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Long Flights: How to Survive and Recover

Long-haul flights make travelling miserable, especially when you have to spend over 10 hours in congested conditions. Apart from the aerodynamic noise of the plane, you have to withstand the loud noise from other air travellers. Not to mention you are always certain a jet lag is waiting at the end of the flight. Luckily, there are simple ways to make your flight bearable. This guide will help you to recover after a long trip.

How do you recover after a long flight?

Photo by Benjamin Voros on Unsplash

Long-haul flights are hard on your body; that is why many people experience severe jet lags. Therefore, you need to allow your body some time to recover. Here are a few ways to get your body back on track.

Stretch: After a long flight, you will feel stiff, and your muscles will be tired from being in the same position for long. Exercising is the simplest way to loosen your muscles and fight fatigue. Therefore, you should stretch out before and after a flight. Stretching will help you feel better by lengthening your muscles to reduce stiffness. You can use apps like 30 Days Fitness Challenge to guide you, as they show how to stretch properly all muscle groups, for example here are some of the most effective ab stretches.

Soak in saline solution: Planes can be congested, and that means you are exposed to germs and are susceptible to various illnesses. To reduce the possibility of catching a cold or falling sick, you should cleanse with Epsom salt to get rid of dust and germs.

Do not sleep at weird hours: Many people are usually in a hurry to get to bed after a long flight. Unfortunately, sleeping will not cure your jetlag; you will wake up feeling worse. Therefore, you should hold off napping until your regular bedtime; this will help your body to readjust. 

How to survive the long hours

Instead of spending hours staring into space and waiting for the flight to end, you can make the whole experience bearable by distracting yourself. Here are a few tips to get you through a long trip:

Dress comfortably: A flight can be uncomfortable if your clothes are tight-fitting. Therefore, you should consider a comfortable outfit that you will not mind wearing for hours. The temperatures also fluctuate, so you should have a sweater for chilly times. Your shoes should also be loose fitting to cater for the swelling.

Keep yourself entertained: Keeping yourself entertained will help you get through a long-haul flight. Carry your favouritebook or watch a movie and the hours will fly faster. You can also listen to music to keep you distracted. Whatever you choose to do, it should be fun to elevate your mood.

Try to sleep: How about spending the long hours on the plane catching up on your sleep? If you invest in a travel pillow, facial mask, and earplugs, you can easily drift off to slumber. Block out the light and the noise and cover yourself in a lightweight blanket. You will wake up feeling fresh.

If you travel a lot, the above tips can help you withstand long hours on flights. Besides, if you are comfortable on the plane, you will recover much faster. Always try to make your flights comfortable and you will have a speedy recovery after your trips.

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