Life-Saving Advice for Travelers: Exercise Your Legs, Skip Sleeping Pills on Your Next Flight
Researchers at the World Health Organization (WHO) advise exercising your legs on your next extended flight, and recommend that you skip your sleeping pills. The advice comes as the organization publishes the results of Phase I of its WHO Research Into Global Hazards of Travel (WRIGHT) project. The data gathered thus far suggests that on a flight of four or more hours in length, your risk of developing a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) doubles. A DVT is a painful and dangerous clot that can develop in the lower leg due to inactivity. Though treatable if diagnosed in time, the clots pose a high risk of breaking loose, and traveling through the circulatory system as thromboemboli. Should such a clot lodge in the lungs -- a condition commonly known as pulmonary embolism -- the situation can quickly turn fatal.
Researchers advise that by moving or exercising your legs during extended travel, you can help prevent the formation of clots. While sleeping pills or other sedatives alone do not appear to cause clots, they are likely to increase the risk of developing one by reducing your activity level.
If you have concerns that you may be at risk or have questions regarding the prevention of a DVT, consult your physician before traveling.
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