London - Long flights, hire cars, unfamiliar beds and sun loungers can wreak havoc on your back, but a rolled-up hand towel might help if you suffer from back pain.
Tucking it in the small of your back will give support and maintain the correct curvature of your spine during a plane journey and in a hire car, says Clare Lewey, an Oxfordshire physiotherapist.
“On the beach or by the pool, if lying on your back is uncomfortable, slip the rolled towel under your knees.
“If lying on your front, fold the towel flat and place it under your tummy — this helps take a little pressure off your spine, preventing it from locking into extension, and allowing the joints a degree of separation.
“If you have neck problems, roll the towel lengthways and slide it into the edge of the pillowcase to provide a little extra support at night.”
List all your medicines and get them translated
Take an up-to-date list of all your medication in your purse or wallet in case you lose any of them, including the generic or brand name of any medicines.
Get your medical condition or any food allergies translated into the language of the country you’re visiting, to avoid any confusion if you become ill, suggests pharmacist Alison Freemantle.
“It’s well worth learning how to say ‘I have diabetes’ or ‘I have high blood pressure’ in a foreign language, too,” she says.
Slip into stockings in the departure lounge
Every adult should wear support stockings on any flight lasting more than four hours to reduce their risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), says Mark Whiteley, a consultant vascular surgeon at Royal Surrey County Hospital and The Whiteley Clinic.
This is where blood clots develop in the deep veins of the legs: a piece can break off and travel to the lungs, leading to a potentially life-threatening condition, pulmonary embolism.
The risk of DVT increases with age, but is more likely in smokers, people who are not mobile, have had recent surgery, cancer or previous clots.
Flying increases your risk further. That’s because normally the muscle action in the legs ensures the veins contract effectively, pushing blood back up to the heart. But if the blood travels very slowly (because you’re stuck in your seat) or is thicker than normal (because of dehydration) clots can form.
Professor Whiteley says the impact is minimal in flights under two hours, but after four hours it starts to become significant.
“In my view, every adult — regardless of age — on a long-distance flight should wear travel stockings, preferably ones that are fitted properly, to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis.”
Car and coach journeys are less risky, as the air isn’t dehydrating. However, Professor Whiteley advises wearing travel socks on long journeys.
Flight socks apply pressure at the foot and lower leg, supporting the veins and the pump mechanism of the muscles, reducing swelling and making it easier for blood to travel back to the heart.
Though you can buy flight socks, Professor Whiteley recommends asking your practice nurse about a proper fitting for prescription socks.
“Shop-bought socks rarely have as much compression. It’s best to be fitted by a nurse or doctor who can check they are not too tight and you still have good arterial blood flow to your toes,” he says.
“I put mine on in the departure lounge and take them off in arrivals after I land.”
Take a balloon to stop ears hurting
The changing air pressure as an aircraft ascends and descends can cause ear pain, which is normally relieved by chewing, yawning or performing the Valsalva manoeuvre — holding your nose and trying to breathe out with the mouth closed to equalise pressure in the ears with the change in pressure in the atmosphere.
But if you or your child have difficulty equalising your ear pressure, experts recommend the Otovent device.
A small balloon is attached to a plastic nose piece inserted in one nostril. Holding the other nostril closed, you blow out through the nose to inflate the balloon.
This opens up the Eustachian tube that runs between the back of the nose and the middle ear, and releases the pressure.
“We recommend the device for adults and children,” says Hamid Daya, a consultant ENT surgeon at St George’s Hospital, London.
“It works best when the plane starts to descend, but it can be tricky for children to use, so it’s worth having a few trial runs at home before flying.”
Pack a dental kit to save your smile
Don’t let a broken tooth or lost filling ruin your holiday: temporary dental repair kits allow you to plug the hole left by a filling.
You can also cover a lost cap or crown or even temporarily re-attach the old one, for long enough to stop the pain until you get home. Dr Richard Marques, a dentist who treats NHS and private patients in London and Suffolk, recommends the Dentanurse kit, which contains temporary cement, a mirror, mini dental tools and a sterile needle.
“These kits are useful in the short term until you get home and see your own dentist,” says Dr Marques.
And before you go, make an appointment for a dental check-up on your return if you’re travelling a long distance, particularly if you are going to remote regions where emergency dental care may not be readily available.
Dr Marques says that holidays can sometimes bring on dormant dental problems.
“The pressure when flying can affect the sinuses, which can irritate the roots of the upper molars and premolars, which sit in this area,” he says.
If you take daily prescription medication, experts recommend travelling with enough to last your holiday, plus plenty to cover unforeseen delays or cancellations.
“When the Icelandic dust cloud erupted in May 2010, nearly 100 000 flights were cancelled and many travellers found themselves stranded,” says pharmacist Alison Freemantle. “It’s important to ensure you have plentiful supplies of any regular medication.”
Keep your medicines in their original packaging with the prescribing details label attached so they can be easily identified and replaced if necessary.
And pack some medicine in your hand luggage just in case your hold luggage gets lost.
Even though you might be concerned about taking syringes and liquids through airport security, Diabetes UK recommends people with insulin-dependent diabetes avoid allowing their insulin to go in the hold of the aircraft to avoid it being damaged by the freezing temperatures at high altitudes.
Ask your GP to write an undated letter (which can be used on repeated trips) explaining your need to carry syringes or injection devices and insulin.
If you do have to take insulin in your checked-in luggage, Diabetes UK recommends placing it in an airtight container or bubble wrap, then wrapping it in a towel, and packing it in the middle of your suitcase.
Glug bottles of water on the plane
It won’t just help prevent DVTs but could also stop you getting ill.
A 2004 study in the Journal of Environmental Health Research found that flying makes your risk of catching a cold more than 100 times higher.
Proximity to potentially infected people is one factor — so wash your hands frequently and carry an anti-bacterial hand sanitiser — but another is dry air.
Our bodies prefer 50 percent humidity, but aeroplane humidity can drop as low as 10 percent, triggering dehydration that can dry the mucus which lines the sinuses, nostrils and throat, limiting its filtering capabilities and increasing your risk of infection.
Buy sleep hormone pills to beat jet lag
Poor and insufficient sleep will not only spoil your holiday, but could lower your immunity and leave you vulnerable to infections.
However, the hormone melatonin, the so-called sleep hormone that regulates your body clock, is available from chemists.
.Melatonin is not advised for people with auto-immune disease, diabetes, if pregnant, breastfeeding or on the contraceptive Pill, and anyone on blood pressure medication or warfarin.
Reduce jet lag by eating and sleeping according to your destination’s local time (when flying and on arrival) and aiming for “anchor sleep” — a solid four-hour block during the local night.
Daily Mail