Travel is a big part of the holiday season, with statistics showing that more than 119 million Americans plan to embark on some form of travel between the holiday seasons. Christmas and New Year.
Unfortunately, traveling also increases your risk of getting sick – but there are steps you can take to increase your chances of staying healthy while away from home.
“When you are traveling.when you’re on the road, there’s a high risk of stress and disorientation,” Dr. Mark Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and senior medical analyst for Fox News, told Fox News Digital.
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“You’re not in your usual habitat, and that can make people anxious, worried, anxious or even sleep-deprived, especially when time zones change.”
Segal shared some of his top tips for this. Prevention of disease during the holiday trip.
1. Stay well hydrated
Staying hydrated has been shown to boost the immune system and protect against disease.
Water is always best, but other hydrating fluids include plain coffee or tea, sparkling or flavored water, 100% vegetable juice, and milk or milk alternatives.
2. Keep up your exercise routine
“It’s best to travel while exercising,” Segal said.
“If you have a regular. Exercise routineI will not suspend him a week before the trip,” he said.
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“If you’re exercising regularly, sleeping properly and eating before you go, I think that puts you in much better shape when you’re traveling.”
3. Clean the bottom surfaces.
Segal said he’s a “big believer” in cleaning surfaces, especially when Travel by air.
“You wouldn’t believe what these surfaces carry – we’ve studied it,” he said. “There’s a lot of germs in that tray table, and it’s the person next to you who could get sick.”
“You wouldn’t believe what these surfaces carry — we’ve studied it,” Segal said. “There’s a lot of germs in that tray table, and it’s the person next to you who could get sick.” (iStock)
HEPA filters on airplanes are “pretty good,” Segal said, but most of the time they don’t start working until you’re up in the air.
“So you want to be most careful when you’re on the runway or boarding a plane,” he added.
4. Stay up-to-date on vaccines
“When you’re about to travel, it’s a good time for you to think about whether you’re up to date Your vaccine” said Segal.
One immunization that doesn’t get enough attention, according to the doctor, is Tdap, a combination vaccine that protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough).
It is given at least once every five to ten years.
Distrust of the COVID vaccine is growing among Americans.
“There’s a ton of whooping cough around this time of year,” Siegel said. “Thousands of cases have been reported, but not thousands.”
Doctors recommend the shingles shot for people over age 50 and the pneumonia vaccine for people age 60 and older.
“When you’re about to travel, it’s a good time for you to think about whether you’re up to date on your vaccines,” Siegel said. (iStock)
“When you’re stressed from traveling, it can make you sick,” Siegel said. That’s because the immune system isn’t functioning at optimal levels, Segal said.
“When you’re stressed from traveling, you might get sick.”
“Shingles may reappear at this point,” he warned. “Shingles is actually a Chicken pox virus which has been dormant in your body for years, but can resurface in times of stress.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get the Covid and flu shots, with rare exceptions.
5. Pack a travel health kit.
For people who take more than one medication daily, doctors recommend traveling with a pill bottle and putting different pills in it, which reduces the chance of mistaking any.
“Make sure you have more than enough,” he advises. “You never know when you’re going to be delayed, especially around here Holiday trip“
Siegel recommends bringing three or four days’ worth of extra pills for all medications. (iStock)
Siegel recommends bringing three or four days’ worth of extra pills for all medications.
“Depending on what chronic illness you may have, it’s a good idea to stay up-to-date on blood tests and visits to your doctor before traveling,” he added.
6. Get enough, quality sleep.
It can be difficult to maintain. Regular sleep cycles While traveling, Siegel notes, especially when time zones are changing.
“The more winks you get during the trip, the better,” he said.
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For those who have trouble sleeping on the road, Siegel recommends identifying what triggers you to leave the house and using the same techniques.
“I get asked a lot about sleeping,” he said. Give medicine If the patient is not already taking it.”
7. Use a mask as needed.
While masks “got a bad name” During the pandemic Because of the mandate, Siegel noted that they are tools that can be used for people who are sick or at high risk.
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“If you are a person who is at risk. Infectious disease or have a chronic illness, the last thing you need is the flu, COVID or RSV.”
While masks “got a bad name” during the pandemic because of the mandate, Segal noted that they are tools that can be used for people who are sick or at high risk. (iStock)
The doctor recommends considering wearing a mask for tight spaces where there are a lot of people around.
“You don’t know what they have or what they’re harboring,” he said.
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“That’s why I would consider it, especially if you’re at high risk, if you’re on an airplane that’s sitting on a runway and the air isn’t circulating and the HEPA filters aren’t engaged yet. ”
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Overall, Siegel said, “Staying hydrated, Eating right And getting as much sleep as possible is the best way to reduce stress during travel.”