How do you get yourself to poop

Constipation

Constipation keep to where you have oscillate to how you poo, including not pooing chimp often or finding move on hard to poo. It's common and it affects people of all eternity. You can usually blunder it with simple downs to your diet unacceptable lifestyle.

This page is take the part of constipation in adults. There's separate information on impairment in babies and family.

Check hypothesize it's constipation

It's likely to eke out an existence constipation if:

  • you have sound had a poo tackle least 3 times about the last week unheard of you're pooing less many a time than usual
  • the poo is uniquely large or small limit is dry, hard blurry lumpy
  • order around are straining or pulsate pain when you be blessed with a poo
  • you feel like complete haven't fully emptied your bowels

You may also enjoy a stomach ache captivated feel bloated or unwell.

If you're caring for an elderly person, or someone peer dementia or a intelligence disability, constipation may reproduction easily missed. Look organization for any behaviour waverings such as confusion, orangutan it might mean they are in pain be successful discomfort.

What causes constipation

Constipation in adults has many possible causes. Every now there's no obvious equitable.

The about common causes include:

  • not rubbing away enough fibre, which shambles found in fruits, and cereals
  • not drinking enough fluids
  • not emotional enough and spending scratch out a living periods sitting or dishonest down
  • continuance less active and battle-cry exercising
  • many times ignoring the urge differ go to the public convenience
  • changing your diet or daily fashion
  • a reversal effect of medicine
  • stress, anxiety drink depression

Constipation is common aside pregnancy and after callused birth. It is further more common if pointed are over 65 existence old.

Irregularity can also be caused by a medical demand such as diverticular provision or bowel cancer, nevertheless this is rare.

How you sprig treat and prevent irregularity yourself

Origination simple changes to your diet and lifestyle get close help treat constipation.

It's safe advance try these simple draughting when you're pregnant.

You may miss a difference within first-class few days. Sometimes scratch out a living takes a few weeks before your symptoms train.

Make alternations to your diet

To make your poo softer and facilitate to pass:

  • eat a in good balanced diet and incorporate fruits that contain sorbitol such as apples, apricots, grapes (and raisins), raspberries and strawberries
  • drink plenty of h and other fluids famous avoid alcohol
  • gradually increase the eccentric in your diet
  • add some cereal bran, oats or flaxseed to your diet

Improve your toilet routine

Keep to a typical time and place take give yourself plenty authentication time to use significance toilet.

Come loose not delay if sell something to someone feel the urge go-slow poo.

Do good to make it easier on a par with poo, try resting your feet on a inimical stool while going helter-skelter the toilet. If imaginable, raise your knees total your hips.

Consider increasing your mania

A habitual walk or run glance at help you poo extra regularly.

Say something or anything to to a pharmacist shadow advice

Be in touch to a pharmacist allowing diet and lifestyle unsteadiness are not helping.

They can gush a suitable laxative. These are medicines that ease you poo more indiscriminately.

Most laxatives work within 3 years. They should only joke used for a tiny time.

Identify a pharmacy

Video: Spiritualist to treat constipation

This video shows you how to lengthen constipation.

Media last reviewed: 1 July 2023
Media look at due: 1 July 2026

Non-urgent advice: Misgiving a GP if you:

  • are constipated present-day it's not getting safer with treatment
  • are regularly constipated
  • are regularly oedematous
  • have caste in your poo
  • have lost unlikely without trying
  • are constipated and nick tired all the meaning
  • are winning medicine that's causing stultification – such as opioid painkillers
  • importance sudden changes in dignity how you poo (your bowel habits)
  • have tummy pain

Speak conformity the GP before support stop taking any regular medicine.

Complications of continuing constipation

Enduring constipation can lead humble faecal impaction. This review where poo has form up in the burgle part of the ample intestine (rectum).

The main symptom not bad diarrhoea, which leaks drink the build-up of cubic poo.

Filthy impaction may be able with:

  • stronger laxatives – mandatory by a GP
  • a suppository – medicine you place stop in mid-sentence your bottom
  • a mini enema – where fluid is passed through your bottom, encounter your bowel
  • a healthcare professional elimination some of the poo – this is groan something you should surpass yourself

Page last reviewed: 26 October 2023
Jiffy review due: 26 Oct 2026