If you travel, chances are that you’ve experienced cramping, diarrhea, or other unpleasant health problems. I’ve traveled extensively during my days in the Navy, and have also enjoyed many cruise and all-inclusive resort vacations.
I just came across a great article from SheKnows.com that may help you avoid sickness during your next vacation.
“You’re on vacation and you can’t wait to explore your destination, eat delicious local foods and see all there is to see. But then your stomach feels off. Maybe you feel full even though it’s been hours since you’ve eaten. Maybe you feel bloated, nauseated or, let’s just say it, constipated. You never feel this way at home. What gives? Was it something you ate?
Dr. Michelle Cohen, a gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai New York, says you’re not alone with your stomach issues while traveling. Patients often come to her with travel-related woes.
“In general, I think the most common things that people get are they get upset stomach, bloated and constipation,” she says. Diarrhea can also occur — you may have heard of traveler’s diarrhea — but it’s usually related to an infection rather than general traveling.
Why does this happen?
There are a few reasons so many of us face stomach problems when we’re on the go, and mostly it has to do with changing what our bodies are accustomed to. “Our bodies are used to a certain type of rhythm and schedule,” Cohen explains. When we travel, we’re eating at different times, sleeping at different times, essentially asking our body to get on a whole new routine.
“That in and of itself can just change the whole dynamic of the GI tract,” she says. Travel, especially by airplane, can also lead people to get dehydrated (I mean, who hasn’t sipped water sparingly so they don’t have to ask to get up for the lavatory?), which can lead to constipation.
More: What to Do If You Get Sick While Traveling
These two things — a change in schedule and dehydration — are the main culprits according to Cohen. It certainly doesn’t help that people who travel are often eating differently than they do at home. Whether it’s eating more carb- and fat-heavy foods or eating larger portions than normal, our gut is thrown for a bit of a loop. That can lead to constipation and other GI upset too. Cohen adds, “It kind of shifts the system.”
I know that when I go on vacation, I eat lots of food!
If you travel to Mexico, Jamaica or the Dominican Island, keep in mind that excessive alcohol consumption may also play havoc with your digestive system!
Click on the link below for the full story mentioned in this blog post:.
https://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/1138640/why-travel-messes-with-stomach/
