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everyone poopsBut it turns out we don’t all have to poop every day.
That’s a misconception, says Dr. Folasade May, a gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine.
“Some people even try to get an appointment because they say, ‘Oh, I stopped pooping every day for a few years,'” May said. “And I want people to be reminded that there is really no fixed or normal number of bowel movements.”
Dr. Michael Camilleri, a consultant and professor of gastroenterology and liver disease at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, says the idea probably stems from the Victorian-era belief that having a bowel movement every day is good for health. Stated.
necessarily. “Most people have bowel movements between three times a day and three times a week,” added May. “I think anything within that range is normal.”
Frequency is not the only important factor when it comes to bowel movements as a measure of health. And several factors, including diet, hydration, stress, age, medication use, and social context, can affect the frequency of bowel movements, says a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard. said Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a medical lecturer at the university’s medical school.
It’s helpful to know what your poop looks like, not just how often you poop.
“Stool shape, appearance, or bowel consistency are actually much better criteria than simple numbers that indicate frequency,” Camilleri said.
Health professionals use the following methods to assess stool quality: bristol flight chart, classifies flights into seven groups. The healthiest types of poo are types 3 and 4. That is, it looks like a sausage with cracks on the surface, or like a poop that is smooth like a snake.
If you’re having bowel movements three times a week and the consistency is hard or pebble-like, but you’re not noticing any change in your quality of life, Pasricha says, it might be fine. .
However, experts say that if you strain too much when you try to have a bowel movement or feel that your bowels are not completely empty, you should try to have more frequent bowel movements or a healthier stool quality. You may need to make changes to do so.
Placing your feet on the toilet seat or a pile of books may help. This will lift your knees above your hips and loosen the pelvic floor muscles that hold your bowels in place, allowing poop to pass more easily, Pasrisha said.
“We didn’t evolve to sit in a chair at a 90-degree angle to defecate. That’s how we do it now. We were all squatting to defecate.” she said. “When you sit upright like that at a 90-degree angle, you’re actually blocking the aisle.”
Just like you need to make good choices to get restful sleep, you need to make wise food and drink choices to keep your gut healthy.
Adequate fiber intake from vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts can help prevent constipation, experts say. Total fiber intake should be at least 25 grams per day. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Some studies have found kiwis and prunes to be particularly helpful in relieving constipation, experts say. But experts caution against eating too much, as fiber intake is associated with bloating and loose stools.
Adequate hydration will soften your stools and make them easier to pass, May said.
“Coffee and caffeinated beverages have also been shown to stimulate contractions in the colon,” Camilleri said, noting that they can induce bowel movements.
read more: Why does drinking coffee make you poop?Commentary by an expert
On the other hand, a high-fat diet can slow down your digestive system’s response, May added.
Movement is also important. May said many people in the United States lead a sedentary lifestyle. but exercise helps It massages the digestive tract to move food and facilitate the passage of stool.
Genetics can also determine whether food moves through the digestive tract faster or slower, May said, and our digestive systems tend to slow down as we age.
Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable bowel disease, ulcerative colitis and some medications such as opioids and antidepressants can also affect regularity. Giving birth or experiencing significant weight gain or loss can also cause pelvic floor dysfunction, making poop difficult to pass, says May.
Stress can also affect bowel movements. According to Camilleri, eating stretches the stomach, which sends messages to the brain and then to the spinal cord, where nerves trigger contraction of the colon, resulting in defecation. However, when you are stressed, hormonal and nervous system changes can prevent poop from going to your rectum, resulting in constipation. Some people experience the other extreme diarrhea when stressed.
The regularity of bowel movements can also be affected by the inability to access the toilet easily or privately and thus the inability to respond to the urge to defecate, experts say. Some people may feel embarrassed to poop on other people at work or school.
But don’t procrastinate. The right time to poop is when you feel the urge to poop, experts say.
Camilleri said if you have to sit on the toilet for more than 5 to 10 minutes, you should talk to your doctor about the problem. Bloating, bloating, and pain in the abdomen are other signs that frequent bowel movements are affecting your health.
But if using your phone is taking you too long to go to the bathroom, stop distracting yourself with it, says Camilleri.
If lifestyle changes are unsuccessful, doctors can prescribe drugs, supplements, or laxatives to help you get a regular life.
