5 Tricks You Must Try When You Just Can't Poop
These are the hacks you need to get going right now
You’re not alone. Constipation is one of the most common digestive problems in the U.S., affecting an estimated 42 million people every year, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
But it can mean different things for different people. One person’s constipation may mean having a bowel moment fewer than three times per week, says Satish Rao, M.D., director of the Digestive Health Center at Augusta University. Another’s might be pooping three times a day, but still having “incomplete evacuation,” or a feeling of pressure, like you didn’t get everything out, he says.
Constipation can make you feel bloated, gassy, and generally pretty crappy—and it can raise your risk of unpleasant conditions like hemorrhoids, too.
Increasing your fiber, drinking more fluids, and taking probiotics can help you in the long-term, says Dr. Rao—but if you need a faster fix, try these 5 tricks to get pooping right now.
Related: 10 Reasons You Can't Poop
Think of your normal toilet position: You’re probably hunched over on the can, right?
That’s bad news for pooping: “The toilet has been a curse for mankind,” says Dr. Rao.
That’s because when you sit, the puborectalis muscle—which helps you maintain continence by creating a kink between the colon and rectum—only partially relaxes. But when you squat, the muscle fully relaxes. As a result, your rectum shortens, which allows for more adequate evacuation of your stool.
Now, this doesn’t mean you should perch on your toilet seat to pop a squat—unless you want to make a mess and sprain an ankle.
Instead, consider buying a Squatty Potty , a step stool that you place around the base of the toilet. You put your feet on the platform, which raises your knees above your hips, mimicking the squatting position. This can help you poop, as we reported.
Or, you can save some cash and build your own: Just look for a step stool that’s 9-inches tall so it will put your knees in the correct position.
Then, once you have your setup in place, make sure you’re in and out—no scrolling through your Facebook feed: Spending too much time on the toilet can actually make constipation worse. The longer you sit, the more the contractions of your intestinal muscles fade, says Dr. Rao. That can lead some people to start pushing to try to push out their poop, which can trigger the development of hemorrhoids.
That’s bad news for pooping: “The toilet has been a curse for mankind,” says Dr. Rao.
That’s because when you sit, the puborectalis muscle—which helps you maintain continence by creating a kink between the colon and rectum—only partially relaxes. But when you squat, the muscle fully relaxes. As a result, your rectum shortens, which allows for more adequate evacuation of your stool.
Now, this doesn’t mean you should perch on your toilet seat to pop a squat—unless you want to make a mess and sprain an ankle.
Instead, consider buying a Squatty Potty , a step stool that you place around the base of the toilet. You put your feet on the platform, which raises your knees above your hips, mimicking the squatting position. This can help you poop, as we reported.
Or, you can save some cash and build your own: Just look for a step stool that’s 9-inches tall so it will put your knees in the correct position.
Then, once you have your setup in place, make sure you’re in and out—no scrolling through your Facebook feed: Spending too much time on the toilet can actually make constipation worse. The longer you sit, the more the contractions of your intestinal muscles fade, says Dr. Rao. That can lead some people to start pushing to try to push out their poop, which can trigger the development of hemorrhoids.
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