How do you survive a cold on a plane?

What to do before you fly with cold symptoms
  1. Take decongestants. Medicines like Sudafed work to reduce swelling around your Eustachian tubes, giving the ear more of a shot at equalizing, says Linder. ...
  2. Try nasal sprays. Really stuffed up? ...
  3. Pack lozenges. Keep hard candy to suck on or gum to chew in your carry-on as well.




People Also Ask

For those who have an existing ear infection, allergies, sinus infections, or congestion might experience added pain and pressure during air travel. Flying with a pre-existing ear infection or other ear, nose, or throat condition could even lead to complications in some cases.

MORE DETAILS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines who might be too under-the-weather to fly—namely, anyone with a fever of 100° F (38° C) or higher and a severe cough, or difficulty breathing, or the kind of stomach sickness that makes a hangover look like a picnic.

MORE DETAILS

Breathing in the steam from a hot drink or drinking 5-10 cups of water will help restore the moisture in your nose and will relieve the symptoms of a blocked nose. Mints and menthol chewing gum can also help relieve your blocked nose. Use a nasal spray which contains a decongestant half an hour before flying.

MORE DETAILS

If you fly with a head cold or seasonal allergies, Dr. Pinkston said it's possible you may significantly stretch your eardrum because your Eustachian tubes wouldn't be working properly to equalize pressure. If the stretching of the eardrum is considerable, these problems may occur: Capillaries in the ear break.

MORE DETAILS

What to do before you fly with cold symptoms
  1. Take decongestants. Medicines like Sudafed work to reduce swelling around your Eustachian tubes, giving the ear more of a shot at equalizing, says Linder. ...
  2. Try nasal sprays. Really stuffed up? ...
  3. Pack lozenges. Keep hard candy to suck on or gum to chew in your carry-on as well.


MORE DETAILS

If you get sick while traveling, it will most likely be a stomach virus like norovirus, a cold or the flu. Usually, treatment involves drinking lots of water, rest and taking care of your symptoms. But it's also a good idea to keep an eye out for signs of infection such as high fever, chills, headache and fatigue.

MORE DETAILS

Use saline nasal spray before and after the flight. The plane air is so dry and that dries out your mucus membranes, which reduces your resistance to infection, but keeping these membranes moist with saline spray may help.

MORE DETAILS

In extreme circumstances, rupture of the eardrum may occur leading to lasting damage. For this reason, most doctors would agree that it's wise to avoid air travel when you're sick to prevent pain and possible complications.

MORE DETAILS

Yawning, swallowing, chewing gum, and various maneuvers can help unblock the ears, for instance, when flying. However, blocked ears due to a congestion or another condition may need medical treatment.

MORE DETAILS

When a plane flies through a supercooled cloud the disturbance causes droplets to collect on the airplane, and since the water droplets are already supercooled they solidify into ice almost instantly. While flying through a large cloud of supercooled water droplets, an airplane can experience considerable ice buildup.

MORE DETAILS