About one in seven UK adults struggle with constipation at any given time.
That number rises if you’re a woman (oh, lovely).
Most people are aware of common bowel-boosting advice, like drinking enough water, eating fibre, staying active, and eating fruits that contain sorbitol (including prunes, yes, but also strawberries, apricots, and kiwi fruit).
But I, for one, had never heard of “bowel retraining” ― a practice that can help us to “regain control over the bowels or to help relieve chronic constipation,” Medical News Today writes ― until today.
It’s designed to make sure our bowels are primed to poop at the same time every day.
How does “bowel retraining” work?
It’s a bit like setting yourself a new bedtime to help regulate your sleep ― you simply sit on the loo at the same time every day and wait until something happens.
Speaking to Well + Good, dietitian Erin Lisemby Judge said that after your first cup of coffee and glass or water, and ideally following your breakfast: “you sit on the toilet for five minutes around the same time each day to train your body that this is the time to relax and poop.”
Medical News Today says you can go as long as 20 minutes ― though Cleveland Clinic and GI surgeons alike agree with Erin about the five-minute limit.
If you’re not feeling anything move in that time, Medical News Today advise: “contract the abdominal muscles and bear down while bending forward to help produce a bowel movement.”
It’ll take a few days of repeating this process for the habit to form, they say.
The NHS says that if your issue is bowel incontinence ― the opposite of chronic constipation ― your retraining will look different too.
“Once you are sitting on the toilet with that desperate urge, see how long you can wait until you really have to let go,” they say.
Of course, you should speak to your doctor about suspected bowel incontinence too.
When should I see a doctor about chronic constipation?
The NHS says you should seek help if you:
- are constipated and it’s not getting better with treatment
- are regularly constipated
- are regularly bloated
- have blood in your poo
- have lost weight without trying
- are constipated and feel tired all the time
- are taking medicine that’s causing constipation – such as opioid painkillers
- notice sudden changes in how you poo (your bowel habits)
- have tummy pain.