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The aircraft cabin’s role in healthy flying and jet lag

Did you know that the aircraft cabin’s humidity and lack of oxygen are harmful to the health of fliers? A lot of concern has been expressed over what is now being called the aerotoxic syndrome. This is the contamination of the aircraft cabin with toxic fumes on the ground and while flying. Before this syndrome came to light the cabin environment was taken for granted by most airline travelers.

The drying effect the humid aircraft has on you is a barrier to flying and arriving well. It can be caused by many factors. The most prominent is the dry air drawn into the cabin and recirculated. This process lends itself to the aerotoxic syndrome and also challenges your body’s attempts to stay healthy while flying.

The cabin environment causes upset to digestion and other physiological functions. Humidity in the cabin is accompanied by an abundance of positive ions which you can observe by how easy it is to pick up static electricity. A good solution is the use of personal ionizers. They produce a stream of negative ions which purify your personal air space. Negative ions are health inducing and detoxifying. When you take a walk in a forest or by a waterfall you are experiencing an abundance of negative ions.

The short answer on how to reduce the cabin’s negative effects and eliminate  jet lag is to create the atmosphere we have at sea level on the plane, i.e. a place full of negative ions. These ions are nothing more than negative charges that are good at maintaining health and destroying free radicals. When you look at it like that you can choose other tools to get the same result.

For instance you could use zappers or fresh juice to load your body with negative ions.

Another aspect of the same problem of the aircraft cabin is that oxygen content is low. Apart from the general tiredness a lack of oxygen produces in your body, a lack of oxygen allows airborne bacteria and other critters to thrive. Boosting immunity should be part of every fliers arsenal to provide protection. A superior class of protectors are the medicinal mushrooms.

One other thing you can do to help yourself in an environment lacking oxygen is to run an efficient cardiovascular system. Aerobic and resistance exercise are good at creating a body that uses oxygen better and therefore gives you an advantage over the unfit onboard any aircraft.

The reduced oxygen content also contributes to an increased rate of acidification as the body works harder to perform normally in a compromised environment. Watching what you eat on-board an aircraft can help or hinder your experience of jet lag. Eating sugar packed and stimulating foods adds extra work to your already under strain physiology. Eating lightly or not at all is a better approach. Scientists have touted research that suggests eating may have the ability to override the body clock and thus affect jet lag for better or worse.

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