Constipation advice file
What is constipation?
Constipation is a symptom, not a disease and can result in one or more of the following:
- hard, painful and difficult stools to pass
- decrease in visits to the toilet
- cramp like pains
What is a normal bowel habit?
Normal is different for everyone. Studies have shown that ‘normal’ ranges between 3 times a day to three times a week. Don’t worry if you don’t pass a daily stool!
What causes constipation?
- Diet – not eating frequently enough and not eating enough fibre from fruit, vegetables, legumes and cereals
- Not drinking enough – not having enough to drink in a day and not having a variety of fluids
- Bad bowel habits – ignoring the urge to go to the toilet.
- Medicines
- Regular use of laxatives, which may make the bowels lazy.
What makes constipation worse?
- dehydration
- inactivity
- emotional upset
- painful anal conditions such as piles
- poor toilet facilities
What can you do you ease your constipation?
- Eat regularly – to keep the bowels working
- Eat more fibre
- Eat more fruit (dried, fresh, tinned (in its own juice)
- Eat more vegetables (frozen, fresh, dried)
- Have more cereals, choosing a product that contains wheat, bran or oats. High fibre breakfast cereals are also convenient snacks!
- Wholemeal bread is higher in fibre than white
- Drink plenty of fluid, aim for 8-10 cups of fluid per day. Have a variety of drinks but avoid too much strong tea or coffee
- Be active: walking, doing exercises, doing housework all help keep your bowels active.
- Get into a routine of going to the toilet – a good time is half an hour after breakfast.
published on: 10th February 2005