Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — Did you know that you do not need to defecate daily?
“There really is no fixed or normal number of bowel movements,” explained gastroenterologist Dr. Folasad May, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Dr. Michael Camilleri, a consultant and professor in the department of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said the idea probably stems from Victorian beliefs that a daily bowel movement makes you healthier.
“Most people move their bowels between 3 times a day and 3 times a week,” May said. “Anything in this range we consider normal.”
There are several factors that can influence how often we poop, including diet, hydration, stress, age, medication use and social conditions, said Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. .
Are your stool patterns appropriate?
It’s helpful to know what your stool looks like, along with how often you poop.
“The shape or appearance of your stool or the consistency of your bowel movement is actually a much better metric than how often you go to the bathroom to poop,” Camilleri said.
Medical professionals assess stool quality using the Bristol Stool Chart, which classifies stool into seven groups.
The most correct types of stool are the third and fourth types. The stool is sausage-shaped with cracks on the surface or snake-like and smooth.
If you are straining to have a bowel movement or feel like you haven’t completely emptied your bowels, you may need to make changes.
Experts say you can either have more stools or have better stool quality.
You can put your feet up on the seat of a toilet seat, or even a stack of books. This relaxes the pelvic floor muscles that support your bowels, allowing stool to pass more easily, Pasricha explains.
How to have healthy stools
Experts said eating enough fiber from vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts can help prevent constipation.
And total fiber intake should be a minimum of 25 grams per day, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.
The experts explained that some studies have found that kiwi and peaches may be particularly helpful in relieving constipation. However, avoid eating too much fiber or you may develop flatulence or loose stools.
“It has been proven that coffee or caffeinated drinks stimulate contractions of the colon,” Camilleri said, noting that they can stimulate a bowel movement.
What else affects our bowel movement?
May said many people in the US lead sedentary lifestyles, but exercise helps massage the digestive tract and move food around, which promotes the passage of stool.
How fast or slow food moves through the digestive system can depend on genes.
Our digestive systems tend to slow down as we age.
Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable bowel disease or ulcerative colitis, as can certain medications, such as opioids and antidepressants.
May said having a baby or gaining and losing a lot of weight can also cause pelvic floor dysfunction, which makes passing stool difficult.
Some people may feel embarrassed when they want to defecate in public.
but do not be late! The right time to defecate is when you feel the urge to do so, experts say.
Camilleri said if you have to sit on the toilet for more than five to 10 minutes, you should discuss the problem with your doctor.
And if you spend a long time on the toilet because you use your phone, stop doing it immediately, because it distracts you!
2023-07-14 10:24:55
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