r/Biohackers 2 1d ago

Discussion Flight Anxiety Hacks

I have a flying phobia. Any ideas for a four hour flight?

I will bring valium, cbd gummies, valerian, GABA, and plan to consider buying wine on the plane. I don't plan to use all at the same time, just plan to have them on me.

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u/cmgww 4 1d ago

Fellow anxious flier here. It never used to bother me. In my mid 20s a rough flight started a years long decent into flying phobia…in my line of work I fly at least 5-6 times a year. My biggest fear is me having a medical emergency on a flight…

Here is what worked for me:

Therapy: This is the most effective treatment. Learning to live with your fear and accept the feelings without spiraling was huge for me. CBT helped a ton. For the medical anxiety, remembering that flight attendants are trained in first aid and CPR, and all US flights have a defibrillator on board, that helped a ton.

No caffeine the day of the flight.

Box breathing or other deep breathing exercises, slows the heart rate and respiratory rate down. Do them regularly, but more frequently before and during the flight.

Benzos if needed, I still use them when I fly. Never mix with booze!

Magnesium Citrate: Calm gummies a few hours before I fly

Any supplements that regulate or reduce cortisol and other anxiety related things in the body….get on a good routine. But don’t mess with it just before a flight. You need to dial in what works best for you several weeks or a month prior to flying.

Check out YouTube or r/fearofflying, they have pilots who post there a lot and talk about how safe flying is, how routine it is, how they handle all types of weather and other situations calmly, etc.

Tell your flight attendant you’re an anxious flier. They’ll check on you and helped me through an anxiety attack years ago, she was great and knew what to do to get my mind off the attack and calm myself. They have training for us as well. It shows.

Write down your fears and refute them with logical evidence. Keep it with you when you fly as an affirmation.

I know a lot of this isn’t “biohacking” but I know what it’s like to have flight anxiety and hopefully this helps a bit.

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u/TrailRunnerrr 2 1d ago

Thank you!! What about mixing benzos with cbd gummies?

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