If you are constipated, you are probably feeling pretty miserable right now. Not being able to go can be one of the most awful experiences of our lives.
Luckily, there are a few ways that you can make yourself poop even when you do not feel like you can.
There are certain foods and natural remedies that can help with this problem. Some are more effective than others, and because everyone’s bodies are a little bit different, some of them may not work as well for you personally than it does for other people.
However, none of them are laxatives, and there easily available either in your grocery store aisle or by buying online.
1. Coffee
Coffee is one of the most effective natural remedies when it comes to alleviating constipation symptoms.
The reason the coffee is so effective when it comes to this problem is because it stimulates the muscles in the digestive system, causing you to want to have a bowel movement. There have been studies that have shown that coffee can stimulate your gut and start the digestive process just like a meal can.
It is the caffeine in the coffee that does the trick. In this study, caffeinated coffee was 60 percent better at stimulating digestion and 23 percent better than decaffeinated coffee.
But there is another advantage that coffee has as well. Coffee may contain small amounts of soluble fiber that help to prevent constipation in the first place.
It does this by improving the balance of your gut bacteria. Of course, coffee also wakes you up and makes you more alert. Most people have a cup of coffee in the mornings, and avoided the later stages of the day because they want to get to sleep at night.
However, if you are constipated, coffee may be the solution to your problem. Just drinking a cup of coffee or getting an espresso can stimulate those digestive muscles and make you go.
2. Senna
Senna is an herbal and completely natural laxative that is used to relieve constipation. You can buy this over-the-counter your local pharmacy or online, and it can be taken either orally or rectally.
The reason that this herbal laxative works is that it contains a number of plant compounds that are called glycosides. Glycosides stimulate the nervous system and start the digestive process; speeding up your bowel movements and making you want to go.
This is not something that you want to take every day in order to prevent constipation, like some of the foods out there that help keep you regular, but it is something that you can use on a short-term basis in order to treat constipation symptoms.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind about this particular supplement, including the fact that it is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, or people that have certain health conditions like inflammatory bowel disease.
This is a pretty common herbal remedy and if you do not want to take conventional laxatives then it may be exactly what you need to get your digestive tract going and start the process when you get stopped up.
The compounds found in senna help your bowel movements become more smooth and regular and softens tools so that it is not painful to have the bowel movement.
3. Phenylethylamine (PEA)
Phenylethylamine, which is sometimes just called PEA, is a nootropic that is used as an appetite suppressant or a concentration aid.
This is an extremely effective natural remedy for constipation, because it makes you want to go immediately after consuming it. But there are a couple of problems you should be aware of.
First of all, the recommended amount of this substance is hundred milligrams. However, you may have to take a little bit more than that in order to stimulate your bowels.
You should start with about ¼ of a teaspoon, all the way up to half a teaspoon. However, you should never go over half a teaspoon.
You should also know what to expect and some warnings to be cautious of.
When you take PEA in a higher than recommended amount, it is going to raise your blood pressure considerably. If you have heart problems or blood pressure problems, then you want to avoid this remedy altogether.
You also will notice that you feel tingly and numb for about 15 minutes, which is exactly when the digestive boost kicks in and allows you to have a bowel movement.
During this tingly time, you will also have a major reduction in pain, which makes having a bowel movement easier as well.
4. Prunes & Prune Juice
If you want to go quickly, consider eating a few prunes or drinking some prune juice. This is long been considered the most effective natural remedy for relieving constipation symptoms.
Prunes contain a great deal of fiber as well as the natural laxative sorbitol. Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol that has a laxative effect and makes it easier to go.
Prunes may even be more effective than certain types of fiber, so if you are constipated then this is definitely the way to go.
The effective dose of prunes to relieve constipation is about seven medium-size prunes, or a very large glass of prune juice.
While prunes are widely available and very effective at relieving constipation, you do want to avoid this particular remedy if you have irritable bowel syndrome.
IBS does not do well with sugar alcohols; as you know.
But what makes prunes and prune juice such a great solution to constipation is that when you realize that you are constipated, you don’t have to go to the doctor and get a prescription, nor do you have to take conventional laxatives, you can simply go to the grocery store or possibly open up your own fridge and drink some prune juice and you will be going within a couple of hours.
5. Osmotics
Osmotics are a type of constipation remedy that are called laxatives but they really aren’t. The conventional laxatives the people tend to want to avoid are called stimulant laxatives.
These stimulant laxatives do not work well for everyone, and some people react very badly with them. That is likely why so many people tend to avoid them. However, osmotic laxatives are very different.
These types of laxatives are designed to help fluid move through the colon. Even if you do not like using regular laxatives, you will probably not have any problem with osmotic laxatives.
There are lots of places to find osmotic laxatives. One of the best places might already be in your bathroom medicine cabinet.
Magnesium hydroxide, commonly known as Phillips milk of magnesium is one of the most common osmotic laxatives out there. MiraLAX is another one, which goes by the generic name polyethylene glycol. Kristalose is the name for magnesium citrate lactulose.
There are also a number of other osmotic laxatives that you can use that are much more powerful than these over-the-counter solutions, but you have to have a doctor’s prescription to get them.
6. Flaxseed or Flaxseed Oil
Flax seeds or flaxseed oil is another substance that has lots of laxative properties but isn’t actually a laxative.
This is actually a remedy that goes all the way back to ancient Egypt, and has been used around the world to prevent constipation and cure constipation symptoms. Flaxseeds have very high amounts of fiber as well as omega-3 fatty acids, both of which are elements that you want to have an herbal laxative.
They actually have a lot more health benefits than just those, and you should be adding them to your diet on a regular basis anyway because of the benefits that they provide.
What is really great about flaxseeds and flaxseed oil is that you can add it to so many different foods.
For example, you can add it to your cereal, you can put it on top of yogurt, you can add it to a soup or smoothie, and you can even add it to salad. One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to eat flaxseed whole.
Grind them up first or use flaxseed oil.
You Don't Need Laxatives to Make Yourself Poop
The bottom line is that there are plenty of solutions out there for preventing constipation from ever happening, or from getting over constipation when you do have it.
One of the solutions is obviously the conventional laxative, but for people that do not react well to laxatives or who do not want to use them, there are a few solutions that you can use.
Most people have coffee in their cabinets and prune juice in the refrigerator, and as for the rest of the stuff that is listed here, you can easily buy it online or at your local department or drugstore.
These are just a few alternatives to laxatives that are out there, the ones listed here are some of the most effective.
Learn more about how to make yourself poop.
