Tips for Constipation

Constipation is really common and lots of my clients suffer with this. It might be embarrassing to talk about, but finding help for your particular situation can help to get you more comfortable. There is a lot that can be done to manage this condition, even if you feel like you’ve already tried everything!

Before we dig into my content on how to improve constipation I need to mention that it’s always worth raising your symptoms with a doctor if your bowel habits have changed.

This is in order to rule out other conditions, particularly if your symptoms don’t go away after a few days.

How do you define constipation?

Symptoms of constipation include having bowel movement less than 3 times a week, and finding your stools hard to pass. Maybe you spend hours on the toilet and nothing happens, or it’s painful to pass.

Common causes can include:

• lack of dietary fibre,
• not enough exercise,
• not drinking enough water,
• certain medications,
• stress or anxiety
• or food intolerance.

Microbes causing slow transit?

You might also be interested in hearing about how the microbes in your gut can affect the bowel transit time. Certain microbes can create methane gas which has a slowing effect on the smooth muscles in your gut, adding to the constipation. You can read about intestinal methanogen overgrowth. 

How to get rid of constipation

There are different approaches to increasing how often you poo. I’ve split these into the first line, basic steps that I suggest. Saying they are basic doesn’t mean they are easy to implement, but these are the first things I’d start with before you move onto more complicated treatments. 

First stage treatment – basic constipation tips

Sometimes we need to go back to basics and check off the obvious list of things that help regular bowel movements. These include:

Drinking enough water

Are you always getting 8 glasses of water a day, around two litres? This should be arund three litres if you exercise a lot or live in a warm climate. This is really important, and although it sounds quite basic, can really make a difference.

If you’re dehydrated you could absorb water back from the stool in the large intestine. This can make stools harder and drier and more difficult to pass if more water is absorbed at this stage.

Eating enough fibre

Eating sufficient fibre will increase the bulk of your stool, hopefully stimulating a bowel movement. It’s important to ensure you’re well hydrated when you eat more fibre or you could get more constipated. We need a mix of different fibres in the diet, some gel forming, some bulk forming to create a healthy stool. 

Include fruits, vegetables, pulses and whole grains daily.

Eating enough food

If you’re not eating enough food each day then your digestion can slow down and cause constipation. When you undereat you may get more bloating and gas when you do eat so it can become a viscious cycle. Starting with low FODMAP fibres can help restart your digestion. 

Kiwi fruit

Eating two kiwi a day has been shown to help constipation – I’ve written more about the benefits of kiwi if you want to know more

Flax seeds

Linseeds / flaxseeds are a good addition to the diet to help form a softer stool. Add them to porridge (oats are a good source of fibre as well)

Exercise

Moving your body every day can help with constipation. Gentle walking is a good start, but anything that gets your heart rate up and your body moving is important.

Stress management

When we’re holding onto a lot of emotional weight, and we’re stressed or anxious constipation can be worse.

Tummy massage

Sometimes rubbing your stomach around your belly button can improve movement within the bowel. Always move clockwise or from right to left.

What if none of these things have helped? 

The actions in this list can be very helpful in increasing bowel movements, but don’t always work for people with IBS-C.

Many of my clients on the Gut Reset have already been through this list, and if that’s also you, then read on!

Toilet habits that help you pass stools

Did you know there is a right and wrong way to sit on the toilet? Most people don’t realise you can sit differently and improve your chances of a perfect poo! 

These considerations should help reduce straining and risk of haemorrhoids. 

Bowel retraining

Don’t ignore the urge to defecate. When you need to go, make your way to a toilet. If you constantly ignore the urge to go it can interfere with the nervous message between the brain and gut.

Keep it focussed

Allow 10 mins to pass a stool. If nothing happens then get up, and return when you next feel the urge to go. Sitting for long periods of time can impact your pelvic floor muscles. So don’t sit and read your phone for half an hour waiting for something to happen! 

Sit in a squatting position

Using a small stool or box to raise up your legs when you’re sitting on the toilet can help to get the right position to release the stool. Lean forward to allow your pelvic floor to relax. This position helps to relax the muscles in the rectum to allow the poo out without straining. 

Relaxing on the toilet

Don’t sit and use your phone or read to distract yourself. Try deep breathing and concentrate on what you’re doing.

Don’t hover over the toilet – sit down

Even in a public toilet. Your pelvic floor doesn’t relax in this position. There are very few issues that can occur from touching a toilet seat with your leg!

Using laxatives for constipation

To soften the stool as a third line of support you could try osmotic laxatives. These can help to loosen the bowels by drawing more water into the stool to soften it and make it easier to pass.

• Lactulose – a pre-biotic that can increase the positive bacteria in the gut. It’s a liquid sugar which can’t be digested by our body, but feeds the good bacteria, as well as drawing water into the bowel. You can start with very small amounts and build up.
• Magnesium oxide – taking magnesium can loosen the bowels, and there are lots of different types of magnesium. Oxide isn’t well absorbed, so it draws water into the bowel which can help if your issue is a hard stool. This works well when taken at night before bed. Ask a health professional about dosage.

There are other laxatives which work by irritating and stimulating the bowels, to make you want to go to the toilet, but these can affect the function of the bowel if used consistently. These shouldn’t be used every day (e.g. Senna).

Don’t use laxatives if you have Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis. Don’t take laxatives for longer than a week without medical advice.

Always see a GP if your bowel habits have changed or you’re worried about them.

Resolving constipation is normally down a combination of changing your diet, gut bacteria, exercise patterns and stress levels. If you’d like help with your particular situation then please get in touch to start your 3 month Gut Reset.

Your Action Points – Constipation support

There are simple changes that can help regular healthy bowel movements

• Eat more fibre – vegetables and pulses like lentils, chickpeas.  Cover half your plate in vegetables at mealtimes. Aim for 25-30g fibre a day.
• Drink 8 glasses of water or herb tea.
• Try stomach massage to keep things moving if it helps.
• Exercise – moving our body helps to get things moving.
• Look at your habits on the toilet to see if you can improve your posture, or timings
• Manage your stress levels