Travel can be amazing and fulfilling, but it can also wreak havoc on your digestive rhythms. If you find that your regular bathroom breaks are disrupted by your vacation plans, whether you're on a road trip or flying across the world, you're not alone. If you're having trouble pooping while traveling, it's probably not the food in your new vacation destination that's to blame. Dr. Lawrence Brandt, a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine and surgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, tells Bustle that there are multiple causes of digestive issues while traveling, some of which are psychological and some of which are physical. reason.
Dr. Brandt explains that part of the problem has to do with familiarity and comfort. "People tend to feel uncomfortable when they are forced to defecate in a different place that they don't frequent," he explains. This problem arises whether you arrive at your destination by plane, train, or car. If you can't seem to get to a new destination regularly, you may experience psychological discomfort directly related to unfamiliar places and situations.
However, no matter your mental attitude, other aspects of traveling can mess with your gut. A lot of traveling means sitting and waiting, whether in a lounge, at a train station, or in transit. "When you sit or are immobile for long periods of time, your intestinal motility is reduced, which means intestinal gas can become trapped in your intestines," Dr. Brandt tells Bustle. Intestinal motility refers to the ability of the intestines to move objects through muscles. If you're feeling bloated and constipated after sitting for a long time on a plane or train, this is why - and it's a good reason to move around regularly when you travel, as this moves gas into your body and out of your body.
However, certain aspects of air travel can cause digestive issues. One has to do with physics. "Because of a physical law called Boyle's law, as the plane ascends, the pressure in the intestines increases," Dr. Brandt said. If you remember from high school science class, Boyle's Law states that if you look at a container filled with gas (such as a balloon or the human intestine), and it maintains a constant temperature as the surrounding pressure decreases, the balloon will expand, vice versa.
"When you sit on an airplane and the altitude increases, the pressure around you decreases and the gas in your intestines expands," Dr. Brandt explains. The World Health Organization notes that the air chamber is pressurized to replicate the air pressure found at about 6,000 feet above sea level. When you're climbing so high in the air (commercial aircraft typically fly over 31,000 feet), the altitude causes the gas in your body to expand, causing your intestines to swell. If you're wondering why you get wind so often while flying, here's why — Dr. Brandt says it's actually a recognized medical phenomenon called high-altitude flatulence. (This is also why airplanes smell so bad after long flights.)
Another cause of gas in flight is carbonated soda, which contains carbon dioxide. "Once these gases enter the warm stomach, the carbon dioxide that causes carbonation is released, causing the stomach to expand," explains Dr. Brandt. "Carbon dioxide diffuses at high altitudes." He also noted that chewing gum, while commonly used to help ears pop during takeoff and landing, can also cause bloating problems. "When you chew gum and swallow a lot, you also produce gas in your intestines," he says. Whenever you swallow air, it passes into your intestines, and on a plane that means trapped gas. When they're all added together, these gas-inducing elements mean your digestion and gut can be completely affected by air travel, especially when you're in the air for a long time.
If you're experiencing digestive and intestinal issues after traveling, there are some potential ways to make things easier. Dr. Brandt recommends that people with severe bloating may want to take simethicone, a medication that breaks up air bubbles in the intestines, before traveling and adhere to a low-FODMAP diet for a few days before departure. High-FODMAP foods contain high amounts of sugar and sugar alcohols, which the body converts into gas and often exacerbates problems like irritable bowel syndrome. Staying away from them before a flight or trip may reduce bowel problems upon landing—that is, as long as you feel comfortable in a new, unfamiliar toilet.
