Ask well: Travel constipation

What causes traveler’s constipation? Is it anxiety or a change in diet that causes constipation in some people when travelling?  Travelling throws off one’s routine — and constipation may be one result, said Dr. Brooke Gurland, a colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. “We’re creatures of habit,” including when it comes to bowel movements, she […]

What causes traveler’s constipation? Is it anxiety or a change in diet that causes constipation in some people when travelling?
 Travelling throws off one’s routine — and constipation may be one result, said Dr. Brooke Gurland, a colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. “We’re creatures of habit,” including when it comes to bowel movements, she said. “People have a time when they do that, and once we throw the schedule off, we can become completely disrupted.”
Other gastrointestinal ills like diarrhoea, indigestion and bloating are even more likely than constipation to develop during a trip. But certain factors may increase the risk of constipation, including travelling across time zones. Dehydration caused by air travel, drinking more alcohol than usual or simply not drinking enough water also contributes to constipation.
Changes in diet, whether it’s trying new foods or just getting less fiber than you’re accustomed to, may “throw your system off,” Gurland said.
Some people also suffer from “bathroom anxiety” and are uncomfortable using hotel bathrooms or public restrooms, so they put off having a bowel movement. “Once you withhold, it sits in the rectum and dries out, sitting there almost like a plug,” Gurland said, exacerbating the constipation.
Certain studies suggest that colonic motility may, like other bodily functions, follow biological or circadian rhythms. Researchers note that shift workers, like time-zone travellers, often experience gastrointestinal irregularity.
“I tell my travelling patients to pack snacks and water and make sure they have a stool softener on them — and to set aside time for this,” Gurland said. “You forget about it when you’re rushed. But be proactive and eat your oatmeal if you’re prone to constipation. Don’t wait till you have a problem. There’s nothing worse than getting to a foreign country and having to find a pharmacy because you haven’t moved your bowels in five days.”
Courtesy: New York Times