Q: I often feel uncomfortably bloated during flights. Why is that, and is there anything I can do about it?
A day of air travel can throw a wrench into the inner workings of your digestive system, causing gas, bloating and the need to release some pressure.
That tightness you feel in your waistband on a flight? “This is a real thing,” said Dr. Melissa Hershman, a gastroenterologist at Oregon Health and Science University.
Some people — such as those with irritable bowel syndrome — are bothered by airplane gas and bloating more than others, said Dr. Baha Moshiree, a gastroenterologist at Atrium Health Wake Forest in Charlotte, N.C.
But, she said, understanding the causes of these symptoms can help you strategize how to avoid them.
Why air travel makes you gassy
We always have some gas in our digestive tracts. We swallow air when eating and drinking, Dr. Hershman said, and our gut microbes also produce gas.