Constipation: 8 Everyday Habits to Get Your Digestion Back on Track
Regular times, 25 g of fibre, water, walking, a small footstool, laxatives with caution: 8 simple habits against constipation, and the signs that mean you should see a doctor.
Constipation means your stools become less frequent, fewer than three a week, and harder to pass. A trip, a change of schedule, a stressful period, certain medicines or late pregnancy are often enough to upset your digestion. The good news: everyday habits make a big difference. Here are the ones recommended by the French national health insurance (Assurance Maladie). If constipation alternates with pain and bloating, also read our article on irritable bowel syndrome.
1. Go to the toilet at a set time
The best time is 30 to 60 minutes after a meal, when the bowel contracts the most. Your body gradually gets used to a regular schedule.
2. Don't hold it in, don't strain
Go as soon as you feel the urge, without putting it off. Take your time, but avoid pushing hard.
3. Raise your feet
A small footstool under your feet brings you closer to a squatting position and makes it easier to pass stools.
4. Aim for 25 grams of fibre a day
Pulses at least twice a week, a wholegrain starch every day (wholemeal bread, pasta or rice), five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, mostly vegetables. Prunes, dried fruit and nuts also help.
5. Increase fibre gradually
Increase it over two weeks, not overnight: a sudden excess causes pain and bloating.
6. Drink at least 1.5 litres a day
Water, soups and herbal teas all count, unless your doctor advises otherwise. Mineral waters rich in magnesium have a gentle laxative effect.
7. Move every day
At least five days out of seven: walking, stairs, housework, gardening, dancing. And cut down the time you spend sitting: combining the two gives the best results.
8. Use laxatives with caution
Only if these measures are not enough, and on your pharmacist's advice. Taken regularly, some laxatives, including plant-based ones, make the bowel lazy. No long-term use without medical advice.
When to see a doctor
Call emergency services (15 or 112 in France) if you are vomiting, have abdominal pain and can no longer pass gas. See a doctor the same day if you have fever with severe abdominal pain.
Book an appointment in the next few days if you have blood in your stools, if you are losing weight, if constipation is recent and severe after age 50, if it alternates with diarrhoea or comes with persistent pain, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, if you take a medicine that causes constipation, or if it persists despite these measures.
A moment of abdominal relaxation, designed for people prone to constipation
I designed the Constipation listening programme for people prone to constipation and irregular digestion who want moments of abdominal relaxation: 36 minutes lying on your back, knees bent, one hand on your belly, headphones on, away from meals, one session every 4 days over 30 days. My advice: pair the listening with a kind routine, a big glass of water when you wake up, fibre at every meal and a little walking every day. It does not treat constipation and does not replace your doctor's advice. To discover the method, the first session of the Anti-Stress programme is free.
Éric Rosati, osteopath with 30 years of experience. This article is for information and does not replace your doctor's advice.
Sources (in French): Assurance Maladie, Constipation in adults: what to do and when to see a doctor · Assurance Maladie, Constipation: definition and contributing factors
🎧 Recommended programme: Constipation
To listen to with headphones, in a quiet place, at your own pace.