Constipation is the body’s digestive tract related concern where excretion of waste or stools by rectum doesn’t happen easily because of hard and dry consistency of stools. Less than three bowel movements in a week denote the issue of constipation which can affect your overall health. However, with home remedies to relieve constipation it can be relieved.
It is a common health concern which 1 out of 5 people is found affected. However, women are the greater victim of this disease along with aging. This health issue started when stool or waste starts moving very slowly inside the digestive tract and couldn’t be eliminated fully as it gets hard with time.
Resulting in the affected person feels incomplete emptying even after the bowel movement. Apart from this the bowel movements get painful and need more stress to eliminate it fully.
In short, infrequent or difficult bowel movements less than the usual time in a week for a longer period is considered as constipation. It is a common type of gastrointestinal problem where digested food stuck for a longer time in colon resulting in water part of the digested food is absorbed by colon and stool gets harder and dry.
In this context you must be aware of the fact that constipation doesn’t develop itself, mostly it is the outcome of some other internal health issue. Constipation concern that persistently lies for more than three months is called chronic constipation that needs immediate treatment otherwise in future it can cause to develop major health concerns.
Causes of Constipation
Blockage in Rectum or Colon
Stool passes through the lower part of the intestine that is colon or rectum. However difficulty in bowel-movements and stool elimination develop if some kinds of blockages exist in rectum or colon which can cause low and infrequent bowel movements.
Some common causes of blockages in rectum or colon include rectal cancer, colon cancer, anal fissure, narrow size of the colon, bowel obstruction, rectum bulge through the back vaginal wall, any abdominal cancer that is extended up to colon etc.
Difficulty in Pelvic Muscles
Muscles which are involved in the bowel movements such as pelvic muscles may cause to create a chronic form of constipation if some kind of difficulty is involved with these muscles.
Some common pelvic muscles related difficulties include weaker pelvic muscle, an inability of these muscles to maintain proper coordination between relaxation and contraction, incapability of pelvic muscles to relax for allowing proper bowel movements.
Colon and Rectum Nerves Difficulty
Any concern or problem in the nerves surrounding the colon and rectum may cause slow and stop bowel movement. This particularly happens due to some neurological problems that affect the contraction and movement of nerves consisting muscle around the colon and rectum for proper bowel movement through the intestine.
Neurological concerns that can affect the nerves around the colon and rectum include spinal cord injury, autonomic neuropathy, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and, multiple sclerosis.
Wrong Bathroom Habits
Your wrong or bad bathroom habits can cause you to develop constipation a chronic gastrointestinal concern in future. As per the doctors whenever you feel the urge for bathroom use you should not suppress it otherwise it can confuse rectum muscles, and when you will try to eliminate stool after some time it causes pain and difficulty.
As long as stools or waste exists in the colon the more its water content is absorbed by colon resulting in stools get dry and hard which causes pain and struggle during excretion, resulting in an irregular bowel movement or constipation problem appears.
Excess Use of Laxatives
Laxatives are the commonly prescribed medications and food products which help to soften the stool so that it can easily pass through colon without any pain or difficulty. It is good for getting immediate relief from the chronic form of constipation and for improving bathroom habits.
However, in the long run, people who use laxatives are get addicted to it and find difficulty to eliminate stools naturally without taking this medicine. This happens because of the depletion of nerve cells which releases chemicals for colon for the bowel movements.
Consistent use of laxatives reduces the effectiveness of other measures that relieves constipation problem and necessity for excess use of laxatives appear as low doses doesn’t work effectively after its long-term usage. This dependency affects the digestive tract and develops the constipation concern permanently.
Medications Side Effects
Sometimes constipation doesn’t develop on its own, as it appears as a side effect of the consumption of some other medicines. There are several medications that come along with some side effects; constipation concern is of those side effects.
These medications include drugs for high blood pressure, heartburn, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety etc. Apart from these medicines some vitamin drugs too can cause you to develop constipation as it is associated with some side effect. Vitamins for iron and calcium can disturb normal bowel movements.
Apart from these medications painkillers and over the counter medicines can also affect the digestive tract and can cause you to develop constipation especially if you are taking them consistently for more than 30 days. So it’s better to ask your doctor some other pain relief method if you find no relaxation even after 30 days of consistent use of painkillers.
Diabetes
As per the report of a study conducted on diabetic in the year 2014, out of 3 diabetes patient one is found affected with chronic constipation concern. This happens because diabetes affects the nerves health and in the long run it damages affected nerves.
This damaging when reaches to the colon area it hampers the normal bowel movement and also reduces the rectal sensation. Hence infrequent or disturbed bowel movement happens which lead to develops constipation.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism or underactive thyroid affects the metabolic function of the body by reducing its speed. This affects the digestive function of the body too, resulting in waste or stools needs to stay longer in the colon which absorbs its water content.
As a result of it, stools get harder and dry which passes with difficulty and in less frequency causing constipation. However, the thyroid does not always affect to bowel movement but if a person is going through persistent constipation then he must go for the thyroid test in order to confirm whether this is the reason of infrequent bowel movement or not.
Due to Less and Excessive Exercise
People who do very less physical activities or fitness work like exercising often get a victim of constipation problem.Regular or a fixed interval exercise is important to keep your body’s metabolism function at a proper rate.
Otherwise, it affects the intestinal activity of body and bowel movement process gets slows down with time and remain infrequent leading to constipation. In this context workouts which put emphasis to tone abdominal muscles are very effective to prevent the constipation concern
Regular fitness activities are important to boost your intestinal activities however excessive exercise is not at all favorable for the digestive health and may cause constipation.
This happens because more exercising means more sweating in which your body absorbs and secretes this extra water by absorbing stools existing in the digestive tract. As a result of it, stools get dry and hard which rectum find difficult to eliminate it swiftly and easily.
Home Remedies to Relieve Constipation
Normal bowel movements or its frequency differs from person to person. However everyone aware of his or her bowel movement frequency with time. So if you find your bowel frequency lesser than the normal period for more than a month then it symbolizes the chronic constipation problem.
Constipation is not a major health concern and the good news is that it can be relived through some effective natural home remedies other than the prescribed medications. So lets us discuss some home remedies to relieve your constipation problem.
Follow Consistent Bathroom Habit
Follow a consistent bathroom habit by going to the bathroom on the same time in the morning. As the colonic motor function remains at its peak in the morning time so make sure that you are using the bathroom every morning at the same time for avoiding constipation problem in the future.
Increase Your Water Intake
Drink plenty amount of water every day and other fluid drink to speed up your bowel movement so that you won’t have to face constipation problem in the future. Water helps to soften stools in the colon so that it can be eliminated easily without any pain or difficulty.
In hot weather or temperature increase your water intake than the normal days as in these days your body needs more water for proper digestive functioning. Apart from this if you exercise daily then make sure that you are drinking enough fluid before, during and after the exercise.
Don’t Ignore Urge to Use Bathroom
Don’t ignore your body’s urge to use washroom as persistent suppressing your trigger for bowel movement can affect normal bathroom habit can cause constipation. This urge remains high after the mealtime which should not and never be suppressed.
Also throughout the day when you feel this urge to defecate don’t avoid it as because longer the stools exist in bowel its get harder due to more absorption of its water content, hence difficult and painful for the rectum to pass it easily.
Increase Your Fiber Intake
If you are suffering from a chronic form of constipation problem and want to relive it with natural remedy then dietary fiber can helps you a lot to relieve your constipation concern. Increased fiber intake in your regular food can boost the stools movement rate through the bowel by adding bulk to the stool which creates natural pressure for excretion.
Fiber-rich diets, drink and, supplements as well are effective to reduce and remove constipation problem with very less effort and expense. However, you need to take care of one thing if you are taking dietary fiber and supplements that it is accompanied by enough fluid or water intakes.
Fiber can even elevate the constipation problem if regular water intake is not increased with this diet as it helps to move it swiftly through the digestive tract. So in order to avoid the negative impact of fiber diet and supplements for relieving constipation drink plenty amount of water along with increased fiber intake.
Give Relaxation to Your Body
Being stressful and in rush during the bathroom time can be one prominent reason to develop constipation problem if it remains persistent. This happens because stress affects the body’s relaxation which is important for a smooth and stress-free bowel movement.
In order to avoid such concern make sure that your body is fully relaxed when you use washroom so your colon muscles feel fully relaxed and give support for easy stool excretion.
Eat Probiotics
Just like fiber, probiotics are equally effective natural remedies for treating constipation problem without the help of any medication. Probiotics are healthy gut bacteria which exist in our intestine and boost the digestive function of the body.
You can easily avail probiotics indifferent food products or can take it in supplement form, both are equally effective. Probiotics that you can get through supplements and diet includes Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces boulardi and Bifidobacterium. Yogurt is the best natural source of probiotic that easily remain available in every house.
Fish Oil
Fish oil works as a natural medication to manage and control digestive function in the body very smoothly as it contains omega 3 fatty acid which is a vital nutrient that eliminates many health concerns including constipation.
Fish oil derived from diet source or in the supplement form helps to relieve the symptoms of diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s diseases which causes to develop constipation problem.
Fish oil derived from cold water fish are more effective as well as safe for the usage as it contains EPA and DHA fatty acids. Also, these fatty acids contents are available in the fish oil supplement too.
However, while taking its supplement you need to maintain some precaution as its doses can cause you to develop bleeding risk. Especially if you are on some special medications such as blood thinners, cholesterol medicines, diabetes drugs, and steroids and non-steroids drugs then the risk of bleeding increases if you are using fish oil as constipation home remedy.
Herbal Therapy
Herbs are the popular method to cure constipation problem since the very old time worldwide. This is a safe and effective way to relieve your constipation issue completely. Herbal therapy is divided into two segments one is bulk-forming and another one is stimulant laxatives.
Herbs used in this particular therapy stimulate the bowel movement and ensure easy and smooth stool excretion. However, while using stimulant laxatives you need to maintain precaution as it can even cause severe cramping. Still, with the use of less powerful stimulant laxatives, this issue can be avoided.
Our home remedies to relieve constipation problem are not only safe but cost effective too which ensures natural treatment of your chronic constipation problem. However, stay cautious while using some supplements and diets which are quite accompanied to develop some other side effects.