If you’ve noticed that you become more irregular—or even worse, don’t experience a bowel movement at all—while traveling, you’re not the only one. In fact, this is a very common occurrence. Read on to learn more about what causes travel constipation, what you can do to avoid or prevent it, and how to treat it if you’re already mid-vacation and suffering.
What is constipation?
Constipation is often clinically defined as having three or fewer bowel movements a week. Often, this is about expectations. People generally feel like they’re not “healthy” if they don’t have a bowel movement every day. But three bowel movements a week can be normal for some people, especially if that has been their pattern for a long time.
There are many other factors that affect how people perceive bowel movements. According to the Rome IV criteria of constipation often used in research, frequency alone doesn’t explain all complaints of constipation. Patients complaining of two or more of the following for more than three months also qualify for a diagnosis of constipation:
- feelings of incompletely evacuating (not getting everything out)
- straining
- lumpy or hard stools
- sensation of blockage
- using a finger to dislodge the stools
Causes of constipation
When constipation is a problem, there are two main reasons for it:
slow movement of the colon and pelvic floor dysfunction (pelvic floor dyssynergia, and prolapse)
Other causes may be:
- physiological (eg. pregnancy, age)
- psychological (eg. eating disorders, depression, anxiety)
- behavioural (avoiding use of public toilets, deferring defecation when feeling the urge)
- lifestyle (eg. stress, poor diet and fluid intake, lack of exercise)
- side effect of medications (eg. morphine, codeine, antidepressants, food supplements containing iron and calcium, overuse of laxatives)
- colonic (eg. diverticular disease)
- anal (fissure, polyp, hemorrhoids, tumor)
- genetic predisposition
- functional (IBS)
- endocrine (eg. diabetes mellitis, hormonal imbalance)
- idiopathic (no obvious cause)
What Is Travel Constipation?
Travel constipation, or vacation constipation, happens when suddenly find yourself unable to poop according to your regular schedule, whether it’s for a day or two or longer.
A lot of times it’s just the change in routine, coupled with the extra stress of traveling.
Vacation constipation can start while you’re in transit; taking a long road trip or plane ride often means limited access to bathrooms. Once you’re settled into your hotel, it’s still not quite home, so your bowels might be feeling shy. Dietary changes are also a major factor since you’re probably eating different foods than you do at home.
Sleep disruptions—especially if you’ve changed time zones or ended up on a lumpy pull-out sofa—can also impact your ability to poop regularly. Poor sleep may affect your bowel function too.
While vacation constipation isn’t the worst thing that can happen when you’re away from home, it’s not exactly fun. Luckily, there are ways to prevent it or get your bowels moving again if it does strike. Here are the top tips from a women`s health physiotherapist.
Before Your Trip: Pack Like a Pro
Pack fibre supplements
Fibre supplements— like psyllium husk — can help poop move through your intestines.
Pack stool softeners
Use a stool softener before you head out on a long flight or trip. This can help you poop more often or more easily by making stool softer and easier to pass with natural intestinal moisture. My favourite one is Magnesium Citrate and I don`t travel without it. Magnesium citrate works as an “osmotic laxative,” helping to relax your bowels and bring more water into your intestines, useful for softening and bulking stool for easier bowel movements.
In Transit: Get Out of Your Seat Often
If you’re flying, don’t just sit there: Get up and walk the aisles to keep the blood flowing in your legs as well as in your gut. If you’re traveling by car, take frequent breaks to stretch your legs for a few minutes. Regular exercise has been found to promote daily bowel movements.
Meanwhile, avoid the urge to nibble on junky airport snacks like potato chips and chocolate bars. Your colon will be happier if you munch on high fibre foods like dried fruit and nuts. Make sure to drink lots of water. Staying hydrated is crucial for good gut motility—the movement of food through your digestive tract.
At Your Destination: Move, Eat, and Drink Lots of Water
Try to preserve as much of your regular routine as possible. Pay close attention to your food choices throughout your trip. Of course, you’ll want to indulge and sample local delicacies, but try to incorporate fiber-rich foods like fruit, vegetables, oatmeal, and salads into each day.
Walking around and keeping your exercise routine as much as possible is also helpful, as is continuing to sip water. Get a good night’s rest at the end of each day too.
Ease travel constipation with tummy massage
Abdominal massage, also called external colon massage, is a self-treatment circular massage technique that can reduce and eliminate gas as relief travel constipation. The colon naturally contracts in waves in a clockwise direction. When you perform abdominal massage, you help stimulate your colon`s peristalsis (normal wave pattern of movement) and the vagus nerve (” rest and digest” response”). I like to do it first thing in the morning, lying down in bed. Some people find it beneficial to perform the massage through clothing while sitting or standing.
Check out my Instagram video on how to perform abdominal massage here.
Squat to empty your bowels
Using your tummy muscles and pelvic floor muscles to empty your bowels is usually instinctive. Your tummy muscles have to contact while your pelvic floor muscles need to relax in order for the defecation to happen. However, sometimes people develop problems with these muscles and have to relearn proper emptying technique. Try it to ease travel constipation:
1. Lean forward and rest your forearm on your thighs.
2. Support your feet on the floor or use small foot stool if you can’t reach the floor- no tiptoeing! You can also use 2 toilet rolls or a small bin to put your feet up- mimic squatting!
3. Make sure your knees are higher than your hips and your spine is straight.
4. Stick your belly out as if you have swallowed a balloon and feel your waistline widening. Make your belly wall hard using your tummy muscles while continuing to breathe. Doing this makes it easier to open your back passage.
5. Open and relax you back passage.
A word from a women`s health physio
Travel constipation can happen to all of us, whether it’s after a short road trip to a neighboring state or a several-days-long flight across a continent or an ocean.
But you can do a lot to prevent the worst of travel constipation and even make sure your bowels don’t miss a beat — just try to maintain your usual level of diet and activity as closely as possible no matter what your vacation destination is.
If you struggle with constipation on a regular basis, make sure to speak with your doctor or a women`s health physiotherapist.
