Constipation Treatment, Causes, Types, Symptoms, Medication And Facts

Constipation can be a frustrating and uncomfortable problem. Part of the discomfort associated with constipation can involve discussing your problem with a healthcare professional such as your doctor. This can lead people to seek to try self-care solutions to their constipation problems.

Two of the more common strategies that people employ to address the problem of constipation are changes in their diet or the use of over-the-counter medications.

Adding considerable amounts of dietary fiber to one’s diet can prove to be an effective way to improve the way that one’s digestive system functions.

Using over-the-counter medications such as laxatives and stool softeners can also be an effective way to provide at least temporary relief to the problematic symptoms of constipation. Over-the-counter medications, if used in excess or over longer periods of time, however, can lose their effectiveness and can also hinder the way that the digestive system works to eliminate stools.

One cause of constipation that can be overlooked in all this is dehydration. Here’s why. The food that you eat is initially processed in the small intestine. From there it makes its way to the large intestine, which consists of the colon and the rectum. A lack of water can impede the progress of your food through this tubular system. The lining of the large intestine is designed to soak up water from waste matter that passes through the intestine. If the waste matter doesn’t contain enough water, hard stools are formed that are difficult to pass through the rectum. If that sounds a lot like a description of constipation you are correct, it is. It also serves to suggest that more water can help to solve a constipation problem.

Preventing dehydration
As described above your body needs more water, it doesn’t need to lose water by way of dehydration. An effective way to prevent excessive dehydration is to drink more water. It’s really that simple. It is especially important to drink more water during hot weather or after periods of strenuous exercise. It is also necessary to carefully monitor the amount of fluid that you’re body needs and the amount of fluid you are providing to it.

Simply drinking more water will not provide a complete cure for constipation. However, additional fluids in the digestive system will help to keep stools soft and facilitate digestive processes such as bowel movements.

How much water do I really need?
Rough estimates indicate that women typically consume about 90 ounces of water per day from a variety of sources and men take in about 125 ounces on a daily basis. If you are of an average size you may be able to use those numbers as some kind of bare minimum.

You don’t however get all your water by drinking it. Drinking about four extra glasses of water a day might be a good way to test how adding additional amounts of water to your daily intake effects the symptoms of constipation. There’s something to be said for the old saying “listen to your body”.

People who have been advised by their doctor to limit their consumption of fluids will have to discuss these recommendations with their doctor.

When you’re constipated, there may be only one part of your body that you really want to move. However taking a hike may be just the thing to get all the parts of your body moving the way you want them to. Countless experts have touted the benefits of exercise for just about any human ailment imaginable. But when we discuss risk factors for something like constipation we often ignore the simpler solutions such as getting up and taking a walk.

Why Exercise Can Ease Constipation

The basic cause, if not the primary, cause, of constipation is that too much water is absorbed by the intestine as a stool moves through the intestine. A stool that is hard because it is dried out has a more difficult time moving through the intestine than a softer moister stool .most of us are aware that aerobic the exercises such as walking increase one’s heart rate and breathing. What you may not be aware of is that this activity stimulates contractions in the intestinal muscles. These contractions decrease the amount of time it takes food to make its way through the large intestine. The shorter the time that food has within the large intestine the less likely is that food to have most of its water absorbed by the intestine. The end result is a softer moister stool that is easier to pass.

Before you jump up right after a meal, please take heed to the following information. Waiting an hour or so, especially after a large meal, is a good idea before engaging in strenuous exercise of any kind. Digestion isn’t simply a matter of chemically breaking down the food that you have eaten. The body needs help in digesting food. Because digestion is a physical activity in and of itself after you eat the flow of blood increases to the intestine and stomach. Aerobic exercise, such as a brisk walk, causes blood to flow to the heart. Of course, this normally is a good thing, but with blood flowing to the heart instead of the digestive organs the process of digestion actually slows down.

The gastrointestinal tract experiences weaker contractions, produces fewer digestive enzymes, and food moves slowly through the intestine giving the intestine time to take water out of the food. Yes we’ve been here before, stools are dry and hard and you may be constipated. So give your gastrointestinal system a bit of a break and it will thank you later.

As you may have heard before, before you start any exercise program consult with your doctor. That being said the best exercise for easing constipation is starting a program of regular walking — or perhaps only 10 to 15 minutes at a time a few times a day to start with. If your exercise is restricted by medical advice merely getting up and moving around can also help ease the symptoms of constipation. It’s possible, we understand, that you already have an exercise program in place. In that case you can simply heed the advice about waiting a while after a meal before you exercise. You might want to try a few new varieties of exercise as well, such as yoga, stretching, swimming, jogging or dancing.