The surprising reason you get constipated when you travel… and how to stop it

You’ve escaped the daily grind for a much-needed vacation. Everything is going well until you start to feel an uncomfortable rumbling and pain deep in your stomach.

It dawns on you that while planning and departing for this exciting trip, you haven’t gone for number two in a few days.

Constipation during the holidays is incredibly common, affecting between 30 and 40 percent of American travelers. It is often a result of dehydration, sitting for long periods of time on planes and trains, the stress of travel, eating new or junk food, or a combination of these.

Although the hard and fast rule of having to poop every day is a myth, going less than two or three times a week may be an indication that the body needs more fiber and fluid to stimulate the colon and induce a bowel movement.

In addition to staying hydrated and eating fiber-rich foods, gastroenterologists advise their patients to maintain a normal sleep schedule as much as possible, as changing time zones disrupt the body’s internal clock that regulates sleep and digestion.

And, if possible, prepare by taking a probiotic supplement or eating fermented foods that aid digestion, such as yogurt and kimchi, in the days leading up to the trip.

Traveling and holidays are not suitable for a ‘regular’ stay. In fact, everything about it throws a wrench in the bathroom scheme.

The stress of rushing to pack or get out the door can lead to a clog.

In response to stress, the body releases corticotropin-releasing factor, or CRF, which stimulates the production of a range of other hormones.

One of these is adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which is released from the pituitary gland.

ACTH then stimulates the adrenal glands to produce and release cortisol, a stress hormone that disrupts the normal movement of food through the digestive tract.

High cortisol levels limit the secretion of crucial digestive enzymes that help the body break down food and absorb nutrients, which slows the speed at which food moves through the digestive system. This means the muscles don’t contract as they normally do, which pushes food through the digestive system, leading to a slower transit time.

Travel also usually involves changes in sleep schedule, which can cause constipation.

Not enough sleep linked to a 30 percent higher risk of constipation AND Sleeping too much has been linked to a 61 percent increased risk of constipation compared to a normal amount of sleep.

Dehydration is also a major cause of constipation and flying to your destination can dehydrate the body.

Airplane cabins have very low humidity. About 50 percent of the air in an aircraft cabin is drawn in from outside at high altitude, where it is almost completely devoid of moisture.

People may also be hesitant to use the airplane bathroom, or any public bathroom for that matter.

Toilet shyness has an impact a range of 6.5 to 32 percent of Americanswhich adds a layer of fear to travel, public events and holidays.

Many people, whether at the airport, train station or at their destination, may ignore the urge to go if they feel uncomfortable using a strange toilet.

And it’s no secret that eating unhealthy foods on the go doesn’t do much good for your gastrointestinal health.

The common foods that harried travelers might reach for at the airport, train stations, and highway rest stops are typically not the types of foods a gastroenterologist would recommend, such as pizza, cheese, sweets, processed and fast foods, chips, and deli meats.

These foods are typically high in fat and low in fiber, a combination that slows digestion and delays bowel movements.

Dr. Teri Brentnall, gastroenterologist at the University of Washington Digestive Health Center, said : ‘Plums, fruits, broccoli and other vegetables, wheat bran and yogurt with probiotics can improve most bowel movements, which in turn helps retain water in the stool, preventing constipation. These foods can also help balance the microbiome.”

In addition to drinking plenty of water and snacking healthily along the way, experts recommend trying osmotic laxatives, which draw water into stool to soften it.

Common osmotic laxatives on the market include Metamucil, Milk of Magnesia, and Miralax.

Taking a stool softener before a long trip can also help you poop more often when you’re out of town, making it easier to pass the natural fluid in the intestine.

If all else fails, stimulant laxatives such as Ex-Lax and Dulcolax may be the best choice.

They cause contractions in the intestines that move stool.

But doctors prefer the osmotic variety, because taking stimulant laxatives too often can cause the intestines to stop functioning normally and cause them to become dependent on all bowel movements.

Constipation can have very real consequences for daily life – and for your mood – especially if it occurs frequently.

It can also cause severe pain in the abdomen and possibly intestinal obstruction that may require a doctor’s help.

A 2011 study conducted by Iranian researchers published in the journal Gastroenterology and hepatology from bedside to bench found that people with frequent constipation had an increased risk of anxiety and depression.

Even more disturbing are the links that have been discovered between constipation and colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the conclusions are mixed.

A 2003 report in the American Journal of Gastroenterology constipation, defined as fewer than three reported bowel movements per week, was associated with a more than twofold risk of colon cancer.

A special one 2012 report in the same journal found that the risk of developing CRC was 1.78 times higher for patients with chronic constipation, and the risk of developing benign tumors was 2.7 times higher.

Another 2022 study in the journal Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology reported a 10 percent increased risk of developing colorectal cancer associated with constipation.