In the year 2021, Air India made aviation history when it completed the longest air route in the world, traveling from San Francisco to Bengaluru across the North Pole. The flight covered nearly 16,000 kilometers and lasted for more than 17 hours. Long drive will get much longer in a few years. The Australian airline Qantas has announced that starting in late 2025, it would offer non-stop service from Australia’s east coast to London, putting passengers in the air for an average of more than 19 hours at a time. What will happen to your body on one of these lengthier trips, even if airplanes are growing better and better at making such difficult journeys?
1. You may experience dehydration
Long-haul flights can result in dehydration. It explains why flying can make your throat, nose, and skin feel dry. The danger of dehydration increases with flight duration. This is due to the cabin’s lower humidity levels than what you may expect on the ground. This is mostly because there isn’t much moisture in the air at high altitudes and a lot of the air flowing through the cabin is pulled from the outside.
You run the danger of being dehydrated as well if you don’t drink enough water or too much alcohol (alcohol is a diuretic, resulting in an increase in fluid lost). So, hydrate yourself before boarding the aircraft. Additionally, you’ll need to consume more water than usual when flying.
2. Devastation to your gut, sinuses, ears, and sleep
The gas in our bodies responds to variations in cabin pressure. As the plane climbs and the pressure drops, it expands, and as we descend, the opposite happens. This may result in widespread issues like:
- Earaches occur when the air pressure is varied on either side of the eardrum, pressing the eardrum.
- Expanding air that has become trapped in your sinuses can cause headaches.
- Just accept that you will fart more if you have stomach issues.
Additionally, you could feel sleepier than normal. This is because, at altitude, the body cannot absorb as much oxygen from the cabin air as it does at sea level. The body slows down as a kind of self-preservation, which might make you feel tired. The majority of these issues won’t necessarily worsen on longer trips, which is excellent news. They mostly become a problem during ascents and descents.
3. Blood clots might form in your body
Blood clots, which are linked to prolonged immobility, are often a major worry for travellers. These include deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can develop in the leg and spread to the lung, where it is known as a pulmonary embolism. The likelihood of forming blood clots is increased if you don’t move around on the flight and if you have more of the risk factors listed below:
- Old age
- Obesity
- Clots have a history or run in the family.
- A few different clotting diseases
- Cancer
- Recent surgery or immobilization
- Hormone replacement treatment or the use of an oral contraceptive pill
- Pregnancy or new parenthood
The longer you travel, the higher the risk of blood clots, according to an analysis published in 2022 that included the results of 18 research. After four hours of flight time, the authors found that the risk increased by 26% per additional two hours. How often are blood clots to occur on these lengthier flights? We won’t be certain until we begin researching the people who use them. The present guidance is still valid pending the arrival of that proof. Keep moving, drink plenty of water, and don’t drink too much.
Compression stockings may also help prevent blood clots, according to the available research. It is said that these stockings increase blood flow to the legs and aid in the blood’s return to the heart. Normally, muscular contractions from moving or walking would cause this. Nine studies including 2,637 people who were randomly assigned to use compression stockings (or not) on flights longer than five hours were merged in a 2021 Cochrane review.
Participants didn’t experience any symptomatic DVTs. However, there was evidence that those who wore the stockings significantly decreased their risk of getting clots without symptoms. As we all know, every clot has the ability to grow, travel, and then create symptoms.
Therefore, see your doctor before flying if you are worried about your chance of forming blood clots. Since blood clots take time to form and travel, you usually won’t become aware of them until after the trip. So be on the lookout for symptoms such as chest discomfort, coughing, shortness of breath, and pain and swelling in a leg (typically just one) following the trip. If you do, get emergency medical attention.
4. Other issues include jet lag, radiation, and COVID
Then there’s jet lag, which very few of us have ever experienced. As you travel across time zones, there is a discrepancy between the time your body perceives as being and the time indicated on the clock. You are more likely to traverse more time zones on longer flights, however this is not always the case. When you traverse three time zones or more, especially if you’re traveling east, jet lag typically gets worse.
And if you frequently take lengthy flights, it stands to reason that your exposure to cosmic radiation will increase the longer you are in the air. This radiation, as its name implies, emanates from space and may raise the risk of cancer and reproductive problems. What degree of exposure is safe is unknown.
It’s unlikely to be a problem, though, unless you travel by air regularly. Before taking off, talk to your doctor if you’re expecting or have any other concerns. Don’t forget COVID, either. Take the standard safety precautions: wash your hands often, use a mask, and avoid traveling when ill.
Conclusion
These lengthier, non-stop flights between Australia and Europe have just recently been studied in terms of how the body responds to them. Teams in Australia are now examining this. Until then, the advice is straightforward if you’re flying a routine long-distance flight.
Pay attention to the instructions the airlines provide you, and if required, see your doctor before your trip. Make an additional effort to move about the cabin, drink water, wear a mask, and practice proper hand hygiene while you are flying. And if you experience any unsettling symptoms after your journey, visit a doctor right away. Blood clots can take hours or even days to develop, expand, and travel through your veins.
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