Avoid Travel Tummy Ache
by Sheila McCormick on August 5th, 2009
Loading ...Our bodies follow natural rhythms and when those rhythms are disrupted by summer travel our digestive systems sometimes rebel. Abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea can turn your dream vacation into a gastrointestinal nightmare.
Travel can interrupt the internal body clock that regulates hunger and bowel movements. This can be particularly troubling when you cross time zones, especially when your vacation includes international travel. Suddenly you are awake when you should be sleeping, you are hungry in the middle of the night and your whole system is topsy-turvy.
Many travelers fall into poor eating habits and drink carbonated drinks, snack between meals and gulp down meals in a hurry when they are rushing to catch a plane. People on vacation often drink more alcohol and caffeine than their bodies can tolerate. Our bodies may respond to this by developing gastric disturbances.
Although anyone can experience gastric disturbances when traveling, it is more common in young children than in adults and they have a higher risk of dehydration and other complications.
Pregnant women also have a higher risk because of lowered gastric activity and increased gastrointestinal transit time. Elderly people are more susceptible to dehydration and need to be carefully monitored if they contract diarrhea.
One way to help prevent gastric upset is to start taking probiotic supplements at least two weeks prior to your trip. Probiotics, which are available in supplement form, populate the gastrointestinal tract with friendly bacteria that limits the growth of unwanted bad bacteria such as salmonella, clostridia and E.coli. Many people take probiotics every single day to maintain a healthy microflora balance in the intestines.
If you experience gastrointestinal problems when you travel, try to get your body back on track with natural remedies. First of all, you will need to drink plenty of fluids to avoid becoming dehydrated. Start with sips of any fluid other than caffeinated beverages. Herbal teas, especially those containing mint, can be helpful in soothing an upset stomach. Chamomile is another herb that can be used in tea form to relieve a variety of stomach ailments including spasms, intestinal cramps and gas pains. Slippery elm, which is available in supplement form, can help reduce the inflammation associated with an upset digestive tract.
Above all, keep your immune system healthy because your first defense against digestive infection is a strong immune system built through proper nutrition, sleep and exercise. Make sure your travel plans include time for adequate rest and exercise. If you are traveling by plane, arrive at the airport in plenty of time so you don’t have to sprint to make your plane. Eat light meals and drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of clean purified water every day while you are on vacation. You look forward to your vacation all year long so you want to make sure it is trouble-free. Take good care of yourself so that all of your travel memories will be happy ones.
This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.