Im traveling w the wife and Ive been hit by exhaustion. Were 6 days in and my wife can travel all day walking about towna nd Im stuck in the hotel too tired to go out. Also ive been hit bu constipation pretty hard. Drinking water but not sure this is enough. Im having coffee to stay awake and its just not working. Im happy to sit in the hotel as much as shes happy to travel.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33861 posts
Coffee makes constipation worse. Drink more water. Take Senna tablets. Drink more water.
Posted by
Michigan
375 posts
It's ok to take a break. Pace yourself. Good luck. Don't forget to breathe deeply, too!
And here's Rick's tips on constipation-- "Constipation: With all the bread you’ll be eating, constipation, the other side of the intestinal pendulum, is (according to my surveys) as prevalent as diarrhea. Get exercise, eat lots of roughage (raw fruits, leafy vegetables, prunes, or bran tablets from home), and everything will come out all right in the end."
Posted by
San Antonio TX, United States
2393 posts
You may have picked up something on the flight over. You might consider a visit to a doc or clinic.
Posted by
NY, NY
507 posts
+1
if you are tired beyond normal jetlag, see a Dr
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
You say you're a "novice traveler"...did you by any chance "work up" to this vacation by increasing walking activity a few weeks/months prior? That's usually a good idea. It sounds odd that you have to be in shape for a vacation, but that's often the case if you go on a vacation where your daily activity is vastly different (much more active) than "normal life". If you're not used to walking many miles a day, it will definitely hit you. Good luck. I found that coffee really helps when I start dragging, but stay fueled and hydrated as well.
Posted by
Cape Ann, Massachusetts
3336 posts
This sounds like jet lag and 'dietary' jet lag to me. People are hit differently. I feel like this particularly when I return west to the US, energy wise, as I have not figured out a way to avoid it. I could just stay in bed for a couple of days, but I don't. I do go to bed early. (Traveling east I've been able to adapt my transportation to minimize this affect.) I disagree with the thought that coffee compounds the problem. If you are used to drinking coffee in the morning, continuing to drink it in the morning will help set your body on the right time. Are you actually sleeping at night or not able to really sleep well? Just don't drink coffee all day if that is not what you usually do. Constipation is a typical reaction as your system is confused. Don't eat rice, cheese, breads, etc. until your system starts processing. Buy some dried prunes. Can you get any sodium ducosate to help your bowels? I suspect this is a bad case of jet lag, but I can't see what your travels entailed. I have learned to adjust the speed of my travels depending on how many flights in Europe and overnight flights are required. (I avoid overnight flights whenever possible.) You allegedly adjust one hour per day of time change so I don't know how many days you have left. On the other hand, my older husband when he first started traveling to Europe with me exhausted me, even though I was fairly fit for a desk job, because he was a morning person and seemed to run from 8:00 until 22:00 every day, trying to see as much as he could, rather than chilling occasionally. Finally after a few trips he slowed down and I'm still alive to talk about it!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32355 posts
Jay,
Sorry to hear that you're stuck in a hotel room and not enjoying your holiday. As you're six days into your holiday, jet lag doesn't sound as likely. I'd be interested to know....
- if you've travelled in Europe before, and if so did you have this reaction last time?
- have you felt this type of fatigue before? Is it brought on by exertion?
- aside from the constipation, are there any other issues?
If it doesn't start to improve soon, you might ask your hotel staff if they can suggest a local Physician that could help.