Healthy people can't suppress the urge to move the bowels for too long no matter the circumstances or time zone. Thus, traveler's constipation is a marker of latent constipation — a form of hidden constipation that is behind enlarged hemorrhoids, anorectal neuropathy, diverticular disease, megacolon, IBS, PMS, inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal polyps, and many other conditions.Problems watching? View onYouTube.Transcript:Judging from the popularity of this question, travel constipation annoys just as many people as airline food… And, indeed, traveling nowadays seems like a high-stake hazard for one's gut — some people bitterly complain about wasting their vacation due to roaring diarrhea, others suffer in silence from brutal constipation, and a few unlucky souls get beaten up by both throughout their trip. Let's go over the major reasons:
● At first, constipation may start along with a sudden change of your diet;Cause-and-effect: A few days after you trade your usual fiber-fortified morning cereal for a fiber-free continental breakfast, you may end up experiencing traveler's constipation because of the sudden fiber withdrawal. This means your bowels are addicted to fiber, and refuse to move without added bulk. Since fiber addiction is behind all major colorectal disorders — from hemorrhoids to colon cancer —don‘t expect me to recommend you to go back to your usual fiber fix or to take a fiber laxative. I‘d rather see you wean yourself from fiber dependence weeks before you travel, so you travel in peace, and enjoy your Egg Benedict without guilt.
● Then it is the disruption of your usual daily routine typical for any travel;Cause-and-effect: Our bodies are conditioned to the clock just like the Pavlovian dogs were conditioned to the bell. So, if nature‘s call catches you up in the wrong place and at the wrong time, naturally, you will do what any child or adult out of pampers does — suppress the urge to move your bowels until the time is right. Alas, withholding stools even once is a big no-no at any age, because it makes them impact, dry out, and jam up right before the narrowest juncture of your bowels. Do it once, do it twice, third is a charmer — your vacation ends up seriously ruined by a plug that will not leave your body without a plunger!● If you travel really far-and-away, jet lag is a big one too;Cause-and-effect: Jet lag kicks in when you cross one too many times zones. Once half-way or down under, your body wants to move its bowels while you are counting sheep, and refuses to relieve itself while you are suffering from jet lag throughout the day because of all other factors discussed here.● Next is the general unease with using bathrooms outside of the home, especially by women; Cause-and-effect: The anxiety over using bathroom facilities, either over the lack of hygiene, privacy, or both, has spoiled a good number of honeymoons for brides and grooms still embarrassed by bathroom anxieties in the round-the-clock presence of their newly minted significant other! Obviously, the same problem extends into all other aspects of lodging with companion(s).
● Just as common is traveler's diarrhea, because it disrupts stools and leads to the inevitable constipation;Cause-and-effect: Most people believe traveler's diarrhea is caused by contaminated food or water. That is, actually, not always true, especially when your companions aren‘t affected by eating and drinking from the same source. Actually, the most common reason for traveler's diarrhea is eating at the wrong time. What happens next is explained by the next reason…
● Acute indigestion is also a frequent factor, because it disrupts the entire chain of mouth-to-anus digestive functions; Cause-and-effect: After stuffing yourself senseless with all-you-can-eat delicacies, particularly at the wrong time, your stomach fails to digest protein fast enough, and undigested proteins begin to rot. The byproducts of proteins rotting are extremely poisonous, and cause violent expulsion of bodily fluids from both ends — vomit on top, diarrhea at the bottom. This happening, of course, disrupts regular bowel movements for a good while — it may take 3 to 4 days, sometimes longer, to restore a normal pattern, so it may seem like constipation
