Why does flying make you tired

From searching for your gate to dragging your baggage to, from, and through the airport, there are a few obvious reasons why flying makes you tired. And while the pain of lugging your heavy bags is entirely avoidable thanks to ShipGo, there are a few other reasons why you may be constantly yawning after landing at your destination. Luckily, some of those reasons are avoidable, too. Keep reading to learn why flying makes you tired.

Why Does Flying Make Me Tired?

Air Pressure

No matter how long you’ve been flying or how many flights you’ve been on, your body will never get used to the changing air pressure. Air is actually less oxygen-dense at higher altitudes. Meaning the higher you go, the less oxygen will be available to you. While you may not consciously notice any trouble breathing, you are likely to feel drained and tired once you land at your destination.

Dehydration

We know there’s nothing worse than going to the bathroom on a plane…especially multiple times. However, it’s crucial to stay hydrated while flying. Airplane cabins have lower humidity levels which can leave you feeling parched. And dealing with a dry throat or nose can certainly be exhausting.

Bloating

After eating a large meal, nothing sounds better than a nap. And because the air pressure levels while flying can fluctuate the gas inside your stomach, you can feel a similar “full” feeling without even feasting. To limit just how tired you get, try to avoid any overly-greasy foods before boarding your flight.

Stress

Months of planning, weeks of worrying about your itinerary, hours of dealing with airport headaches – it goes without saying the biggest cause for drowsiness after flying is simply overall stress. The best way to avoid becoming overly anxious is to manage your stress. If you’re afraid of missing your flight, arrive at the airport early. If you’re worried about lost or damaged luggage, just ship it to your destination ahead of your arrival.

Make your travel experience easier and less stressful by shipping your luggage ahead with ShipGo. Learn more about shipping or get a free quote today.

Packing until late the night before, setting off early, getting to the airport and carrying luggage, dealing with security and customs, maintaining a cramped posture for a long time, breathing low-oxygen recycled air and interrupting normal sleep and eating patterns… These are all excellent sources of physical exhaustion. Nevertheless, the real reason we feel tired when we travel is not physical, but mental.

Travelling is boring; it involves long periods of waiting for things to happen, there is limited mental stimulation and we mentally classify it as ‘the bit before the fun starts’. On a fly-drive holiday, the driving when you get there never feels as tiring because you are ‘on holiday’. New sights, smells and experiences are constantly engaging your attention and you are no longer waiting for something to begin.

Read more:

Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.

Do you ever get really drowsy when you fly? One minute you’re chatting with your seat neighbor; the next minute your head flops back with your mouth open and a slight snore emanating from your face. It’s not pretty. But who cares, you’re all of a sudden so sleepy you just have to give in. Maybe it’s because you got up at 2:00 am, but what’s your excuse if it’s the middle of the day?

WHY YOU GET SLEEPY ON FLIGHTS

Here are several theories about why you get sleepy on flights.

1) Cabin Pressure

Cabin pressure is one of the top culprits for in-flight drowsiness. As you soar between 10,000 and 35,000 feet, it’s necessary to keep the cabin pressure at a level that’s tolerable for humans.

That tolerable pressure happens to be the same level of air pressure you’d experience at 6,000 – 8,000 feet above sea level, which is much higher up than what many of us are used to. This makes it more difficult for our bodies to consume oxygen, which can make you dizzy and tired. You’ll naturally want to doze.

2) Humidity

Airplanes have notoriously low humidity, which means the air is super dry. It’s no wonder you hear everyone urging you to drink plenty of water when you fly. By the end of your flight, you’re like a sun-dried tomato on a hot summer day.

This lack of moisture and dehydration leads to fatigue. And depending on how long your flight is, it could easily lure you into a snooze.

3) Ambiance

These days, more and more people fall asleep with the TV on or some other form of sound. Think about all the moms who use white noise machines for their kids. Or the picky sleeper who uses a box fan recording to induce sleep. The plane has a constant hum that can easily pull these types of people into a drowsy state.

4) Habit

If you travel a lot, then you may have formed a sleeping habit. Maybe it’s the perfect time for you to catch up on the sleep you didn’t get the night before. It’s not a bad idea. After all, you are just sitting there, waiting to get to your next destination. You could do some work, but you can also snooze.

5) Stress Relief

I don’t know a single person who thinks flying is stress-free. Everything about flying is stressful. Buying the ticket, going through security, dealing with all the people, waiting in lines, waiting on the plane, being late for the plane, finding parking at the airport, getting to the airport, eating at the airport, dealing with luggage.

You name it. If it’s related to flying, then it’s stressful.

But all that stress dissolves – usually – when you’re safely in that seat and on your way to your next (or final) destination. Although, that’s not always the case, especially if you suffer from flying anxiety.

6) Early or Late Flight Times

Let’s state the obvious: flight times. Flying the redeye will no doubt put in you prime sleep time. Coffee ain’t got nothin’ on an early morning flight. Doesn’t matter how many cups. Those lights are out the minute your head tilts back.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There are a lot of possible reasons you get sleepy on a flight. What’s interesting is that just as many people get sleepy as don’t. You may be snoozin’, but your neighbor’s over there crawling out of their skin because they’re afraid of flying. Everyone’s different. Enjoy your snooze!

SOURCE: https://www.care2.com/greenliving/why-do-you-get-sleepy-on-flights.html

We love to travel, and 2020 was supposed to be a big travel year for us. Like the rest of you, that didn't happen. 2021 hasn't been so good either!

We're still dreaming about travel, reading about new destinations, and making (tentative) plans for the future. We hope all of you are well and staying safe... and that you find some inspiration here for YOUR future travels.

Let's hope we can all be traveling again in 2022! 

Ever wonder why you feel fatigue after flights that are more than an hour or two in duration?

You know... that done in feeling like you just did a lot of work instead of sitting there on the plane for a few hours.

Fatigue After Flights IS NOT Just Jet Lag

That's right... we're not talking jet lag here, though that fat-headed feeling and fatigue are both definitely part of jet lag.

You may feel fatigue after a long north-south flight where there is little or no change in time zones.

You may even feel that way after a daytime cross country flight with only two or three hours of time change.

We've experienced this when we flew from North America to South America.

We definitely felt fatigue after flights from California to Peru... 9 or 10 hours on the plane from Los Angeles to Lima as I recall, though there was only a three hour time difference for us.

One of the main culprits is the cabin air in airplanes.

Commercial aircraft are pressurized... You'd be uncomfortable if they weren't, but they are only pressurized to a comfortable equivalent altitude. What does THAT mean?

That means when you're flying at 35,000 ft (10,670 meters), the cabin will be pressurized to about the equivalent of 8,000 feet (2440 Meters)... so it will feel like you are in the mountains... high in the mountains.

If you've been hiking or skiing at those altitudes, you know that the air is thinner, and you easily get out of breath. There is less oxygen in each breath you take because of the lower air pressure, and that lower oxygen level tends to make your brain fuzzy.

When you go to the mountains above 8,000 feet, some people might even experience altitude sickness. For most air travelers, you don't need to worry about that, but it that high altitude effect will leave you feeling that familiar fatigue after flights.

If you're into a little adventure travel, you may feel a little fatigue DURING flights! We found that out when we boarded a flight in the Peruvian Amazon to return to Cuzco.

Now Cuzco city is at 10,800 feet or so.... that alone may give you a headache... but our flight on this Twin Otter took us up to 16,000 feet with no pressurization and no oxygen.

Most of our fellow passengers nodded off during that flight... and talk about your head feeling fat and fuzzy!!!

Aircraft cabin air is also very dry...

The relative humidity in airplanes is similar to desert air. This will make you dehydrated whether you feel thirsty or not.... and dehydration adds to fatigue after flights.

Combine the two.... less oxygen per breath and dry air, and no wonder you feel done in at the end of a flight.

How About Fatigue After Flights AND Jet Lag!

Talk about a double whammy! On a recent trip to South Africa, we traveled across 10 time zones on three flights.

Five hours from the west coast of the U.S. to JFK in New York.

Fifteen and a half hours from New York to Johannesburg.

And another hour from Johannesburg to Durban. Add in the connection times in New York and Johannesburg, and I'll tell you, we were definitely feeling a little less than optimal when we arrived.

You really want to schedule a little time to rest and recover after a marathon flight like that.

So what can you do to help with fatigue after flights?

Here are some tips that can help make you feel better when you walk off the plane.

• Try to stay hydrated... Drink plenty of water. Yes, with planes as crowded as they are these days, getting to the rest rooms may be a hassle, but you should be getting up and walking around anyway, especially on longer flights.
• Try to avoid alcohol and caffeine... both tend to make you more dehydrated than just the dry cabin air alone. On those long international flights where they still offer you wine with dinner... we go for it... And I'll go for a cup of coffee at the last meal service before arrival... but we try to make up for it with more water during the flight... we'll repeat the point above... stay hydrated.
• Try to eat balanced meals and avoid high fat... a tricky assignment with the uncertain meal availability in airports and on planes these days, but if you try, you can usually find a healthy meal or snack.
• Do exercises in your seat... Stretch your legs. Do circles with your feet.  Check the back pages of those airline magazines in the seat back... almost every airline we've flown on has a page with exercises to do in your seat to keep the blood moving and your muscles from cramping up. Some even have a little video program that pops up and prompts you to do the exercises. Try to sit up straight and take deep breaths every so often. Those deep breaths will increase the oxygen intake.
• To counteract that dry aircraft cabin air... I don't know if anyone else will tell you this, but I get a damp paper towel and breath through that. I grab one every time I get up or go to the restroom... and remember, you're drinking lots of water, so you'll be getting up often like I do! That might not make you feel less fatigue but at least, your nasal passages won't feel so dried out. And those frequent short walks can help with your circulation too... and make it less likely that you'll get economy class syndrome or deep vein thrombosis.

On that trip to South Africa we recently took, we scheduled a couple of days at the beach...

...with time to just walk in the sun and fresh air to catch up with our jet lag...

And with three flights with a combined flying time of 23 hours, we definitely needed to get over the fatigue after flights.

We followed our own advice on that trip. If you do some of the things we mentioned, good. Doing all of them is even better. You'll probably still feel some fatigue after flights, but at least you won't feel quite so done in.

Do like we do... Factor in a little down time... whether it's a business trip or a holiday, having some time to rest once you arrive will make you feel better.

Happy travels... even if you don't travel the world... just remember that life is a journey... embrace and enjoy it! Judy and Mark

Curious about what else we've written about?  Search our site for a destination or travel tip.

But... We'd love to have you share this page or comment on it…
Thanks, Judy and Mark

Return to International Travel Tips l Europe Travel Tips
Hotel and B&B Tips l Packing Lists
Go from Fatigue After Flights to MouseToursTravels Home Page