3rd eng
Mariners i.e. people working on ships in a professional capacity, are a class apart and they endure long periods of isolated stay in the oceans, away from humanity, serving their responsibilities to the best of their ability. They make it possible for the sea trade to be successful and also guarding the oceans and high seas against invasion.
However there is another category of sailors who are not professional but leisure sailors, namely passengers who sail of cruise ships, or even spouses and kids of people who work as professional seamen. For them its a totally different environment and they need to follow certain tips to ensure that they remain healthy at sea, an environment to which they are not that much at home as their marine counterparts.
This article is specifically dediacated to such delicate sailors and is not applicable to professional sailors, generally speaking. These tips may seem very simple but they can be extremely beneficial in avoiding any disease when on a ship.
1. As a first tip always wash your hands well when you are on a ship. You must always use a good hand sanitizer. The ships can be home to many germs. You may even touch them when you are on board. Any surface on a ship may be polluted with germs. Ensure that you definitely wash your hands and sanitize it especially before you eat food. Always carry a big bottle of good sanitizer with you. Ensure that your whole family follows this tip.
2. The second tip in tips to remain healthy on ship is to drink a lot of water. The more water you drink the more hydrated your body will be. You can also drink a lot of juice. Try to avoid alcohol as much as possible. This is because alcohol dehydrates you. Carry a reusable water bottle with you. Fill it up whenever you are in need of water. If you have a baby with you ensure that you always boil the water before you feed the child. The more water you drink the fresher you will feel. Try to drink water from sealed mineral water bottles. Although the water generated in the ship via fresh water generators is certainly good, people not used to drinking it might feel bit odd.
3. People have often heard about jet lag. It is associated more with flights. However, you can also feel the same when you are in a ship. As you are travelling from one time zone to the other. You may feel very sleepy in a ship and also at odd hours. When you feel this extreme need to sleep it can be a symptom of sea sickness too. Do report the same to the medical team. Don’t neglect it. There is a medicine named melatonin that you can use in order to deal with this situation. However, do consult a doctor before using the same.
4. Try to use a good sun screen. When you are travelling in the sea you can notice how easily you can get sun burnt. Getting sun burnt can be very dangerous. This is exactly why you must use a good sun screen with at least SPF 30 when you are on a ship.
5. When you are on a ship try to keep your food intake bare minimum. Chew your food well before you eat. When you see so much food on a cruise you may get tempted to eat more than you can this can be very bad for your health. Try to ensure that you eat as much as you can don’t over eat ever.
6. Sea sickness can happen to anyone irrespective of age. Ensure that you eat a lot of green apple. You can wear acupressure wristband so that the sea does not affect your health much. There are medicines that can be taken to avoid sea sickness. You can consult your doctor and get the medicine that will suit you the most. You can start having them few days before you board the ship. Ginger candies can be a great help to reduce the impact of sea sickness.
7. In the seventh tip of the tips to remain healthy on ship we will discuss about being active. Don’t spend most of the day sitting at one place. Move around explore the ship. Even if your duty requires sitting at one place ensure that you are physically active. You can hit the gym and take the stairs. These will ensure that you are in a good health condition.
8. When on a ship try to keep the intake of alcohol to the minimum. When you feel that you have had too much then just stop and tell someone to assist you to your room. If you feel any bit of sickness then do inform your crew members. It maybe that you are infected with some virus and if you keep quite the virus may spread to others.
If you fall sick in a ship the experience can be quite annoying. If you are a passenger and your health deteriorates you will be upset as your holiday is spoilt. Similarly if you are a mariner and you fall sick in a cruise it will be very unprofessional. We hope that these tips to remain healthy on ship will help you to ensure that you are safe when on a ship.
