How to avoid getting sick from the AC on a ship?

[Arlendius]

I have a problem when I spend a long time in a heavily air-conditioned enviroment. I get sick..

 

I get a sore throat after 3-5 days, and then i start to develop a nasty cough that persists for a week or more after I get home. Some times I also get a fever after about a week (and the fever can last for a few days).

 

This has happened to me the last few times I have spent a prolonged time in a closed environment (like on a hotel where I spend most of the day inside on a seminar , or on a cruise). It is irritating, and I also infect my wife with the cough. It is not a deal breaker that stops us from crusing, but I wish I could avoid the whole problem.

 

I did a search on the boards, but I could not find others with the same problem, so it might just be me who is over sensitive to an air conditioned environment. Any tips on how to avoid getting sick in the future will be greatly appreciated!

 

Arlendius

[cb at sea]

Get a room with a balcony..and open the door ocassionally! Try not to stay in you cabin, except at night. AND...see a doctor....that's a very odd condition that you have..you should be checked out!

[paul929207]

You control the air in your cabin. Eat meals outside. Breakfast and lunch, there are tables neat the buffet.

[OVgirl]

Also try and keep your nasal passages moist. I know that sounds weird, but you can buy saline spray for that purpose. They dry air dries your mucous membranes and the viruses/bacteria can enter your system. If you spray the saline it blocks some of the viruses. Also good for airline travel, since the air is also dry and recirculating.

 

You might want to google this and see if it makes sense to you.

 

It's no fun getting sick while on your cruise or even after getting home.

[Arlendius]

Thank you for all your quick reply's!

 

I don't think it is a serious medical condition, as I am never (I mean never) sick with a cold at home (and I live with really cold winters). To save money and be able to go on longer and more frequent cruises, we get "cheap" cabins (usually just with a window). We seldom spend much time in the cabin, it's only for sleeping and showering! It would be really nice to have a balcony, I guess we would spend more time there if we did!

 

I have tried to Google it, but haven't found much success, but what little I have found points me in the same direction that OVgirl mentions. It is probably the dry air that messes with my system, but I have not had this problem on long air travels, I guess they are just to short to be a problem for me. As I am never sick at home, I have not used any sprays to "moist my system", but I will look in to it asap!

 

Other suggestions will also be appreciated, I will learn how to adjust the AC in my cabin and see if that helps. I also guess it won't hurt to wash my hands even more often to avoid catching something!

[JanineM]

My mom (who is Norwegian ;) ) always has a runny nose in heavily air conditioned environments like shopping malls and restaurants. She swears by ColdFX and other homeopathic cold remedies and says they truly make a difference. Perhaps you should see about trying some zinc tablets while you sail? I don't know if there's anything scientific there, but it's worth a shot.

 

Also, I don't know why your wife would pick up your cough if you are only coughing because of the air conditioning??? If you live on the coast then you are probably both used to air with higher humidity, in which case spending more time on deck might help.

 

Håp at du nyter din cruise*!

[Arlendius]

My mom (who is Norwegian ;) ) always has a runny nose in heavily air conditioned environments like shopping malls and restaurants. She swears by ColdFX and other homeopathic cold remedies and says they truly make a difference. Perhaps you should see about trying some zinc tablets while you sail? I don't know if there's anything scientific there' date=' but it's worth a shot.

 

Also, I don't know why your wife would pick up your cough if you are only coughing because of the air conditioning??? If you live on the coast then you are probably both used to air with higher humidity, in which case spending more time on deck might help.

 

Håp at du nyter din cruise*![/quote']

 

Thanks! I'll try that, even if I am not a believer in homeopathic stuff. The part about zinc I have read about before (my wife often has problems with coughing in the winter, and research has showed it _might_ be because of a lack of zink. I can't remember the exact wording, it was something I red in passing a while back).

 

Your Norwegian was almost perfect by the way! :D

[AndyP7]

A week or so before a cruise I take an extra dose of Vitamin C and Vitamin D (I also double up on vitamin D at the start of winter as a preventive measure). I am generally very healthy and rarely get sick, but if it's going to happen it's when I'm travelling :( Not sure if it's the air conditioning, air travel or a result of decompressing from stress, but it used to happen often. Now I adjust the air conditioning so it's not as cold, wash hands more often and do the vitamin C and D thing and so far, knock on wood, haven't been sick on vacation in years :)

 

I really swear by the vitamin D!

 

Andrea

[John Bull]

As OVgirl's post, your sore throat / cough is probably because aircon dries the air.

And you're not alone.

Generally a problem for people used to colder climates, like UK & Norway, which have no need for air-con.

Brought on in cruise cabins, hotel bedrooms, long-haul coaches, long-haul aircraft, anywhere there's no "natural" air circulating

 

I very occasionally have a dry cough, no sore throat, & the cough disappears a few minutes after I get into fresh air. So its not a problem. But I've come across folk for whom it persists throughout the cruise (or hotel stay), & for a very few it can persist for several weeks afterwards.

 

With a balcony cabin, leave the balcony door open. Easy.

For other cabins, with the cabin attendant's ok, hang a couple of wet towels in the cabin at night. Even bowls of water. Most say it works for them.

 

John Bull :)

[cruisinnewbie26]

Usually if I start to feel the beginnings of a sore or scratchy throat, even if I think it's just dry I either pop in a cough drop, drink hot tea (not sure if this is accurate but I heard somewhere once that earl grey is the best for your immune system so that's always my choice of tea in these instances), or take a hot hot (it's the steam that helps) shower. Sometimes I do all three! :D Anyway, usually one of those does the trick. I average out about 1 cold a year (haven't had anything other than a cold in the past 4 years, only had 1 virus in the past 8 years) and that's usually during allergy season. So I've either got a killer immune system or I'm doing something right. Good luck!

[Arlendius]

Wow! I am amazed at all the good ideas you guys (and gals) have!

 

When you spell them out to me they all sound so obvious (and brilliant). The most obvious is of course "get a balcony" :p, but I don't see that happening the next few years :o

 

I think I will have to stock up on some vitamins at home and wet some towels before we go to sleep on the ship (and of course some superhot tea as often as possible, but I try to do that at home as well, even if I am more found of coffe!).

[tallyho8]

You can also close the air conditioner vent most of the way and occasionally run the shower on the hottest setting with the bathroom door open to humidify the cabin.

[LHT28]

You can also get an upper respiratory infection from people on the ship

A fever is not caused from A/C

I have been sick with URI on 2 of our cruises, one with a fever ...people were coughing all over the place

DH was sick with fever (102F)for 3 days & had 2 shots & a course of antibiotics to combat the infection & was confined to the cabin ( not that he was in any condition to leave)

Some people never heard of covering your mouth when they cough so germs can linger on hard surfaces for hours or in the air :eek:

If you feel a fever coming go to the doctor A.S.A.P & get drugs

We try to avoid touching railings & wash, wash, wash your hands often with soap & water

[Dayenu]

Maybe it's not the ship, maybe it's the flight? Many people get sick on the plane, but they feel it several days later. There is a popular medication with lots of Vit. C in it "airborne" that helps.

[LHT28]

Maybe it's not the ship, maybe it's the flight? Many people get sick on the plane, but they feel it several days later.

We drove to the port still got sick ......nice try though

[Wormy53]

Also try and keep your nasal passages moist. I know that sounds weird, but you can buy saline spray for that purpose. They dry air dries your mucous membranes and the viruses/bacteria can enter your system. If you spray the saline it blocks some of the viruses. Also good for airline travel, since the air is also dry and recirculating.

 

You might want to google this and see if it makes sense to you.

 

It's no fun getting sick while on your cruise or even after getting home.

 

This has been a lifesaver for me. It seems like every time I that took an airplane anywhere and vacationed that I would get nasal/bronchitis symptoms. Not any longer! I always take my nasal irrigator, wash my hands frequently, and DON'T TOUCH MY FACE WITH MY HANDS. (That's the hardest.)

 

Haven't you been on a plane when the person behind you lets out a big sneeze? They say that alone can infect up to 20 people. You can never completely take the chance out of infection, but you can certainly decrease it!:)

[lizdave]

I have read this problem on other cruise forums. A few ideas are

 

1, If you have a kettle in you room boil it before going to bed.

 

2, If you do not have a kettle open the door to you bathroom and run a hot shower so the steam enters the main room.

 

3, Place a wet or very damp Flannel by your bed it will be dry in the morning.

 

4, Place a glass of tepid water by your bed this will increase the humility in the room.

 

All the above are to increase the humility in the room this will help your nose and throat from drying out over night.

[ovccruiser]

If you cruise with a line that leave a daily ice bucket, leave the lid off, it puts moisture into the atmosphere, not much but it is usually enough to keep the dry throat at bay.

[protocrone]

I know that Consumer Reports says that it doesn't work but Airborne works for hub and me. One tablet a day in a glass of water with breakfast and we've never been sick on a cruise. I'm also of Norwegian decent and get sore throat, runny nose and blocked ears when I go through temperature changes...

 

If the Airborne is placebo effect, fine- whatever works!

 

Uff da

[Arlendius]

It seems that the common consensus is that the dry air is the problem, and I do belive you are correct!

 

Thanks for all the good ideas of how to keep up the moisture in the cabin, we are sure to follow a few of them, it's going to be a steam sauna (without the heat) in there :D

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

wear a sweater

[navybankerteacher]

It seems that the common consensus is that the dry air is the problem, and I do belive you are correct!

 

Thanks for all the good ideas of how to keep up the moisture in the cabin, we are sure to follow a few of them, it's going to be a steam sauna (without the heat) in there :D

 

Aside from increasing the humidity in your cabin, just spending more time on open decks - a walk around the promenade deck before going to bed - as well as reading on a deck chair rather than in the library - can make a big difference - sea air is always humid.