Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHigh-Fiber FoodsExerciseAdequate Fluid IntakeProbioticsStimulant LaxativesBiofeedbackAcupressureFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
High-Fiber Foods
Exercise
Adequate Fluid Intake
Probiotics
Stimulant Laxatives
Biofeedback
Acupressure
Frequently Asked Questions
Many people think that they should be having abowel movementevery day to avoidconstipation, but the truth is that the normal frequency varies widely from person to person, ranging from several times a day to three times a week.
Constipation is defined as passing hard, dry stool or having fewer than three bowel movements a week. One of the most common digestive complaints in the United States, constipation affects most people at some point in their lives.
If you have chronic constipation, you likely know how it can significantly affect the quality of your life.
Although constipation can affect anyone, it is more common in women and in people over age 65.It also tends to occur during pregnancy or after childbirth, and it could be the result of an underlying condition or the side effect of medications (such asopioid pain medication).
Getty Images / Andrew Unangst
A number of studies suggest thatcertain foodsand remedies may offer some benefits.
A diet low in fiber may play a role in constipation. There are two types of fiber:soluble and insoluble fiber.
Insoluble fiber, which passes through the body almost unchanged, gives stools bulk and a soft texture, making them easier to pass. Foods that are high in insoluble fiber includes whole grains, fruit, and vegetables. Try bran, brown rice, or whole-grain bread.
Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance in the intestines. Prunes and figs can be added to breakfast or eaten as a snack.
Another option is to sprinkle one teaspoon of ground flaxseeds over any meal. They can be found in packages at the health food store or some grocery stores. They have a mild, nutty taste.
Fiber supplements are also available, the most popular beingpsylliumsupplements such as Metamucil. Guar gum and acacia fiber are also popular.
Adding fiber to your diet gradually can help avoid bloating and gas. Also, be sure to drink enough water otherwise fiber can have the opposite effect and be constipating.
10 Foods That Help You Poop and Ease Constipation
Essential for regular bowel movements, exercise stimulates the contraction of the intestinal muscles, speeding the passage of stools.
A regular exercise regimen, which may involve a daily walk,yoga, or swimming, can help the digestive system. Exercise also helps you manage stress, which can improve your digestion.
Making sure you drink enough fluids such as water may help some people with constipation. Fluids make bowel movements softer and easier to pass.
We don’t just get fluids from water. Coffee, tea, juice, fruits, vegetables, fluids used in recipes, and other foods and drinks all count towards your daily intake.
Probiotics, such asSaccharomyces boulardii,Bifidobacterium longum,Lactobacillus rhamnosus, andLactobacillus acidophilus, are live microbial organisms that are naturally present in the digestive tract.
Some of the ways they are thought to promote health include suppressing the growth of potentially harmful bacteria, improving immune function, enhancing the protective barrier of the digestive tract, and helping to produce vitamin K.
Preliminary evidence suggests that probiotic supplements may improve constipation.
One study looked at the effect of a probiotic beverage containing a strain of beneficial bacteria calledLactobacillus casei Shirota(65 milliliters a day) or a placebo in people with chronic constipation. The probiotic drink resulted in significant improvement in the severity of constipation and stool consistency.
Another study examined the effectiveness of another strain of probiotics on constipation in children and found no effect.
Eighty-four children between two and 16 years of age with constipation took lactulose (a laxative) plus a probiotic supplement containing lactobacillus GG or lactulose alone. After 12 and 24 weeks, lactobacillus was not more effective than lactulose alone at treating constipation.
Many herbal laxatives and “diet teas” arestimulant laxativesoranthraquinonelaxatives. They include herbs such as:
Some of these herbs, such as senna, are approved as over-the-counter treatments for constipation. Although they are meant to be short-term treatments, in reality, people may become dependent on them and use them for weeks, months, or even years at a time in order to have a regular bowel movement.
It’s important to talk with your primary care provider before taking herbal laxatives, and they shouldn’t be used for longer than a week unless under medical supervision.
Prolonged use may cause the bowels to lose the ability to move on their own, and has been linked to chronic diarrhea, liver toxicity, potassium depletion leading to muscle weakness, heart function disorders, and kidney or liver impairment.
There has also been a debate about the safety of long-term use of senna and its role in colorectal cancer.
What You Need to Know About Herbal Stimulant Laxatives
Biofeedback therapy may help people with constipation resulting from pelvic floor dysfunction, a condition in which the pelvic floor muscles do not function properly.It occurs as a result of conditions such as obesity, an enlarged prostate, or after childbirth.
Biofeedback therapists teach how to better coordinate muscles used for defecation (anorectum and pelvic floor muscles). Although biofeedback has only been explored as a treatment for this type of constipation relatively recently, results are promising.
For example, one study compared biofeedback (one session a week for five weeks) to laxatives (polyethylene glycol 14.6 to 29.2 grams per day) plus education in people with chronic, severepelvic floor dysfunction. All participants had previously tried fiber supplements plus enemas or suppositories but hadn’t responded.
After six months, biofeedback sessions were more effective than laxatives, with 43 of 54 (80 percent) of the biofeedback patients versus 12 of 55 (22 percent) laxative-treated patients reporting major improvements. Benefits appeared to last at least two years.
Natural Constipation Remedies
Acupressure is a traditional healing practice that involves the application of finger pressure to specificacupuncturepoints on the body.
The point is at the highest spot of the muscle between the thumb and index finger when they are brought close together. Caution: This point should should be avoided during pregnancy.
With your thumb or middle finger at a 90-degree angle to the skin, apply gradually increasing pressure. Hold for three minutes. The pressure shouldn’t be painful or uncomfortable.
Acupressure Uses and Benefits
A Word From Verywell
If you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, don’t put off the urge. The longer you delay when the need to have a bowel movement strikes, the more water gets absorbed from the stool and the harder it becomes to have a bowel movement.
There are many remedies said to help with constipation, but it’s important to speak with your healthcare practitioner before using any remedy to be sure that it’s right for you.
Apples, apricots, berries, dates, figs, kiwi, pears, peaches, plums, prunes, raisins, and rhubarb contain fiber and fructose, which can help to stimulate a bowel movement.Learn More6 Foods to Ease Constipation
Apples, apricots, berries, dates, figs, kiwi, pears, peaches, plums, prunes, raisins, and rhubarb contain fiber and fructose, which can help to stimulate a bowel movement.
Learn More6 Foods to Ease Constipation
Foods that can be binding should be avoided if you are prone to constipation. This includes apple sauce, bananas, white rice, and white-bread toast. You should also avoid high-fat or processed foods, such as fast food and potato chips.
When Is Constipation Considered an Emergency?
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Schuster BG, Kosar L, Kamrul R.Constipation in older adults: stepwise approach to keep things moving.Can Fam Physician. 2015;61(2):152–158. PMID: 25676646Tantawy SA, Kamel DM, Abdelbasset WK, Elgohary HM.Effects of a proposed physical activity and diet control to manage constipation in middle-aged obese women.Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2017;10:513–519. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S140250The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Health Information Center.Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Constipation.Choi CH, Chang SK.Alteration of gut microbiota and efficacy of probiotics in functional constipation.J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2015;21(1):4–7. doi:10.5056/jnm14142Koebnick C, Wagner I, Leitzmann P, Stern U, Zunft HJ.Probiotic beverage containing Lactobacillus casei Shirota improves gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with chronic constipation.Can J Gastroenterol. 17.11 (2003): 655-659.Banaszkiewicz A, Szajewska H.Ineffectiveness of Lactobacillus GG as an adjunct to lactulose for the treatment of constipation in children: a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial.J Pediatr. 146.3 (2005): 364-369 doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2004.10.022Morales MA, Hernández D, Bustamante S, Bachiller I, Rojas A.Is senna laxative use associated to cathartic colon, genotoxicity, or carcinogenicity?.J Toxicol. 2009;2009:287247. doi:10.1155/2009/287247Rao, S. S. C. (2011).Biofeedback therapy for constipation in adults. Best Practice & ResearchClinical Gastroenterology.25(1), 159–166. doi:10.1016/j.bpg.2011.01.004Chiarioni G, Whitehead WE, Pezza V, Morelli A, Bassotti G.Biofeedback is superior to laxatives for normal transit constipation due to pelvic floor dyssynergia.Gastroenterology. 130.3 (2006): 657-664.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Schuster BG, Kosar L, Kamrul R.Constipation in older adults: stepwise approach to keep things moving.Can Fam Physician. 2015;61(2):152–158. PMID: 25676646Tantawy SA, Kamel DM, Abdelbasset WK, Elgohary HM.Effects of a proposed physical activity and diet control to manage constipation in middle-aged obese women.Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2017;10:513–519. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S140250The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Health Information Center.Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Constipation.Choi CH, Chang SK.Alteration of gut microbiota and efficacy of probiotics in functional constipation.J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2015;21(1):4–7. doi:10.5056/jnm14142Koebnick C, Wagner I, Leitzmann P, Stern U, Zunft HJ.Probiotic beverage containing Lactobacillus casei Shirota improves gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with chronic constipation.Can J Gastroenterol. 17.11 (2003): 655-659.Banaszkiewicz A, Szajewska H.Ineffectiveness of Lactobacillus GG as an adjunct to lactulose for the treatment of constipation in children: a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial.J Pediatr. 146.3 (2005): 364-369 doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2004.10.022Morales MA, Hernández D, Bustamante S, Bachiller I, Rojas A.Is senna laxative use associated to cathartic colon, genotoxicity, or carcinogenicity?.J Toxicol. 2009;2009:287247. doi:10.1155/2009/287247Rao, S. S. C. (2011).Biofeedback therapy for constipation in adults. Best Practice & ResearchClinical Gastroenterology.25(1), 159–166. doi:10.1016/j.bpg.2011.01.004Chiarioni G, Whitehead WE, Pezza V, Morelli A, Bassotti G.Biofeedback is superior to laxatives for normal transit constipation due to pelvic floor dyssynergia.Gastroenterology. 130.3 (2006): 657-664.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Schuster BG, Kosar L, Kamrul R.Constipation in older adults: stepwise approach to keep things moving.Can Fam Physician. 2015;61(2):152–158. PMID: 25676646Tantawy SA, Kamel DM, Abdelbasset WK, Elgohary HM.Effects of a proposed physical activity and diet control to manage constipation in middle-aged obese women.Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2017;10:513–519. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S140250The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Health Information Center.Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Constipation.Choi CH, Chang SK.Alteration of gut microbiota and efficacy of probiotics in functional constipation.J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2015;21(1):4–7. doi:10.5056/jnm14142Koebnick C, Wagner I, Leitzmann P, Stern U, Zunft HJ.Probiotic beverage containing Lactobacillus casei Shirota improves gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with chronic constipation.Can J Gastroenterol. 17.11 (2003): 655-659.Banaszkiewicz A, Szajewska H.Ineffectiveness of Lactobacillus GG as an adjunct to lactulose for the treatment of constipation in children: a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial.J Pediatr. 146.3 (2005): 364-369 doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2004.10.022Morales MA, Hernández D, Bustamante S, Bachiller I, Rojas A.Is senna laxative use associated to cathartic colon, genotoxicity, or carcinogenicity?.J Toxicol. 2009;2009:287247. doi:10.1155/2009/287247Rao, S. S. C. (2011).Biofeedback therapy for constipation in adults. Best Practice & ResearchClinical Gastroenterology.25(1), 159–166. doi:10.1016/j.bpg.2011.01.004Chiarioni G, Whitehead WE, Pezza V, Morelli A, Bassotti G.Biofeedback is superior to laxatives for normal transit constipation due to pelvic floor dyssynergia.Gastroenterology. 130.3 (2006): 657-664.
Schuster BG, Kosar L, Kamrul R.Constipation in older adults: stepwise approach to keep things moving.Can Fam Physician. 2015;61(2):152–158. PMID: 25676646
Tantawy SA, Kamel DM, Abdelbasset WK, Elgohary HM.Effects of a proposed physical activity and diet control to manage constipation in middle-aged obese women.Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2017;10:513–519. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S140250
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Health Information Center.Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Constipation.
Choi CH, Chang SK.Alteration of gut microbiota and efficacy of probiotics in functional constipation.J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2015;21(1):4–7. doi:10.5056/jnm14142
Koebnick C, Wagner I, Leitzmann P, Stern U, Zunft HJ.Probiotic beverage containing Lactobacillus casei Shirota improves gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with chronic constipation.Can J Gastroenterol. 17.11 (2003): 655-659.
Banaszkiewicz A, Szajewska H.Ineffectiveness of Lactobacillus GG as an adjunct to lactulose for the treatment of constipation in children: a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial.J Pediatr. 146.3 (2005): 364-369 doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2004.10.022
Morales MA, Hernández D, Bustamante S, Bachiller I, Rojas A.Is senna laxative use associated to cathartic colon, genotoxicity, or carcinogenicity?.J Toxicol. 2009;2009:287247. doi:10.1155/2009/287247
Rao, S. S. C. (2011).Biofeedback therapy for constipation in adults. Best Practice & ResearchClinical Gastroenterology.25(1), 159–166. doi:10.1016/j.bpg.2011.01.004
Chiarioni G, Whitehead WE, Pezza V, Morelli A, Bassotti G.Biofeedback is superior to laxatives for normal transit constipation due to pelvic floor dyssynergia.Gastroenterology. 130.3 (2006): 657-664.
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