HappyLifestyleJournal
Constipation is a problem we usually avoid mentioning in everyday conversation, but it is so common that everyone has to deal with it from time to time. Are you trying to go to the toilet, but nothing can come out? Your every attempt is tedious and maybe even painful? There are several possible causes of constipation, including stress, poor diet and lifestyle choices, or sometimes even a medical condition. When you’re sick and tired of being constipated your first instinct is probably to take some laxatives, but they don’t always help and are not even among the best solutions. If you want to treat your constipation and prevent it from happening again, here’s what you need to do.
1. Don’t hold it in
Sometimes we get constipated because when our stomach sends the signal that we need to go to the toilet it is sometimes not convenient. But the best preventive measure against constipation is to go when you need to go. If you gold it in for a long time, more water is absorbed from your stool leaving it more dry and hard to move through the bowels. So, when you feel the need, go empty your bowels and avoid constipation.
2. Hydrate
Dehydration is one of the most common causes of constipation. When your body is not getting enough water, it is unable to function properly, and dehydration doesn’t only affect your digestive system, but the rest of your body as well. In order to regain control over your body, make sure you’re drinking enough water. When you’re not drinking enough, there isn’t a good amount of liquid in your intestine or your stomach, so the food is more difficult to digest and transfer. Without liquids, the feces may be stuck in your bowels waiting to come out. All you need to do is give them a little push- drink lots of water. If this doesn’t help and you can’t go to the toilet even after an hour or two, we have more solutions for you. One of them will surely help you.
3. Eat some fiber-rich food
Fiber is great for your digestive health as well as for improving bowel movement. For some people, eating a food that contains a good amount of fiber leads to emptying. However, for some it only leads to a more serious constipation (when you’re already constipated). Try relieving your constipation by eating a bowl of oatmeal, some nuts, apples, pears, potatoes or some other foods that contain fiber, but if it doesn’t help don’t just add more but realize that it’s not helping.
4. Sometimes coffee can help
In the case of constipation, coffee can be your best friend. Of course, we’re not recommending you to drink a large amount of this caffeinated beverage. A cup of coffee can naturally stimulate your digestive system (but more than two can cause a more serious constipation), and cause the need to go empty your bowels. For coffee to have such an effect, you should drink it warm and not let it cool down. Coffee also acts as a diuretic, so it is advisable to always drink water with your cup of coffee, because diuretics cause you to lose more water than you’re sometimes taking in. Drinking water in this situation is also important because liquid makes the stool softer, and thus easier to come out.
5. Move it!
If you live a sedentary life and your body is barely moving, engaging in light physical activity may help you empty your bowels. These days, people tend to sit much more than they are physically active, which brings along many complications. Lack of physical activity can easily lead to constipation, which means that by introducing exercise our bowels should move more easily. However, wait an hour or two after a meal before exercising, as your stomach needs time to digest the foods you ate.
6. Eat some flaxseed
Flaxseed oil or the seeds in their natural forms are among the best natural constipation remedies. If you’re having trouble with your stool, you could take a tablespoon of flaxseed oil and mix it in a glass of orange juice. A few hours after drinking this enriched juice, you should be able to go to the toilet. On the other hand, if you don’t have flaxseed oil and you don’t know where to buy it, you can easily find flax seeds in almost every health food department. You could take a teaspoon of those seeds and eat them just like that, or you could mix them with a glass of yogurt and leave the mixture in the fridge for a couple of hours, so that the seeds would soften and become easier to eat/drink. If you drink this yogurt-flaxseed mix in the evening, you’ll most probably go to the toilet in the morning.
7. Drink warm lemon water
The acid contained in lemon will stimulate your digestive system and help the toxins and the stool come out, while warm water will help the liquid go down more easily and it will bring results faster. This warm lemon water has the best outcome when you drink it in the morning before you’ve had your first meal. You’ll need nothing more than a glass of warm water and one lemon squeezed into it. This refreshing drink will refresh your taste buds as well as your bowels.
