Recurring constipation is a problem that should not be taken lightly. But using laxatives on a regular basis, without changing your diet or lifestyle, is going nowhere. You have to deal with constipation differently. Check how?

When can you say you haveconstipation ? It is considered normal to have bowel movements from 2 times a day to 5-7 times a week. A few days' deviation is not cause for concern. Only when the bowel movement occurs less than 3 times in a week, we talk about constipation. It occurs because weak muscle contractions in the colon slow down the movement of the stool as it approaches the rectum. Constipation is usually accompanied by abdominal pain and gas.

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Constipation - the cause of a too lazy intestine

The intestinal transit is the time it takes for eaten food to travel through the entire digestive tract. In an adult he althy person, it usually takes less than 72 hours, although there is no ideal time to digest food. This is an individual trait that is often unrelated to diet.

Doctors dealing with this issue noticed that the intestinal passage in women is longer than in men and it gets longer with age.

If no more than 72 hours pass between each bowel movement, everything is normal. When the time is extended, there is a slow intestinal transit that is considered pathology.

Constipation - affects more women than men

Every 2nd woman and every 4th man have problems with regular defecation. Some people find it seriously ill, but we are usually to blame for ourselves.

Not all constipation needs to be a cause for concern. If it involves travel, a lot of stress, a change of diet or water, and lasts for a few days, then there is nothing to worry about. The real trouble comes when there is no bowel movement for several weeks.

Constipation - causes

The most common source of trouble is irregular and improper nutrition, too little water in food, lack of exercise, refraining from bowel movements and too frequent use of relaxants.

Depending on the cause, problems with bowel movements are divided into:

  • habitual constipation- their cause lies in our psyche, irregular lifestyle, everyday rush or reluctancefor use of public toilets;
  • functional constipation , which are caused by impaired intestinal function. It is not a dangerous disease, but it makes life difficult. The reason is a poor diet or regular medication, e.g. strong painkillers, heart and kidney painkillers;
  • constipation caused by diseasesof the gastrointestinal tract or anomalies in its structure - often accompanying neurological diseases, hypothyroidism, metabolic and muscle diseases.

Constipation - how to prevent it?

  1. Regulate the duration of bowel movements. You can encourage a lazy intestine to work by taking mild laxatives.
  2. Change your eating habits. Eat whole grain bread, more vegetables, fruits, groats, pij kefir and yoghurts containing live bacteria. Avoid chocolate, cocoa, sweets, eggs, white rice, and large portions of potatoes.
  3. More drink .Every day at least 1.5-2 liters of fluid, mainly still mineral water.
  4. Eat at regular times. Preferably 4-5 times a day, but in small portions. Eat slowly so as not to swallow air.
  5. Take care of the movement. Make time for a daily walk or exercise as it improves bowel function.

Constipation treatment

Doctors say that it is best to start the war against constipation with the simplest, natural stimulants for more intensive work of the intestine, such as

  • dried plums,
  • raisins,
  • dates,
  • figi,
  • flax seeds,
  • sunflower.

They are safe, but… long use of these natural remedies may disturb the absorption of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The impatient reach for ready-made laxatives.

At the beginning, they are very effective, but their long use allows the body to get used to such support. When they are used constantly, the body loses its ability to defecate on its own. However, the problems do not end there.

Most laxatives contain synthetic substances that may adversely affect the digestive tract.

A few pills will not hurt us, but overuse of these drugs can cause overdose diarrhea, allergic reactions, malabsorption and even colitis.

Instead of laxatives, from time to time you can reach for suppositories that facilitate defecation, which do not pass through the gastrointestinal tract. The problem of constipation is solved in the lower digestive tract, inrectum, thanks to which there is a physiological bowel movement.

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Gastrology