We all do it. Even if we don’t love discussing it, pooping is healthy and normal. Everyone poops — except when you haven’t pooped in days and wonder if you’ll ever go to the bathroom again.
If you experience occasional constipation, here are some tips to help you in SOS moments.
🚽 Get off the toilet. If you’re waiting for something to happen for more than five minutes, it’s time to get up, says Dr. Lin Chang. Wait to sit on the toilet until you feel an urge, and if nothing is happening after a couple of gentle pushes, try again later, she says.
🧎 Change your position. Toilet stools (often known by the brand Squatty Potty) allow you to squat over the toilet, giving your poop a straighter route out. "When you lift up your legs closer to your chest, you're actually easing up the angle at which your poop can come out," says Dr. Kumkum Patel. "Your poop now has a straight and narrow pathway."
🫶 Try a belly massage. Research shows abdominal massage can help you poop when constipated. One method is known as the "I love you" massage because your hand will look like it's spelling out the letters I, L, and U, says Dr. Patel. Using firm pressure with your hands, lay on your back and trace the letter I, then L, and then a U, in a half circle around the top of your belly button, says Dr. Patel.
💩 Consider an oral laxative. If it’s been days and days and you’re looking to speed things up, try a laxative. For a gentler approach, start with an osmotic laxative which “pulls water in and makes it smoother for that poop to slide out,” says Dr. Patel. Stimulant laxatives, which tell your intestines to start contracting, tend to work within six to 12 hours, Patel says. Senokot and Ex-Lax are two popular brands. A stimulant laxative might give you cramps or diarrhea "because it's irritating the hell out of the wall of the intestine," Patel says. But it can be a short-term fix.
Keep in might though: laxatives can cause long-term problems. You can build up a tolerance to them and need higher doses over time to poop. Plus, if you get severe diarrhea from them, over long periods of time, you could end up with electrolyte imbalances.
Maybe you're not constipated right now but anticipate a travel-induced lack of BMs in your future. Or maybe you have trouble pooping when stressed or taking antibiotics. Keep these tips in mind for those SOS moments in your life or forward to a friend who could use the BM support. Remember, it’s normal and healthy!
—Clare Marie Schneider, Life Kit editor and producer
🥴 Tips for finding relief from IBS. More than 25 million Americans have irritable bowel syndrome. While IBS symptoms present in the gut, it turns out that stress and anxiety can exacerbate symptoms. Here's how to identify triggers for IBS, eat a diet that decreases gas and learn where to seek help.
🙏 SOS! I'm feeling anxious — what can I do? Anxiety can feel awful, but it can also be a helpful warning signal — telling us when we're in danger or out of alignment with our true feelings. We share tips on how to turn down the dial on your anxiety symptoms, so you can listen to what they're trying to tell you.
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