A Constipation Plan To Get Things Moving — STAT

So, what do you do to prevent that holiday bloat or to address the constipation you experience when you finally get to your destination? There are a lot of different ways to address constipation1, depending on your particular health issues and symptoms. Keep in mind that if you are experiencing a change in bowel habits, seeing blood in your stool, losing weight, or having other concerning symptoms, you need to consult your doctor. Outside of that, here are some quick tips to get things moving!

When you haven't been able to use the restroom, you want things moving right away. Based on your preferences, there are a few things you could consider. The golden rule is that you should try these remedies out before you travel because everyone reacts differently and you don't want to be running to the bathroom if you're experimenting for the first time. You may also want to consult with your doctor before taking anything because they will understand what might work best for you based on your specific health issues. That said, here are a few simple tips to get things moving—STAT:

Magnesium can help the bowels move a bit better. Ever seen those small bottles of magnesium citrate? Well, there is a reason we use them to help "purge" the bowels. I wouldn't drink one of those bottles unless I absolutely had to, but taking a supplement in a smaller dose may be helpful2.

Take 1 to 2 tablespoons of crushed flaxseeds and steep them in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Then strain it and drink it throughout the day. It's a nice, mild stool softener3.

Triphala capsules can act as a nice "bowel tonic" if you take it one to two times daily before eating. It is an ayurvedic herb that has been used for ages to help with digestion4.

Ginger is also a mild prokinetic, meaning it helps keep things moving forward (it's also great for nausea5).

Established and well-known laxatives such as senna, senna tea, and PEG-3350 (Miralax) can also be useful when you are traveling and need to get things moving. A stool softener like bisacodyl can also be used. If all else fails and you really just have to get things moving right away, there is no shame in using an enema or suppository to help you get the momentum going. Sometimes we have to "get you there before we can keep you there." That's one of my favorite mantras. Once you get the momentum going, you can use strategies one through four to keep it going.

Hopefully, these tips can help keep you "moving along" during the holidays! Remember, though, one of the best ways to treat a problem is by preventing it from happening in the first place, which brings me to my second set of tips, focused around prevention strategies. Sometimes we still face the problem, and that's OK. But if you know your body tends to get backed up, try your best to prevent it with these tips:

When you are underhydrated and losing more fluid than you're putting back into your body (from running around and traveling), you can easily get constipated. Make sure you drink plenty of water when traveling to keep your hydration status up.

Taking a probiotic can potentially help bolster your immune system when traveling but could also help keep your bowels moving properly. A recent study from 2016 showed how taking a multispecies probiotic could be effective in treating those with constipation predominant IBS6.

It can be hard to plan and coordinate your meals when traveling. I've been there myself. However, there are certain things you can do to reduce the intake of junk while traveling. You can bring snacks from home (nuts and seeds are a personal favorite of mine). You can also purchase food from the airport or along the way (if traveling by ground) that is healthier for you. You can pretty much find a salad at any restaurant these days. If you're traveling by car, you can scope out your travel path and plan when you are going to stop based on where certain restaurants or grocery stores are so that you have the ability to make healthier decisions for yourself while traveling.

I know it's hard, but you have to relax. The whole point of your trip is to have fun anyway, isn't it? When we are stressed out, we are telling our gastrointestinal tracts to slow down7. Even if you aren't overtly stressed and pulling your hair out every minute, when there is a low level of stress, your body senses that and the motility, or way the gut squeezes and moves, slows down in anticipation of some major event that is going to happen (but there is no major event; you are just getting ready for a flight at 5 a.m.). It's a great time to take some deep breaths, do some yoga, or listen to some binaural beats!