10 min
- Travel
- Tips
How to avoid occasional constipation while travelling
Occasional constipation is a common response to change. It can happen when you’re travelling or changing your routine (crossing different time zones, experiencing new foods, new sleep patterns...). Thankfully, it is easy to spot and there are a few things you can do to feel better and enjoy your time outside of home.
How can travelling affect your body?
Imagine this: you took a week off work, created your out-of-office email reply, and patted yourself on the back for taking a much-deserved break. When you get to your destination, you know you should be feeling excited and ready for a new adventure—yet something doesn’t feel right inside (literally).
It is common for occasional constipation to occur when your life or daily routine changes. Travelling can sometimes shake things up and disrupt your bowel movements. Adapting to new circadian rhythms, new foods and new environments can lead you to get constipated. Understanding what is causing your constipation will make you more prepared to act on it. Let’s take a look at how travelling can trigger occasional constipation.
Changing diet
The most common reason travelling can impact your gut health and cause occasional constipation is the changes in diet that occur when you’re on vacation. It’s completely normal to indulge in local delicacies but try to incorporate as much fiber-rich foods like fruit, vegetables, oatmeal and lentils as possible.
Dehydration
Planes have a way of drying you out, which can lead to constipation. Not to mention, not drinking enough water while on the move means your body holds onto fluids tighter than usual.1
Being jet lagged
Jet lag is a result of travelling across time zones, which can affect you for several days. It can disrupt your usual bathroom timing, causing you to feel constipated. Additional factors can affect your gut's activity: new lunch and dinner times, new time zones, new sleep cycles. Besides exhaustion, disorientation to time, and disruption in sense of wellbeing, memory and performance, jet lag manifests itself in symptoms like insomnia, headache, and occasional constipation.
Changing poop routine
While travelling, you may temporarily have fewer opportunities to use the bathroom. Whether you’re too busy exploring, in transit, or there’s no restrooms available, holding back the urge to get relief can cause constipation.
Research has shown that a five-to-eight-hour time difference will cause symptoms that may take from two days to two weeks to overcome. Long-distance travelers may need 8 – 10 days for bowel habits, temperature regulation, and hormonal cycles to equilibrate.
Little to no movement
The travelling process, getting from one distance to another, requires little to no movement. From sitting in the airport for hours, to then sitting on a plane for hours, little physical activity is done during travel. This tendency to not move around a lot can result in constipation. Try walking around as much as possible during long airport waits or flights – this may help prevent occasional constipation from occurring.
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How does travelling trigger occasional constipation?
Here are some of the ways that travel can affect your digestive system:
1. Deviating from nutrition habits
Whether you’re on vacation or just travelling to a new place, chances are that you’ll be triggering, especially if you’re not eating as much fiber as usual. While travelling, avoid indulging in high-fat meats, prepared food, dairy products and eggs, rich desserts, and sugary sweets, as these foods in excess may cause occasional constipation.
2. Stressful periods
While travelling, multiple factors can trigger occasional constipation – stress being one of the more common ones. Since stress and anxiety can arise from being on a new adventure, trying to keep a normal schedule and routine can be a good solution.
3. New rhythm
People often become constipated when travelling because their normal diet and daily routine are disrupted. Changing your bedtime or mealtimes may affect bowel activity and trigger occasional constipation. When you don’t sleep well, you may feel bloated, stuck or just a general sense of discomfort. These are typical adverse effects that disturbed sleep or lack of sleep can have on bowel functions.
A few tricks to move things along
Vacation constipation – although it rhymes and rolls off the tongue nicely, it’s not a condition most people want to deal with. Planning ahead and taking the right measures beforehand may be helpful in preventing discomfort during your travels.
1. Maintain a consistent eating schedule
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: fiber is your best friend when it comes to help preventing occasional constipation (whole wheat bread, brown rice, nuts, pumpkin, seeds, etc.).
2. Limit alcohol and caffeine
We know how lovely those cups of coffee sound when you’re up bright and early for a flight. Our tip of the day: curb the caffeine and cocktails when you’re travelling – you’ll thank us later. These can dehydrate the body, which can make it harder for stools to pass.
3. Sleep is priority
Remember that if you’re going to a different time zone, your body might need time to adapt to this new rhythm. We know you want to be out enjoying every minute of your vacation, but sleep has to be a priority!
4. Keep active
The tendency not to move around during long plane, train or car trips can have a negative impact on your digestive system. Try to keep active during your travels to avoid suffering from occasional constipation. Start by taking a walk while you wait to board your flight and adapt your activities.
Everything you need to know
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Sources
- Canadian Digestive Health Foundation. Understanding the Prevalence and Impact of Constipation in Canada A Special Report from the CDHF. February 2014
- Mayo Clinic. Jet lag disorder. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/jet-lag/symptoms-causes/syc-20374027
- Cornelson BM. Overcoming jet lag. Can Fam Physician. 1985; 31:2105-2106.
- Kok-Ann Gwee. Disturbed Sleep and Disturbed Bowel Functions: Implications for Constipation in Healthy Individuals. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2011 Apr; 17(2): 108-109