Long-Term Air Travel and Its Biochemical Effects

Lect. Ecem Baykal; He stated that long-term air travels may adversely affect the health status of people and they should make a flight plan considering these risks.
Making detailed statements about long-term air travel and its effects, Baykal continued her words as follows:
“Traveling by plane is a comfortable and enjoyable experience for some, but a stressful experience for others. Along with stress; It can lead to complications such as blood pressure, nervousness mixed with anxiety, dyspnea (difficulty breathing), cardiovascular problems. It is not correct to attribute the sole cause of these complications to stress. The circadian rhythm (body clock) of the body, which changes depending on the distance traveled and the physical conditions of the environment and the person during the flight, can also cause imbalances in the person. The regularity of the circadian rhythm is related to time. The event that occurs due to the change of circadian rhythm called Jet lag in long-term journeys; It can cause fatigue, restlessness, insomnia, stomach disorders and mild confusion in the person. Person; He may have to experience these symptoms while trying to adapt to the local time of the country he arrived by crossing many time zones. Travels to the north or south do not observe much structural disturbance, as the time zone does not change.’’
"When traveling to the east or west, the person may experience these symptoms a lot because the time zone changes depending on the meridian change. In particular, if the rhythm of hormone secretion is not compatible with the local time of the travel destination, undesirable physiological changes may occur in the person. For example; If meals are eaten at different times of the day, changes in blood sugar levels are detected. Similarly, the kinetic effect of drugs may vary depending on the time the drug is used. For this reason, if passengers who are taking medication are to return to their home country in the near future, they should adjust the time they will take drugs according to the time of their own country.’’
"Long-term airplane trips can cause hypoxia (low oxygen level in the blood) due to inactivity. Person; When it is inactive for a long time, a lot of air goes to the upper parts of the lungs, but the blood supply is small. On the other hand, not much air reaches the lower parts of the lungs, but blood circulation is abundant. It is no different from expanding the dead space of the parts of the lung that can take air and not get blood. The air sac that cannot get enough air and takes blood causes oxygen-free blood circulation in the cardiovascular system. These irregularities in the air-blood relationship lead to a decrease in the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood. Due to the decrease in partial oxygen pressure; effects such as shortness of breath, visual impairment, loss of consciousness may occur. Person; In order to prevent these ailments, he should do exercises that are not exhausting.’’
"There is an increase in the expansion of gases depending on the increasing altitude in airplane journeys. The pressure caused by prolonged sitting or tight clothing aggravates the effect of this expansion on the body. Diaphragm movements are affected by the effect of these gas expansions, which makes breathing difficult. In addition, gas expansion can negatively affect the digestive system of the person and cause severe gas pains. Person; In order to prevent digestive system disorders, one should avoid consuming foods such as beans, peas, cabbage and carbonated drinks just before and during the flight. The humidity in the aircraft cabin remains at low levels. This dry air can cause water loss, especially when the oxygen level is low. Heavy water losses bring risks such as heart attack and brain circulation damage in the elderly. Since alcohol and coffee have a diuretic effect, they significantly increase fluid loss. For this reason, people should not consume such drinks before and during the flight and should drink plenty of water.’’
"If a person is going to make a long flight, he should be well aware of this. Before and during the flight, a correct diet should be planned, long waits at airports and non-strenuous exercises should be done during the flight. Considering the inconveniences that stress can bring, people with fear of airplanes should receive professional support if necessary in order to cope with stress.’’