Does flying mess with your stomach?

Air pressure in the cabin is lower than at sea level. As cabin pressure falls while flying, gas starts to expand. As a result, you may feel pressure in your stomach or digestive system. Gas and bloating are common.



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If you get an upset, gassy stomach while traveling on planes, you're not alone. The average person passes gas 12 to 25 times a day, but when you're on a plane, you might feel like you're constantly breaking wind. In addition to feeling gassy, some may experience an increase in other stomach issues during air travel.

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Keep Drinking Water. Drinking water might be the last you want to do because you feel full and bloated, but it's one of the best things you can do to relieve the effects of bloating. Packing The Travel Water Bottle for your trip can help so that you always have water on hand even though your travels might get hectic.

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You may feel discomfort and notice minor swelling in your abdomen area as well. Luckily jet belly shouldn't last more than one week after you land and can be relieved using different techniques and by taking natural supplements.

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Air pressure in the cabin is lower than at sea level. As cabin pressure falls while flying, gas starts to expand. As a result, you may feel pressure in your stomach or digestive system. Gas and bloating are common.

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Gastrointestinal tract Traveler's diarrhea is a digestive tract disorder that commonly causes loose stools and stomach cramps. It's caused by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. Fortunately, traveler's diarrhea usually isn't serious in most people — it's just unpleasant.

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Jet lag is a temporary sleep disorder, but not temporary enough for many travelers. If you're flying from San Francisco to Rome for a 10-day trip, for example, it may take six to nine days to fully recover. That's because it can take up to a day for each time zone crossed for your body to adjust to the local time.

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Gas is a natural byproduct of digestion, caused by swallowing air as we eat and other processes in the body. However, the pressure in the cabin caused by being at such a high altitude makes any air trapped in your gut expand, which causes you to feel bloated after a flight.

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Dryness and air pressure changes can affect your ears, sinuses & taste. A 3 hour flight can shed up to 1.5 litres of water from the body. Aeroplane cabin humidity levels as low as 4% can cause the mucous membranes of your nose, mouth and throat to dry out.

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While many people believe that recirculated, germy air is the main culprit of illness after a plane ride, the real reason why flying can cause us to get sick is from low humidity. When you're soaring through the sky, the high elevations cause the humidity level in the airplane cabin to decrease.

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Airplane belly happens when your body doesn't release all of the excess gas it accumulated throughout the duration of the flight. So even though you've landed at your final destination, you might not feel as relieved as you would like to be.

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Air travel Airplanes can be breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses, from cramped conditions to the low humidity that characterizes the air circulating on board. Low humidity can dry out your nasal passages and irritate your throat.

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If you're someone with a preexisting GI condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), gastroenterologists warn that flying can worsen your symptoms.

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Keep Drinking Water. Drinking water might be the last you want to do because you feel full and bloated, but it's one of the best things you can do to relieve the effects of bloating. Packing The Travel Water Bottle for your trip can help so that you always have water on hand even though your travels might get hectic.

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During travel, people tend to have higher stress levels and changes in their daily patterns. They may also eat different foods than usual. Any one or a combination of these factors could trigger an IBS flare in some individuals.

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It's possible that traveler's diarrhea may stem from the stress of traveling or a change in diet. But usually infectious agents — such as bacteria, viruses or parasites — are to blame.

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How to aid recovery from long-haul flights
  1. Avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours.
  2. Go for a short burst of cardio. ...
  3. Keep drinking water.
  4. Sleep, or if you can't sleep, rest in a darkened room very soon after arriving at your final destination.
  5. And finally, if you can, get a massage within the first 24 hours of landing.


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The cramped conditions and long periods of being less active on a flight can cause pain, stiffness or swelling of your legs. Being less active can lead to slow blood flow in your veins which increases your risk of developing a blood clot, known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVTs most commonly form in the legs.

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Sitting down in a tight seat for 13+ hours can sometimes lead to circulation issues, including swelling in the feet. According to The Healthy, the chance of your body forming blood clots increases when blood isn't moving correctly, such as when onboard a long-haul flight.

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It's really down to physics. Pressurised cabins on aeroplanes are having an effect on the air inside you, so as the cabin pressure decreases, the air inside the bowel expands by up to 30% more than usual, and that needs to get out.

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Learn some ways to treat travelers' diarrhea
  1. Drink lots of fluids. If you get diarrhea, drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated. ...
  2. Take over-the-counter drugs. Several drugs, such as loperamide, can be bought over-the-counter to treat the symptoms of diarrhea. ...
  3. Only take antibiotics if needed.


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