From oxygen deprivation and cosmic radiation to loss of taste, your body can suffer some worrying effects during air travel.
From oxygen deprivation and cosmic radiation to loss of taste, your body can suffer some worrying effects during air travel.
On a plane, you’re more than 100 times likely to pick up a cold. This is because cabins are virtually moisture-free and the perfect environment for diseases to spread.
And that’s not the only reason you may feel bunged up. When the plane lands and takes off, the air inside the ear contracts to form a vacuum. This can cause pain in the ear drums if they are blocked.
Even your teeth can be impacted by air travel. The changes in air pressure can cause tiny pockets of gas within fillings or an area of decay to become trapped, exacerbating dental problems.
When it comes to the lungs, decompression in the air can cause bloating, which can be especially uncomfortable for asthma sufferers. It could also cause complications such as pneumothorax (a collapsed lung).
Similarly, the stomach will expand at high altitudes, leading to abdominal pain and constipation. Travelers are advised to try and avoid heavy foods and gassy drinks.
With the ankles and feet, fluid can build up, especially in those who are overweight. Passengers are advised to keep the legs moving during the flight to avoid water retention.
Sitting in the same position for hours can also increase the risk of blood clotting. This can lead to limbs swelling and the possibility of deep vein thrombosis.
Have you spotted a purple bird popping up in your social media timeline?
If not, it will be only a matter of time before this weird little fellow is as familiar on your feed as a thumbs-up.
Trash Dove, a Facebook sticker which has bowled over social media in Asia, is the cartoon baby of American artist Syd Weiler.
The Florida-based illustrator drew the bird in September 2016 and subsequently created a set of Facebook stickers in January 2017.
Trash Dove appeared in various guises that people could use as emojis, the most popular one showing the bird vigorously thrashing its head up and down.
It was all ticking along quietly and then wham - or coo coo - the dove appeared on a popular Thai Facebook page in a dance-off with a cartoon cat in early February.
Within a week, it had racked up 4 million views, and an army of fans.
However, not everyone is a fan. There is a petition to ban the bird from the internet by those fed up with seeing its purple bobbing head.
But what does it actually mean? Well, who knows? Perhaps its ambiguity is one of the reasons it is so popular.
It’s just another in a long list of internet memes we’ve seen so far this year like salt bae and cash me ousside.
And if you haven’t spotted Trash Dove yet, fear not. The purple bird is bobbing its way around the world to a Facebook page near you.
