The sun is shining. The kids are out of school. Summer has officially begun.
Time for a vacation.
But before piling into the car for the family road trip, boarding an airplane or heading out on a camping trip, consider this: a national travel survey found 63 percent of travelers said they or a companion have gotten sick while on vacation.
Dr. Mark Shaver, a family medicine physician at The Vancouver Clinic in Battle Ground, and Chris Stamatakos, a physician assistant at Legacy Medical Group’s Salmon Creek Family Medicine, share their tips for keeping the family healthy while vacationing.
Flying
Airplanes are the perfect place to catch a bug, Shaver said.
“Those things are kind of like flying petri dishes,” he said.
Two of the most important things you can do when flying are wash your hands often and avoid touching your face, Shaver said.
Staying hydrated is also important, he said.
Many people will drink coffee or soda on airplanes, but they’re not drinking any water. Shaver recommends drinking two glasses of water for every cup of coffee or soda.
Once you arrive at your destination, you may experience jet lag, Shaver said.
“Changing time zones can be hard on people,” he said.
Your body’s internal clock may be telling you to go to sleep earlier or stay up much later. The best thing you can do is try to adapt immediately, Shaver said. That may mean resisting the urge to go to bed early, he said.
You also can use bright sunlight to try to reset your body’s clock. If you’re traveling east, get lots of light early in the morning. If you’re heading west, get plenty of light in the afternoon.
“This is basically going to try and fool your clock into thinking that noon is happening earlier or later, depending on the direction of travel,” Shaver said.
Road trips
One of the main health risks with road trips is the prolonged sitting, which can lead to blood clots, Stamatakos said. He recommends stopping often to walk around and stretch.
“It’s always a good thing to get up and move as much as you can,” Stamatakos said.
In addition to preventing blood clots, the stretch breaks will help prevent sleepiness behind the wheel, Shaver said.
And for those who plan to take medicine for motion sickness, Shaver reminds travelers to start the treatment the day before.
Prepare for heat
If you’re heading south for a sunny summer vacation, be aware of your sun exposure and use sunscreen to prevent sunburns, Shaver said.
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Preventing sunburns is especially important for kids and teens. Recent research found that teens who experience five or more blistering sunburns have an 80 percent increased risk for melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, Stamatakos said.
When traveling to warm locales, Stamatakos also reminds people to drink plenty of water to ensure they stay hydrated. Doing so can prevent heat stroke and heat exhaustion, he said.
“As Washingtonians, we’re not used to sweating as much because it doesn’t get that hot,” Shaver said.
Traveling abroad
If you’re traveling abroad, Shaver recommends looking into additional vaccines you may need.
“Things like yellow fever and hepatitis may be prevalent in other countries but we don’t worry about them here,” he said.
Local medical providers may not stock those immunizations, but many area pharmacies carry a supply, Shaver said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a great resources for travelers, Stamatakos said.
The CDC has a website dedicated to travelers’ health: wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel. There, travelers can find recommended vaccines depending on where they’re traveling, health advisories for different countries, and other health and safety tips.
Healthy immune system
While there’s not much evidence that products such as Airborne or other homeopathic remedies can prevent illness, Shaver said he agrees with the intention.
“We want your immune system to be as strong as possible,” he said.
Stress, Shaver said, is the No. 1 thing you have to worry about when it comes to lowering your immune system. Shaver recommends planning in advance as much as possible to reduce the amount of travel-related stress you may encounter.
Getting a good night’s sleep is also important, he said. Travelers should be sure to get a full eight or nine hours of sleep the day before heading out on vacation, Shaver said.
“Don’t go into it with a sleep deficit,” he said.
Maintaining your healthy lifestyle while on vacation will help to keep you feeling your best and boost energy levels, Stamatakos said. That includes getting enough sleep, avoiding alcohol, sleeping in a quiet area and minimizing stress, he said. Getting in 30 to 60 minutes of exercise each day can also help keep you on track, Stamatakos said.
“The same general things that apply to healthy living apply to healthy traveling,” he said.
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