Why flying while sick can make you feel worse

As cuffing season meets coughing season and airport crowds are reaching pre-pandemic levels, more travelers are likely getting on a plane when they're not feeling 100 percent.

"Many of the conditions on aircraft can exacerbate your symptoms when you have a respiratory illness," said Henry Wu, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University and director of the Emory TravelWell Center. "If you've got inflammation blocking your means of equalizing the pressure, that's going to hurt," he said.

"It may be difficult to discern the common cold from the more serious respiratory infections like covid or flu or RSV, which is particularly dangerous for infants," he said. Jeffrey A. Linder, a professor of medicine at Northwestern University, said the "calculus has changed" in recent years to reduce the need to travel while ill, thanks to the ability to quickly test for covid and the proliferation of remote work.

Adalja also recommended the Valsalva maneuver - holding your nose and blowing out - as well as using saline spray to ensure your passages are as clear of mucus as possible before flying.

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