Food For Thought with Kat | Booze travelers: Tips to relax ... without alcohol

For nearly 30 years, I have been a nervous flyer. It was cuter when I was younger, and the flight attendant would often escort me to the cockpit where the pilots would allay my concerns. These days, when I board the plane and promptly ask the flight attendant, “Will it be smooth?” they look at me as though I’m a little nuts (Perhaps).

I think it began just after TWA flight 800 went down shortly after taking off from JFK for Rome (with a stopover in Paris). Among many, it carried several student travelers, en route to Paris for summer study. I had just taken a flight from JFK, visited Paris and was in Rome when it went down.



I had received a partial scholarship to take part in a student exchange program through the School for International Training in Brattleboro. It was my first time abroad and was life-changing, igniting a passion in me for international travel. It also ignited my fear of flying, which didn’t start until later that summer.

What began as an innocent fear grew into an irrational panic when I boarded flights. My mom had the nail imprints on her hands to prove that I wasn’t playing, and most of the passengers around me wished they weren’t, whenever we hit the slightest bump. My fear deepened with each flight and turned into more of a phobia.

Gate agents or flight attendants took pity on me and sometimes moved me into first class. First class helped a little, because, while it doesn’t make you invincible, it does offer ..

. free booze. Drinks took the edge off of my fear, and slowly became my solution.

I had an equation once I turned 21: I’d have a drink before boarding and one as soon as they came through the aisle with refreshments and an optional one if we encountered any turbulence. It worked for a while. I was prescribed a low dose anti-anxiety medication for flying, but it made me feel like, at 20-something, I had bags under my eyes that stretched down to my heels once we landed.

I kicked the meds to the curb and went back to the in-flight booze instead. When presented with an opportunity to travel to Japan with two Leland and Gray (high school) besties, I decided to take precautions. I booked some sessions with a hypnotherapist well in advance of my departure.

We worked together over time to help dissipate my fear and, ironically, it worked. I no longer physically convulse over every little drop and I can focus on things other than doom during my flights. It affords me a normal travel schedule and fewer hours on the road, though I still forego a connection, if possible.

Alcohol is still a factor in my travel routine, but recently, I read that booze on flights isn’t just a nice-thing-not-to-do, but can actually be detrimental to our health. Drinks are part of many people’s travel routines, as evidenced by well attended bars at every hour of the day in most busy airports. In a small study led by Dr.

Eva-Maria Elmenhorst, a researcher at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Cologne, Germany, lower oxygen saturation levels were recorded when participants slept. Elmenhorst and her team recreated pressurized conditions (like that in a plane, and divided participants into two groups: those who slept in normal air pressure and those who slept at a higher altitude in the pressurized environment. People who took part in the study experienced lower blood oxygen saturation levels even as they slept sober in normal conditions.

Those who had been given about two beers or glasses of wine experienced a slight dip in oxygen levels, but when they looked at results from those who slept in the pressurized conditions, things changed dramatically. Oxygen levels as low as 88 percent were recorded in participants who slept in the pressurized chamber without alcohol. Those who slept in the same conditions after imbibing dipped as low as 85 percent.

While normal oxygen levels should be 95 percent or above, these are dangerously low by any standards, especially at a mile high. Heart rates soared accordingly as well. Those who slept in normal air pressure saw rates increase from 64 beats per minute when sober up to 77 after drinking.

Those sleeping at a higher altitude saw rates rise to 88 beats per minute after drinking from a sober level at 73 beats per minute, no doubt an accommodation for lower oxygen levels. These effects aren’t ideal for anyone, let alone those suffering from cardiovascular conditions. Participants who had imbibed alcohol fell asleep more quickly, but their sleep quality suffered and the time they spent in the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep was reduced by over a third.

Fortunately for those of us who fly in coach, they recreated the situation in first class and business, where passengers recline entirely into a supine position. Experts say effects could worsen in this position. Alcohol is more accessible in these classes, making it easier to overindulge.

Sleeping upright may not produce the same effects as when we lie down, but will still affect our overall quality of sleep, especially if we’ve imbibed. Instead of running for the nearest bar the next time we’re at an airport, here are a few things we can do to help stay calm before and during a flight (and I shall take mine own advice). Seats are getting smaller and smaller and can make most of us feel claustrophobic.

Try to be as prepared as possible with a neck pillow and water. Soothing music may help transport us away mentally. Grab for pistachios instead of peanuts and bring your lavender oil.

Certain foods may seem to comfort us, but they are actually more acidic and sponsor inflammation rather than inspiring calming effects. Instead of a burger or other comfort food, a smoothie or salad might be more soothing. Sandwiches from home are comforting, if we can make time to make them.

There’s a reason why hypnotherapy is a popular tool for natural births (or any births, for that matter). Getting a calming voice to continually talk us down from any nerves we may have can be physically and mentally calming. I had a continual “Ohm” soundtrack that calmed me down.

Monks chanting in our ears a mile above the ground? Why not!? Get a soundtrack that grounds you so you can be up in the air without worries. Alcohol is known to be dehydrating, especially on flights, which are dehydrating themselves, so make sure to drink up during and after your flight ..

. water, that is. Try this mocktail that features calming aids like chamomile, lavender and honey .

.. without the booze! 1⁄2 cup lavender chamomile tea 1⁄2 lemon, juiced 1 teaspoon honey, or to taste 1 rosemary sprig for garnish Bring water to a boil and add two teabags.

Brew for a couple of hours, or overnight. Combine with lemon juice and honey. Garnish with rosemary sprig.

Enjoy before your flight or bring some lavender chamomile teabags with you!.