The Ultimate Guide to Reduce Travel Bloating

Bloating and gas are often due to excess gas accumulated in your gut system. While traveling, especially on flight, it can be triggered by:

Cabin pressure: With the lower air pressure inside planes, gases can expand over your stomach and intestines, which worsen your bloating.

Stress and anxiety while traveling releases cortisol that slows digestion, increasing bloating and discomfort.

Limited movements due to prolonged sitting during flights can lead to abdominal fullness and bloating. Short walks during your flight alone helps and we will cover it under the tips to stop bloating easily section.

Swallowing more air by chewing gum or eating quickly can compound gas problems during travel.

First Steps to Address Travel Bloating

1. Apply warmth on your belly

   Pressing a heating pad or a warm compress on your belly will help relax your muscles and reduce painful bloating.

2. Go for a walk or gentle movement after meals

   Opting for a 10 min walk or stretching can provide quick relief when you’re bloating, by helping move trapped gas through your digestive system and increasing bowel movements. So do not stay still on your seat during the whole trip, move around.

3. Probiotics and Prebiotics supplements contain beneficial bacteria and fibers that helps balance the gut microbiome and improve digestion.

And with Claisen you can relieve your gut with personalized medications, delivered at your door - Get your medications here.

1. Use over-the-counter remedies: medication like Simethicone (Gas-X) that can help break up gas bubbles; or lactase (Lactaid) and Beano which can assist your digestion of dairy and gas-producing foods.

   Not sure what medication is right for you? Our  quiz evaluates your symptoms, diet, and habits to build a custom treatment.

That Didn’t Work, What Next?

Try eating debloating foods!

• Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage: Cruciferous vegetables contain complex fibers and sugars (like raffinose) that ferment in the gut and produce gas.
• Legumes: Beans, lentils, soybeans, chickpeas, and peas have complex sugars (oligosaccharides) that the body struggles to digest, causing bloating.
• Onions and garlic: Especially when eaten raw, they can trigger bloating due to a type of soluble fiber (fructans) they contain. Cooking can help reduce their effects.
• Salty foods: As anything leading to water retention contributing to bloating, limiting excess salt in your food will help you prevent bloating.
• Fizzy and carbonated drinks: Drinks like wine, soda or beer can lead to excess air into your digestive system. For your hydration, it's best to stick to water

You can find recipes that help you stop bloating and take care of your gut health here.

The Ideal Debloating Routine While Traveling

• Hydration: Drink plenty of water throughout your trip to help digestion and stop bloating.
• Probiotics : Start your day with probiotics rich food: a yogurt or claisen probiotics bit
• Physical activity: It's important to pay attention to how your body reacts: when do you feel bloated? What helps and what doesn't.

At Claisen, we help you get exactly what your body needs, with a quick quiz before order.

Get your personalized treatment for your gut-health, delivered at your door monthly.

This article and its contents have been medically reviewed by Aditya Jain (MD at Harvard Medical School and Op-Ed Fellow at Doximity).