Can I Bring Oxygen On A Plane

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It’s not your imagination. People talk a lot about the many terrifying aspects of flying these days, but what gets the least attention is how sitting in a small pressurized metal tube at 35,000 feet for several hours wreaks havoc on your body.

Can I Bring Oxygen On A Plane

“Every time you fly, you’re exposing yourself to a different environment than what your body is used to,” says Jeffrey Sventek, director of the Aerospace Medical Association and a longtime aerospace physiologist for the Air Force.

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For some people, this environment — with lower oxygen levels than on earth, extremely low humidity, and sudden changes in air pressure — can cause a variety of negative symptoms. This is how flying can make you feel terrible.

As an airplane flies, the air flowing through the engine is drawn in, compressed, cooled, filtered, and pumped into the cabin. If that didn’t happen, everyone inside the plane would die, since the low air pressure at the altitudes that planes fly at (usually 35,000 feet or higher) means there isn’t enough oxygen for your body to function .

However, the amount of air being pumped does not result in as much oxygen as you would normally get at sea level. “The cabin is only pressurized to simulate an altitude of 6,000 to 8,000 feet in modern aircraft,” says Brent Blue, a physician and longtime pilot. In other words, flying is like sitting on a 6,000-8,000 foot mountain for several hours for your body. As Blue says, “this is a significant change for people who live at sea level and aren’t used to it.”

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For people with conditions, such as heart or lung disease, that have special oxygen requirements, this is a big deal and means they may have to fly with an oxygen concentrator or not fly at all. But even for healthy people, used to the abundant levels of oxygen found at sea level, it can have an effect.

“If you’re flying for six hours and you drop your blood oxygen saturation by five to ten percent, the fatigue factor is significant,” says Blue. While they don’t cause fatigue, the reduced oxygen levels can also make your thinking a little sharper.

Additionally, other aspects of the flight environment exacerbate this effect. Sitting for long periods of time causes blood to pool disproportionately in your thighs and legs, meaning your body is less efficient at circulating and oxygenating blood, and your brain gets even less oxygen.

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Theoretically, airplanes could have slightly more pressure to eliminate this effect. Federal regulations require them to be pressurized to only 8,000 feet, although some experts have criticized this as falling short of standards.

Also, because airplanes are designed to be light, they aren’t as strong in air high enough to simulate the pressures you’ll find closer to sea level. (Notably, the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner will have slightly higher air pressure and humidity levels.) Ultimately, getting and pumping out all that air consumes fuel, so airlines are reluctant to over-pressurize.

1) Do not drink alcohol. This makes the oxygen problem even worse by interfering with the cells’ metabolism, so they are also less efficient at taking up oxygen. (This is also why it’s easier to get drunk on an airplane, or for that matter, at high altitudes on Earth.) Alcohol also exacerbates the dehydration problem (more on that later).

Traveling With A Portable Oxygen Concentrator

2) Stand up and walk around during flights, or do leg exercises in the seat if you don’t want to deal with dirty looks from flight attendants. This will improve circulation and also reduce the chance of a blood clot in the leg.

3) Blue recommends taking an aspirin the day before and the day of your flight to further improve blood flow, and wearing supportive compression stockings to reduce the amount of blood pooling in your legs.

When an aircraft drops below 6,000 feet, this pressurization system shuts down. This causes the air pressure inside the aircraft to fluctuate as it matches the pressure outside the aircraft.

Reminder: Your Oxygen Mask Should Go Over Your Mouth And Nose

“When that happens, you’ll notice your ears are popping,” says Blue. “It’s a good thing: It’s the opening and closing of the Eustachian tubes, which connect the oral cavity to the middle ear.” The air flowing through these tubes allows the pressure inside the middle ear to equal the pressure outside the head.

However, if you have a cold or sinus infection, these tubes won’t open and close as easily, so the pressure won’t equalize as easily. This causes the eardrums to swell from within, which hurts like hell. In extreme cases, this can even lead to rupture of the eardrum.

If you’re already heavily congested and planning to fly, Sventek recommends taking a prescription decongestant. Also, while your plane is descending, try chewing, gulping, or gulping repeatedly to open the Eustachian tubes. If that doesn’t work, you can try what scientists call the Valsalva maneuver: pinching the nose and blowing hard, which forces air into the middle ear.

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Because the air drawn into the aircraft to pressurize it comes from extremely dry, high-altitude regions of the atmosphere, the aircraft’s environment is drier than a desert. “About 30 minutes after takeoff, the relative humidity in the cabin drops to almost zero,” says Blue. “This makes it relatively easy to become dehydrated, especially on long trips abroad.

The most noticeable effect of this is dry mouth, as much of the moisture in it evaporates quickly into the surrounding air. But on longer flights, this effect, combined with reduced water consumption, can cause the entire body to become dehydrated, leading to headaches and dizziness.

The key to avoiding this, says Sventek, is to hydrate before flying and to keep drinking water while on board. He carries a bottle of water with you so you don’t have to rely on the flight attendants for refills. And don’t drink alcohol or drinks containing caffeine, as they act as a diuretic and further dehydrate you.

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At , we believe everyone deserves access to information that helps them understand and shape the world in which they live. That’s why we keep our work free. Support our mission and help stay free for all by making a financial contribution today. Traveling with oxygen has become much easier with the development of portable oxygen concentrators (POCs). These devices run on a battery, can be recharged, plugged into the wall or cigarette lighter in a car, and can be taken on planes.

There are many different brands and models, with very different features, so it’s important to choose the one that’s right for you, one that delivers enough oxygen to keep your saturation at 90 percent or more at rest and during activity. POCs can be rented or purchased from various oxygen suppliers.

Some people can become hypoxemic while traveling or living at high altitudes. A simple pulse oximeter reading at high altitude, at rest, and during activity can determine if you need oxygen at high altitude.

How To Breathe Easy

Alternatively, some pulmonary function laboratories may perform an altitude simulation test to determine oxygen saturation at altitude. This test involves breathing in a 16 percent oxygen mixture, which is equal to the amount of oxygen in the air at an altitude of 8,000 feet, and then taking a pulse oximeter.

Notify your provider if you think you might be hypoxemic at higher altitudes so your provider can order appropriate tests.

Commercial airlines must provide a cabin pressure altitude not exceeding 8,000 feet of altitude. Your pulmonologist can determine if air travel is safe for you. Your pulmonologist may order an altitude simulation test to determine your ability to fly safely at this cabin pressure.

Breathe Easy At Altitude

The only oxygen device permitted on an aircraft is the Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC). If you need oxygen during the flight, you should bring a portable oxygen concentrator with you and notify your airline in advance. They can request a doctor’s letter to verify the need for POCs on the plane. If you don’t have a POC, you can rent one for travel, either through your oxygen provider or through websites like OxygenToGo.

Medical specialists at UCSF Health have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other healthcare professional. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider.

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