Flying can potentially affect our health and well being in a bunch of ways:
- The pressure changes in the cabin can wreak havoc on your ears, causing extreme ear pain, especially if you’re sick or have allergies or sinus issues (here’s a way to help it)
- Your feet and legs can swell from your blood pooling in your lower extremities, or you could develop a DVT (blood clot which, if it breaks free and travels to your lungs, can kill you) (here’s a way to avoid this)
- You’re stuck in a tin can with recirculated air for hours, so the chances of catching a cold from the person in 14B behind you, or of the person who sat in your seat on on the plane during the flight before you are real (but here’s how to decrease your chances of getting sick).
But flying can also affect us in another way – our digestive system.
Many people complain of feeling bloated or, more often, an increased need to pass gas when they’re on planes. It’s happened often enough that there’s even a scientific name for it: High Altitude Flatus Expulsion (HAFE). The name was developed after studying mountain climbers who experience more flatulence than usual when climbing mountains.
Anyway, it all has to do with pressure. As we discussed in this post, there are pressure changes inside the plane when you’re flying. It’s the pressure that causes your ears to hurt and is the reason for those little holes in the windows of your plane. That pressure on your body, including your belly, could be enough for some people’s colons to want to pass gas.
If you’re prone to this sort of issue, it’s recommended to limit your intake of fiber before flying and increase your consumption of fish, rice, dairy products, and strained fruit juices since they tend to leave less waste in the gut for fermentation. Some people recommend anti-gas medication such as Beano, but personally, I’ve never noticed a major difference with or without. As always, Your Mileage May Vary.
It’s generally recommended to let the air out, by the way. If you “hold it in,” you put yourself at risk for pain and bloating at the time, as, as well as bowel problems down the line. And if you have issues with odor, they do make underwear (And jeans. And pajamas. AND seat cushions) with activated carbon that filters the gas so the smell doesn’t get out. Unfortunately, there’s nothing yet available to muffle the sound. Pity.
By the way, pilots and flight attendants suffer from the same issue. I’m not sure how pilots deal with it, especially in the relatively small space of a cockpit, but flight attendants have to be sneaky when they pass gas on a plane. They call it “cropdusting” 😉
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
2 comments
because of this i find it mind boggling that so many airplane meals include such gas producing foods as brussel sprouts, qinoa, etc!
That is why I fly business class or first class. Alot easier to fart than premium economy or regular economy. In economy and premium economy, you are either going to the bathroom alot or walking down the aisle to toot. If you have the window seat or middle seat. You have to fart there, but try to keep the vent open to spread it around quickly. Definitely be the first one to notice it and look around and blame it on someone else. Business class is a lot easier. Preferably bathroom, but alot to ignore if you are in a 1-2-1 configuration than 2-2-2, especially if it doesn’t have walls. Just keep a blanket on it and let it out in stages so your neighbors don’t hear it. Keep the A/C vents open if you break wind. If you have first class seats, who cares. Just toot away. Don’t even need the blanket. Just don’t push to hard or something else might come out. Thee definitive guide. Happy travels.