Ever Felt an Airplane Hangover? Here’s Why Flying Wrecks You, And How to Recover Fast

It always sounds so glamorous to get on a plane and head to Hawaii or Fiji or anywhere full of Pina Coladas and plenty of time to catch up on your latest book (or blog post), but our Instagram photos tend to glaze over the part where we’re bloated like balloons the next day.

Have you ever gotten off a plane and wondered why you feel like you’ve been dragged backward through a hedge while someone hit you with a baseball bat? Same.

Your head’s pounding, you’re bloated, your skin feels tight and weirdly dry and sometimes itchy, you’re exhausted, but also kind of wired and restless. If you’re anything like my husband maybe you’re even a little cranky for no reason. (Okay, maybe it’s not no reason, he’s 6’2” and 240 lbs, so fitting in those seats is harder for him than it is for my 5’2”.)

It’s almost like you’ve got a hangover, but you didn’t drink a thing (except water).

Welcome to the airplane hangover, it sucks.

Nope, it’s not just you. Flying does weird things to your body, and there’s actually solid science behind why it leaves you feeling kind of awful. But, the good news is that once you know what’s going on, you can recover faster, and even sometimes prevent some of the worst parts next time.

Okay, but what is an airplane hangover?

I don’t know why the song Love Hangover is stuck in my head while I write this, but it definitely is.

“Airplane hangover” isn’t a medical term, but it perfectly sums up that gross, off, puffy, drained feeling so many of us get after flying. And it’s my term, feel free to borrow it. It’s when you didn’t party, but your body sure feels like you did.

I’m talking about that lovely brain fog, dry itchy skin, bloating that isn’t related to your period, extreme waves of fatigue, puffy ankles that you’re only used to experiencing after a ten hour shift on your feet, as well as that dull aching headache that won’t leave you alone.

Sound familiar? It’s not just travel stress (but that might be a small part of it), flying literally puts your body under physical stress. Turns out, there’s a lot happening inside you while you’re sitting there at 30,000 feet watching old sitcoms.

Let’s talk about what’s happening in your body

First up: the air. Airplane cabins are super dry…like, desert-level dry.

The humidity inside a plane is usually 10-20%. Normal indoor air is more like 40-60%. You’re losing moisture from your skin, your nose, even your lungs, just by sitting there breathing. Unfortunately, not breathing isn’t an option, so there’s not much you can do about this.

That dehydration is a huge reason you feel so crummy for the next 24 hours. Your head might ache, your skin could feels tight, and your mouth is dry no matter how much water you drink.

And speaking of water, you’re probably not drinking enough up there. You’re sipping your tiny cup of Coke or that tiny bottle of water they hand you, and meanwhile your body is quietly losing up to 1.5 liters of water during a long flight. I’m not sure why they don’t hand out liter bottles instead.

Then there’s the air pressure, yeah, the cabin is pressurized, but not to sea level. It’s like being up a mountain…around 6,000-8,000 feet elevation where much less oxygen reaches your bloodstream.

Most of us won’t pass out or anything, but over hours, it adds up to tiredness, dull headaches, and that weird fuzzy feeling in your head.

And ever noticed you’re bloated after flying? That’s because gas inside your body literally expands at altitude. The lower pressure makes it expand by up to 30%. You feel gassy, your stomach’s bloated, and your intestines are basically like “please stop.”

Oh, and don’t even get me started on the circulation issue. (too late, here I go).

Sitting for hours without moving much slows your blood flow, like a lot.
That’s why your ankles puff up and your legs feel heavy when you land.
That’s also why my Pro Wrestler husband forces me to walk in circles around the airport during our layovers. I’m talking even if it’s 2am and all I want to do is sleep on the floor, he makes me walk in circles (sometimes with my eyes closed), while holding my hand so my circulation keeps circulating.

Plus, if you’re crossing time zones, your circadian rhythm is getting messed with. Your body’s like, “wait, why is it daytime? I thought it was 2am,” and that can make you feel weirdly wired but exhausted, or just foggy and off. (Pro Tips for jet-lag: avoid caffeine, stay in the sunlight wherever you’re off to, and walk in some grass barefoot. I know it’s weird, but they work for me. Some people online claim if you shine lights on your knees it does something, but I’ve always forgotten to try.)

Put all that together? It’s like you went to a bad party where someone forgot to hydrate you and let you sleep.

So…how do you bounce back?

The key to recovering from an airplane hangover is honestly to treat it kind of like a real hangover.
You’ve got dehydration, disrupted sleep, a bit of inflammation, and your system’s a little stressed out, all things that happen after hitting too much alcohol too.

Water yourself first. You need to rehydrate, and plain water is good, but adding electrolytes helps a lot. I always pack a few Liquid I.V. hydration packets in my carry-on. They taste good (watermelon is my favorite!) and help you actually absorb the water instead of it just…passing through your system.

Move your body as much as you can. Once you land, go for a walk (my husband is right on this one, I’ll give it to him, but don’t tell him I admitted it, I still want to grumble when he makes me do it). Even 10-15 minutes helps get your blood flowing, reduces that lovely swelling we all enjoy so much, and it wakes up your circulation.
I swear by this, if I skip moving after a long flight, I feel stiff and puffy all day.

Eat light and hydrating foods, and skip salty, greasy airport food when you can. I go for fresh fruit, salads, or something with probiotics like yogurt. You want to help your digestion recover too, since bloating and sluggish digestion are so common after flying. Anything with turmeric in is a lifesaver, not going to lie, my husband and I have spent way too much money on Dose, but it’s so yummy and works so well. We pick them up at Vitamin Shoppes, but Amazon has them in a lot of different sizes.

Sleep on the local schedule. If you’re crossing time zones, it’s tempting to nap at weird hours, but try to stay up until local bedtime. Get sunlight exposure if it’s daytime where you land, that helps reset your circadian rhythm faster.

Moisturize absolutely everything you can get your hands on, and ask your partner to reach the rest for you. Your skin, your lips, even your nose (saline spray is great and vaseline for your lips). That dry airplane air doesn’t just dry out your face, it dries out your nasal passages, which is why you sometimes feel stuffy or even can get a nosebleed after a flight.

Can you prevent it?

You can’t avoid every effect of flying, but you can definitely make it easier on yourself.

I always drink tons of water starting the day before flying, skip alcohol and caffeine on the plane (hard, but worth it), stand up and stretch every hour or two, I wear compression socks on longer flights, and bring a good moisturizer and vaseline for my lips in my carry-on.

You don’t need to do all the things, but even one or two of these can help you feel way more human when you land and less like a college kid after rush-week.

Why do some people get it worse?

Some people barely notice anything (lucky), while others (like myself) feel wrecked for days. It really depends on how long you’re flying for, how many time zones you cross, your baseline hydration and health, how much you move during the flight, and whether you drink alcohol or coffee on board.

Personally, long-haul flights across multiple time zones hit me way harder than short hops. If you know you get swollen or foggy, you might be someone who needs to be extra proactive.

What’s actually going on?

Flying is kind of a low-key biological stress test that people like myself fail. Between the air pressure, oxygen drop, dehydration, sitting still, noise, circadian confusion, your body’s quietly juggling a lot.

And while you’re just chilling in your seat watching reruns and sipping ginger ale, your insides are like: “WHY IS IT SO DRY WHY IS IT SO LOUD WHY IS THERE LESS OXYGEN WHO DESIGNED THIS METAL TUBE.”

It’s honestly amazing we bounce back at all.

But that’s why a flight leaves you feeling drained even though you “did nothing.” Your body’s been low-key fighting stress the whole time.

Some researchers think flying may even affect your gut microbiome. Between the stress, dehydration, disrupted eating, and being exposed to unfamiliar bacteria in airports and planes, your gut might be taking a hit too.

That’s one reason I try to eat probiotic foods after a flight, or take a probiotic supplement to help things rebalance. I take this one and order it every two months or so. It absolutely is helpful with the food changes too…if you know what I mean. (I’m talking about being constipated).

It’s also why bloating and weird digestion are so common post-flight, your poor digestive system gets a little sluggish up there.

It’s kind of like… being a plant on an airplane

I know that sounds weird, but hear me out: you’re basically a houseplant at 30,000 feet. You need hydration, light, fresh air, and not to be shoved in a cramped seat for too long.

The airplane hangover is real, and it’s not just travel stress or lack of sleep, flying puts your body through a low-key gauntlet. But once you know what’s happening, it’s easier to take care of yourself: drink water, move your body, eat fresh food, moisturize, and give yourself a little grace if you’re not 100% right after you land.

Flying’s already a lot, you deserve to feel good when you finally get where you’re going.

So next time you’re packing? Add a hydration packet, comfy socks, and maybe a probiotic for post-flight. Your body will thank you, and if you’re still feeling off a day later, don’t worry. A good sleep and more water will set you right.