Your blood pressure could rise The higher you are in the sky, the less oxygen your body will carry, and less oxygen means higher blood pressure. If you typically have a regular blood pressure or even a low blood pressure, this increase will likely have no effect on you.
A 2021 study shows that those without heart disease may experience a 6% increase in blood pressure during a commercial flight.
Stress, jet lag, shift work and other sleep disturbances make it more likely to develop heart disease and risk factors for heart disease, including obesity and diabetes. A regular lack of sleep may lead to high blood pressure (hypertension) in children and adults.
Air pressure is lower at higher altitudes, which means your body takes in less oxygen. Airlines “pressurize” the air in the cabin, but not to sea-level pressures, so there's still less oxygen getting to your body when you fly, which can make you feel drained or even short of breath.
The science behind this issue is pretty simple:
Your ears on the other hand are not able to process this rapid change in the same way because the air and pressure is trapped inside your body. This creates a feeling of pressure similar to that of water in your ears at the pool.
Use the Valsalva maneuver during ascent and descent.
Gently blow, as if blowing your nose, while pinching your nostrils and keeping your mouth closed. Repeat several times, especially during descent, to equalize the pressure between your ears and the airplane cabin.
Still, you can make lifestyle changes to bring your blood pressure down. Something as simple as keeping yourself hydrated by drinking six to eight glasses of water every day improves blood pressure. Water makes up 73% of the human heart,¹ so no other liquid is better at controlling blood pressure.
High levels of stress can lead to a temporary increase in blood pressure. Stress-related habits such as eating more, using tobacco or drinking alcohol can lead to further increases in blood pressure.
The air pressure while flying increases the risk of blood clots forming, which is not ideal. Heart complications: If you've suffered a heart attack, stroke, cardiac failure or chest pain while at rest, flying should wait. The lower oxygen levels, increased air pressure, high altitude and more could affect your health.
Cabins are pressurized to ~7,000 ft elevation, so pO2 is lower than at sea-level. Your body compensates for the relative hypoxia by increasing heart-rate.
High altitudes may worsen some irregular heart rhythms. Your care provider may suggest that you rest and lower your activity level for several days after arriving at a high altitude. Also, watch for any new or unusual symptoms of your condition or of altitude sickness.
Altitude exposure is known to cause an increase in adrenergic activity, blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in resting conditions.
Anxiety doesn't cause long-term high blood pressure (hypertension). But episodes of anxiety can cause dramatic, temporary spikes in blood pressure.
Your blood pressure is considered high (stage 1) if it reads 130/80. Stage 2 high blood pressure is 140/90 or higher. If you get a blood pressure reading of 180/110 or higher more than once, seek medical treatment right away. A reading this high is considered “hypertensive crisis.”
Usually, blood pressure starts to rise a few hours before a person wakes up. It continues to rise during the day, peaking in midday. Blood pressure typically drops in the late afternoon and evening. Blood pressure is usually lower at night while sleeping.
Unfortunately, high blood pressure can happen without feeling any abnormal symptoms. Moderate or severe headaches, anxiety, shortness of breath, nosebleeds, palpitations, or feeling of pulsations in the neck are some signs of high blood pressure.
Walking lowers systolic blood pressure by 4.11 mm Hg (95% CI, 3.01 to 5.22 mm Hg). It lowers diastolic blood pressure by 1.79 mm Hg (95% CI, 1.07 to 2.51 mm Hg) and resting heart rate by 2.76 beats per minute (bpm; 95% CI, 0.95 to 4.57 bpm).
Bananas. These are rich in potassium, a nutrient shown to help lower blood pressure, says Laffin. One medium banana provides about 375 milligrams of potassium, about 11 percent of the recommended daily intake for a man, and 16 percent for a woman.
Chewing is another practice that helps pilots to relieve ear popping. Just like yawning or swallowing liquids, chewing also stretches areas around the ears, equalizing the pressure inside the ear. Chewing gum, gummy bears, and other chewy candies can help alleviate tension in the ears caused by altitude changes.
Cabin pressure and overbearing white noise prevents air travelers from falling asleep or even feeling comfortable. And a complimentary bag of pretzels doesn't help any of these issues, but a quality pair of headphones can improve the experience of flying.
Lows: Low pressure areas are more important to flying weather than high pressure areas because the lows make the inclemencies that challenge us. The circulation around a low is counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and air flows around and into a low and then circulates upward.
Bloating after flying, also known as “jet belly” or “airplane belly”, is a common travel side effect, and most people might just try to stomach the discomfort from the added gas in your digestive system.