If you’ve been diagnosed with a long-term respiratory illness, you may need portable oxygen in order to have a good time when you are out exploring the world. However, be aware, especially if you are travelling to countries with different climates, that your oxygen needs may change under these new conditions. Even if you’re staying at home, seasonal changes can impact both your health (and therefore your need for supplemental oxygen) and your oxygen supply. In hot, dry weather your oxygen might run out quicker due to higher evaporation, whereas during pollen season you may suffer from allergic responses which increase your need for oxygen. Even humid conditions, which might ease some conditions, can make it harder for people who use portable oxygen: humidity can worse ‘stuffiness’ and congestion, as well as making it harder for your lungs to properly use the oxygen you are giving it.
Avoid these seasonal peaks and troughs by planning ahead with your portable oxygen solutions. Maintain your well-being throughout the year, and don’t forget to take into account any adjustments you have to make to your vacation oxygen needs by checking the climate of the area you will be visiting and arranging a good supply of travel oxygen to be waiting for you in each destination. OxygenWorldwide can help with this – read more about this below.
Seasonal Challenges for Oxygen Users
In winter, we tend to huddle together in warm buses and trains, to stay inside cosy coffee shops and libraries, and viruses like to come along with us too. Colds and flus spread widely in winter for two reasons: firstly, that we are more likely to be in close proximity with others, but secondly because being physically cold weakens our immune system a little, making us more susceptible to letting viruses and bacteria through our defences.
Winter
If you already have one of the many conditions that are treated with the use of portable oxygen (COPD, heart failure, severe asthma, lung diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and more) your illness might worsen during colder weather. Asthma is a disease that arose from a natural human reaction: in extremely cold weather, breathing in large amounts of freezing air is dangerous, lowering core temperatures to a point of no return, reducing energy and cognitive abilities needed to regain the safety of a warmer place. Therefore, when it is excessively cold, the airways narrow, forcing the ingress of air to slow down and thus giving it time to warm up enough before it reaches the lungs. Smoke and pollution can have the same effect, as the body tries to minimise the quantity of contaminants in the body. Asthma is what happens when this reaction happens without being necessary, shortening the breath and depriving the body of vital oxygen.
Summer
High humidity makes it feel as though there is not enough air to breath (and it is true that the moisture occupies space that would otherwise be occupied by the oxygen and nitrogen mix we live on) and cause you to need extra oxygen to be comfortable. High temperatures are draining too; tiring you out and making all but the smallest movements a real effort. High pollen levels too are a known problem even for people who do not need oxygen tanks, causing allergic reactions, hay fever and sinusitis, and they can cause severe relapses in patients with severe ailments of the types mentioned above.
Spring and Autumn (or Fall)
These seasons are arguably the best for people with respiratory illnesses, neither too hot nor too cold, and falling after the worst of the pollen but before viruses can spread widely. However, the very changeability of these seasons can be problematic as you then have to deal with large sudden temperature fluctuations. It is also a time when fields are ploughed, fertilizers are sprayed, and controlled burns are undertaken as fertile farms slow down for winter or begin to awaken ready for planting.
If you are planning a holiday overseas, make sure you do some research into what the weather will be like while you are there, and plan your oxygen needs accordingly, just as you tailor them for the seasons at home.
Benefits of Portable Oxygen Solutions
By using OxygenWorldwide, you can enjoy an uninterrupted supply of oxygen at your chosen location whenever you need it, at home or away. Invest a little bit of time to understanding your own oxygen needs, and then place your order, adapting it as it becomes necessary, to have the full flexibility and mobility you need. You will be able to come and go with the rest of your party, comfortable and breathing well, even as you enjoy seeing the sights, dining out, or exploring wonderful landmarks. If you are an existing customer, you can order oxygen for travel, letting us know your itinerary so that we can deliver the oxygen you need at an appropriate time for you to benefit from it. You can enjoy enhanced independence, no matter if you are away from home, or simply transiting from one season to the next.
Choosing the Right Portable Oxygen Equipment
Portable oxygen concentrators are handy gadgets that use the air around you to provide the high concentration of oxygen that you need. The natural air contains around 20% oxygen, but people who rely on supplemental oxygen require concentrations up in the 90s. Concentrators filter out the other elements, retaining only the oxygen, so that you always have a good supply, no matter where you are. The equipment is only modestly bulky – approximately the equivalent of a small backpack in size and weight – and can be taken into most places and on many forms of public transport. Having said that, do check with your chosen airline that you will be allowed to take your personal oxygen concentrator on your flight – there are different rules between the various airlines and countries also have their own regulations.
An oxygen cylinder is what most people think of when they think of ‘portable oxygen’. These narrow, longish tubes are surprisingly heavy for their size, but can contain a good amount of compressed oxygen, so you can enjoy an entire holiday on just one cylinder of oxygen abroad.
Liquid oxygen is, as it sounds, a liquid form of oxygen. It is the product stored inside cylinders and – due to its ready compressibility – it is the ideal product for people who need high volumes of oxygen (6 litres of oxygen per minute or more) as each cylinder can last a long time.
When you are choosing your portable oxygen equipment, consider all the variables before choosing the one that will become a close companion to you: think about the battery life, and how and where you will charge it or change the batteries; how easily portable it is (and here, do make sure that you have made sure that your oxygen needs will be met before looking at any other specifications – it will not be a good holiday if you are turning blue and losing energy with every minute that passes. Consider how easy the equipment is to carry and use. If your disease has weakened you, think about a wheeled trolley for your oxygen cylinder instead of risking injury to yourself. Finally, make sure you come up with some contingency plans: if there is the chance of a power cut or even the cold causing your battery to run down more quickly than you realized, what will you do?
What you can do, if you’re using OxygenWorldwide for your oxygen supply, is to give us a call. Our helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we can arrange for extra supplies to be delivered to you as a matter of urgency, should the need arise. If you are not yet with OxygenWorldwide, work through the Oxygen request form, filling in all your key information (including how much oxygen for travel or for everyday use you need and how often, where you will be travelling and when) and see how perfectly we can meet your needs.
Tips for Managing Oxygen Use in Different Seasons
Winter
- Prevent your equipment from freezing by keeping spare tanks in a warm part of the house, or fitting an insulating cover to your cylinder to stave off the worst of the cold.
- Fit a moisture trap to your in-use cylinder, so that any condensation is safely trapped away from the working parts that you need to be free to deliver oxygen to your lungs.
- Look after yourself at this time too, make sure you bundle up well, when leaving the house so you stay warm and comfortable, which will help keep you as healthy as possible.
Summer
- Bear in mind that using oxygen can be quite drying, so as well as investing in a good quality lip balm, make sure you stay hydrated, sipping water regularly throughout the day and upping your intake when it is hot.
- Be mindful of your equipment, just as in winter, making sure it is not in direct sunlight as this can cause it to leak and/ or overheat.
- If you can, navigate your way from one air-conditioned or temperature-controlled venue to another.
Allergy Season
- Allergies can pop up at any time, but they are most prevalent when plants are pollinating, when farmers are spraying their fields and when there is a lot of smoke and pollution in the air – this is seasonal, but will vary slightly with each location.
- Prepare yourself by investing in good-quality air purifiers especially for your bedroom, try to avoid the worst exposure to allergens – sometimes simply keeping the windows closed can make an enormous difference – and keep your equipment clean and well-dusted. Pollen spores are tiny and can settle everywhere, including into your face mask should you not need to wear it all the time.
Travelling with Portable Oxygen Across the Seasons
Whenever you are booking a holiday, try to do so well in advance as your need for supplemental oxygen must be catered for before you set foot on the plane. However, also consider what the seasons will be at the time you are going to travel. The northern and southern hemispheres have seasons that are opposite to each other, and the seasons change roughly every three months or so. So, travelling to Australia in December, for example, from London, can see you swap cold, rainy and icy conditions for roastingly hot and dry weather – and you must try to work out if, sticking with the example, Australia’s exceptional heat will mean that you need more oxygen, or if you will get by with a little less than usual…
As a rule of thumb, it is better to have access to more oxygen than you need, and you can also phone the 24/7 emergency number to tweak your supply if you need to. If in doubt, ask our experts who are accustomed to dealing with oxygen supplies all over the world.
So, if you’re planning a vacation any time soon, or even if you are new to needing an oxygen tank, make sure you’re prepared for seasonal changes to affect your needs by setting up a reliable portable oxygen solution that is tailored to you.
If you have any questions or doubts, get in touch and consult OxygenWorldwide to see what solutions are available for your specific needs.
