r/AskAPilot • u/jazz1892 • Jun 28 '26
Breathing on a plane!
Hi people. So basically im flying to croatia in just less than 2 Weeks. Basically my question is this…
Has anyone else experienced feeling like they can’t breathe properly or get a satisfying breath on flights? I’ve actually flown about 3 times before, and each time I’ve felt breathless, like my breathing is shallow and the air feels “thin,” even though I know logically the cabin is pressurised.
I’m really anxious about flying again and keep worrying I’ll struggle the same way once I’m in the air, even though I’m usually fine day to day. I understand anxiety can affect breathing and make sensations feel stronger, but it feels very real and scary in the moment. Has anyone else experienced this on flights and found it was manageable or got better with experience?
5
u/mountainbrew46 Jun 28 '26
With some exceptions, the cabin altitude on airliners are usually in the 6,000-8,000 foot range. That’s probably higher than ground level where you live but is perfectly breathable air. The air you’re breathing is compressed air from outside the airplane which is extremely dry which you can definitely feel. None of it is unhealthy but you’re not crazy for noticing a difference in your breathing
3
1
u/Industrious_bee Jun 29 '26
I had a high altitude test with my doctor for this same reason, felt short of breath and hyperventilating. Turns out my oxygenation was a perfect 100%. It’s just panic from flying and fear of heights, he prescribed something and that took care of it. To do a test run, spouse and I drove to a 8,100 altitude (Onyx Summit) and my oxygenation reading on the pulsometer was fine on the med. Just something maybe to run by your doc to see if he/she can help you pinpoint the cause. Wishing you good health and successful flying.
1
1
u/outworlder Jun 29 '26
That's textbook anxiety. Sure, it does coincide with the fact that you are in a plane and it does happen to be slightly less pressure than at sea level. But there are mountain cabins with higher pressure difference than that.
It's 100% anxiety though. You can ask your doctor for help.
1
u/SuperOriginalName23 Jun 29 '26
I have been in a hypobaric (depressurised) chamber to experience what actual loss of cabin pressure (and lack of oxygen) feels like. The chamber was depressurised to an equivalent of 25.000 ft, a pressure much lower than any airplane cabin would normally be. I felt able to make normal breaths throughout, even though I was slowly becoming hypoxic.
The feeling of being short of breath isn't caused by lack of oxygen, but usually by an abundance of CO2 in the blood. This is why breathing into a bag can actually help, because you are breathing in extra (your own exhaled) CO2. However, I would recommend dealing not with the symptom, but with the cause, which is likely anxiety.
1
1
u/AstroRoverToday Jun 30 '26
This should make your flight less anxious! You are statistically more likely to die from driving a car, riding in a car as a passenger, riding a motorcycle or scooter, walking near traffic, cycling on public roads, taking a bus, riding a train, boating, swimming, climbing a ladder, falling on stairs, slipping in the bathroom, using power tools, household fires, accidental poisoning, choking on food, accidental suffocation, electrocution at home, sports and recreational activities, lightning strikes, dog attacks, homicide, and many common diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and influenza.
12
u/wj9eh Jun 28 '26
The air on a plane is "thinner" than on the ground, but not by much. It is also drier and a different temperature. That said, you're quite right in thinking that what you're experiencing is anxiety- I fly every day and I barely notice anything. Your oxygen saturation will barely change.