes a big difference on the flight home and I think would make a longer flight more relaxing as well, although it was just a massage and no happy ending it worked a treat. 

[scott456]

13 minutes ago, TMax said:

If you have a choice choose a different airline to Qantas, they suck and no not literally. When returning from Thailand I got into the habit of getting a Thai massage at Suvarnabhumi (just need to arrive a bit earlier than normal) and that makes a big difference on the flight home and I think would make a longer flight more relaxing as well, although it was just a massage and no happy ending it worked a treat. 

Thai airways business and first class give you free massage at their BKK lounge (departure).  I had a foot massage(by a female masseur), it was very relaxing.

[alvnv]

1 hour ago, TMax said:

If you have a choice choose a different airline to Qantas, they suck and no not literally. When returning from Thailand I got into the habit of getting a Thai massage at Suvarnabhumi (just need to arrive a bit earlier than normal) and that makes a big difference on the flight home and I think would make a longer flight more relaxing as well, although it was just a massage and no happy ending it worked a treat. 

I remember an inflight massage on Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class

[floridarob]

12 hours ago, vinapu said:

I wish I could agree but no, I like 350 or 777 better

 

 

On the 787, the manmade composite material is formed and baked into large barrels that are linked together to form the fuselage. The composite material doesn't corrode as aluminum does. As a result, the 787 cabin air system will allow 15% humidity, a more comfortable level than the current 4%....fewer pax than the A380 as well.

You'll feel better compared to the 777