Preventing Flight Anxiety
 

My sister (age 50) and I will be flying to England next year and she's already getting nervous about the flight. I wondered, short of dosing her with Valium (or booze!), if anyone has suggestions for making the flight less anxiety-ridden for her. She has flown before, but never on a six-seven hour flight.

Allow plenty of time to clear security, and if she has a connection from another destination, make sure she has enough time to make her flight. I've nearly missed a few international flights because of a snafu on the connecting flights. That certainly causes the ole stress meter to rise.

Sounds like at least you are on the East Coast as far as your length of time for your flight.Try the West Coast at 11-12 hours!!
I use Zanax which is an anti- axiety med. Works wonders. I also swear by the night flights. I like to leave as late as possible,(10pm) and by the time they serve you dinner, put a movie on it's lights out for a long time. At this point you are tired and will sleep or doze off and the time just fly's by.

These are good suggestions. She hates the takeoffs and landings, and I find those the most fascinating parts of the trip! (Takeoffs - I can't believe they got this huge thing off the ground. Landings - Great, I'll be out of here soon and on vacation soon!)

Most the flights I've checked out leave in the evening and get into London very early in the morning, their time.

Having plenty of time to go through security etc definitely keeps my stress level down. I also make a point to walk around the terminal once I find my gate if there is time to kill before my plane boards - get a little exercise and destress a bit.

Valium + booze = fun flight!!

It'll probably be an overnite flight anyway, so try to get her to sleep thru it.

Don't get her drunk before the flight. Anyone who watches "Airline" on A&E can tell you that airlines DO deny boarding to obviously intoxicated passengers!

When I fly to Europe, I like to have my doctor prescribe a mild sedative (Sonata) to help me get some sleep on the flight. Even though I fly a lot, I still haven't managed to sleep on planes, and I'd much rather arrive in Europe well-rested!

twina49, there's great natural product out there called Rescue Remedy which helps soothe sore nerves. You take a couple of drops under your tongue and it really does help you get your anxiety under control. It's available in health food stores.

How "nervous" does she really get? Is it just slight nervousness about taking off and landing or does she get panick attacks. I watched a show on phobias last week and people get physical symptoms, such as heart racing, cold sweats, trembling, etc.. I have claustrophobia and get panick attacks and those symptoms are very real. It's getting worse as I get older! I hope for both of your sakes, this is not the case. I flew this past weekend and didn't the plane have "mechanical problems", once I boarded I found out it was the air conditioning, and it was about 95 degrees with no fresh air on this small commuter plane. Besides a Zanax, I told the flight attendant about my phobia and she promptly brought me a cup of ice. If you suck on ice cubes it seems to help. I was literally rubbing the cubes on my neck and arms to keep from freaking out. Once in the air, the cabin cooled off (the front more than the rear half of the plane). I hope all goes well for you and I'd take a few remedies mentioned as a backup and not just rely on 1!

I would look into hypno-theropy. I used it to get rid of one of my phobias which I will not disclose. It works.

Also, she should get to the airport as tired as possible so she will sleep on the plane and arrive in England without jet lag.

Like your sister, I hate flying especially the take off and landings. I love to travel and live in Hawaii, so flying is a necessary part of the equation. My sister was so anxious about flying that she would go cross country by Amtrak.

In the last year, we both broke down and tried sedatives- Atavan for me and librium for her.

What a relief!!! I cannot believe how much easier it is to fly now. The pills do not make you dopey, as I want to be in control when the plane crashes into the sea. (hey, these fears are not something we can control!) What they do is make your mind just not care anymore!

Seriously, I used to freak out (silently) whenever the plane rocked or bounced. Now I find myself thinking things like, "hmmm, bumpy today..must be a storm coming".

I take one pill just before boarding and I'm good, My sister starts stressing the day before a flight, so takes one the night before, one a few hours before, and then one 30 minutes before takeoff. It is amazing how these drugs can work.

And no, we don't use them with alcohol or after we land!

I assume your sis will be taking an overnight flight. Well, if she's asleep she will not be anxious. I took a tiny little Ambien pill on my 8-hour red-eye flight home from Peru this week, and somehow the flight felt like only one hour. I must have slept on the plane (a first for me!). I felt totally refreshed the next day. What a wonder drug!

Also, I have never been on a "bumpy" trip to Europe in the 10 or 15x I've been there...they tend to be really smooth, unlike domestic flights.

I don't think my sister has had a full-blown anxiety attack, but she gets edgy and starts to hyper-ventilate and sweat (maybe that IS a full-blown attack!).

I watch A&E's Airline and suggested she watch it, too, so she could see how flying is such an everyday situation, much like riding in a taxi.

lcuy - Your message (f"The pills do not make you dopey, as I want to be in control when the plane crashes into the sea") made me laugh out loud! When I recently flew to Chicago, I got a kick out of the video that told us how to put on our life jackets and exit the plane calmly if we crashed into water! I'm sitting there thinking that there'd probably be nothing calm at all about the whole situation....

Here is another vote for valium or a similar sedative. There is no shame in being human and humans sometimes fear the uncertain. Your sister certainly sounds like she is having an anxiety attack, take it from one whose had them. I never fly without a mild sedative. Forget the booze, nothing worse than being anxious and nauseous from the liquor too. I eat and drink very lightly when I fly, it seems to help also. A tiny CD player with soothing music is another thought.

I started flying when I was 5 years old and have regularly flown all of my life.

About my mid twenties, I developed flying phobia. A serious flying phobia.

Because I had to travel for work, I started educating myself about flying. I watched crash documentaries (sounds strange but I found out the hows and whys), talked to airline personel and read every book and article I could find.

Have your sister find and talk to every pilot she can find and anyone else who works in the field of aviation.

It worked for me and I now love to fly.

It sure beats the anxiety leading up to the flight.

((8))Music...sweet, sweet music....((8)) It might help her to use a portable MP3 or cd player so she can listen to music that she loves to relax to and feels inspired by. Getting involved with a really great book can help, too. There is so much activity on the plane during long flights she may be pleasantly surprised how quickly the time goes by. Good luck! :-)

I agree with the advice about using atavan or some such drug. Please have her try it at home before you leave. It is not a good idea to try a drug for the first time on an airplane. Also please be careful about alcohol. Some people, like me, get very sick if they drink when flying. This is even more likely if you take some sort of tranq/sedative. The biggest fear, I think, is the fear of feeling fear. If she knows she has a tool, such as ativan, then that should help her relax even before taking the pill. Paradoxically, I think it gives a sense of control to a situation in which we are really not in control.
Good luck.

I also get anxious on those long transAtlantic flights...usually when we're in mid-flight, thousands of miles from anywhere. And, even with double my usual Ambien dose, I just can't sleep. I find the best antidote is a good page-turner book that completely engrosses me and makes me forget where I am. A good movie would be another option, but they're all too few these days!

Please be aware that alcohol in combination with tranquillizers or sedatives can be very dangerous, especially in flight. While it seems quite reasonable for her to try one of the anxiolytics mentioned, it's important that she not drink during the flight - you can't predict how her body would handle that.

If you are going to try to sleep on the plane I'd suggest taking a good neck pillow, eyeshade and possibly earplugs or headphones. A neck pillow works wonders for me. Sometimes the light from seat-back video screens and the noise are bothersome so eyeshade and earplugs are handy. Also when the sun rises some people will open their window shades, and that can be a rude awakening. I've thought about trying sleeping pills, but I agree with Icuy, I want to be fully alert if there is a problem. Also I do agree it's a very good idea to try out any medication ahead of time to be sure it works for you.

Please heed meesthare's advise. NEVER drink alcohol with a sleeping pill. I developed some sleep problems a couple of years ago and my dr. prescribed Ambien to help get my sleep pattern regulated. Since I'd never taken sleeping pills, it never occurred to me that I shouldn't take one after a glass of wine. The last thing I remember was thinking that my kitchen sink was bobbing up and down and I was out. The combination can kill you.

I hate to fly and never leave the ground without a couple of Zanex. It brings my level of sheer terror down to extrememly scared. I have a silver cross that I always hold during take-off (if I ever lose it I won't be able to fly ever again). A friend of mine was married to a pilot and she wouldn't get on a plane with out a small bottle of Holy water.

I remember someone here a few years ago telling us about taking an Ambien for the first time when she flew overseas. She said she had weird dreams including one where a man kept crawling back and forth across her. After they landed she was telling her husband about her strange dreams and he informed her that she was not dreaming about the man crawling back and forth. Apparently the Ambien knocked her so completely out that her arms and legs were sprawled everywhere; her husband couldn't wake her up enough to get her to reposition herself so the poor man in the window seat had to crawl over her everytime he went to the bathroom.

I have a friend who also got very nervous flying and she finally took a course thru Northwest Airlines and that really helped her. Don't know if it would help everyone but she is enjoying it now. Think some other airlines or organizations might have the same course. It is worth a try if you are a real "white knuckle" flyer.

Another rec here for Rescue Remedy. I would just put a few drops in a spring water bottle and drink it throughout the flight.

There are specific flower essences for various fears (rescue remedy is a combination of essences). If a person has a specific fear in conjunction with flying (heights, claustrophobia, fears related to terrorism or accidents) just the essence Mimulus would work.

I always keep some rescue remedy in my purse to give to people who have had a shock of any sort.

For more information try:
http://www.bachcentre.com/centre/38/rescue.htm

LMF

Topping for nbbrown

Find the most obnoxious, loud, smelly person in the gate waiting area and ask him what his seat number is. Then ask the gate agent for seats right next to him. Your sister will be so distracted she will forget about her anxiety.

I am of the drugs and booze way of thinking :D
I agree, I also want to be in control when the plane crashes into the sea..I imagine nightly what I will do first..
But, a light dose of something would take that awful sweaty palm heart pounding dry throat anxiety away.
She might even doze and wake up a little refreshed !
One thing that I do, every time we fly, I cannot help it.
As the plane taxis down the runway- I squeeze poor Yankees hand until it turns white and bloodless and I silently make a whole bunch of deals with God on all the Good things I will do if I get there and back alive.
It has worked so far ((F))