Why does flying bring me down?

DOES A LONG FLIGHT LEAVE YOU FEELING EXHAUSTED? CAMILLA FOSTER LOOKS AT THE MANY REASONS WHY...

- BY CAMILLA FOSTER

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A LONG flight often feels like the perfect opportunity to power through a backlog of emails or to finally finish a novel. However, this urge of productivity often dips for many of us as feelings of sluggishness begin to creep in.

To find out what's behind this mid-flight slump, we asked some experts to break down some key reasons why flying can leave us feeling so bloated and exhausted. They have also shared their top tips on how to prevent this.

"When we are out of our usual routines on a flight, it disrupts what our bodies are used to," says Dr Asimah Hanif, NHS GP and medical expert working with travel insurance provider Staysure.

"For example, you might not be used to eating so early in morning when they serve breakfast on a plane, and you might be served something that you don't usually eat like an omelette.

"So, the impact of both of those elements combined - eating things that you're not used to and eating after the time frame that you usually would eat - can disrupt digestion and contribute to sluggishness."