As the saying goes, "If you don't have a bowel movement, you're worried; if you have a bowel movement, you feel relaxed." More and more people are suffering from constipation. From a medical point of view, constipation does not just mean "dry stools", but also includes fewer bowel movements (less than 3 times a week), or hard stools that are difficult to pass, or the feeling that defecation is too strenuous or that the stool is not clean. To effectively prevent and treat constipation, try the following seven tips.
1. Regular bowel movement time
For most people, the time when they are most likely to feel the urge to defecate is within 30 minutes after getting up in the morning. This period is the active time of the colon. The active period of the colon in a day is after getting up in the morning and after eating. You should defecate in time during the active period of the colon. You should develop the habit of regular bowel movements. Even if you don’t feel the urge to defecate, you should squat regularly. After a long time, you will feel the urge to defecate regularly. The formed bowel movement pattern cannot be easily changed. Another thing worth noting is that the time for a bowel movement should not be too long. Generally, it is appropriate to be within 5 minutes. Long-term bowel movements will cause local congestion of the anus and be prone to hemorrhoids.
2. Follow your "intention" and concentrate on defecation
Follow your "intention", that is, when you feel the urge to defecate, you should defecate immediately and cannot ignore the urge to defecate. If you often ignore the urge to defecate or force yourself to hold it in, the feces will stay in the intestines for too long, and the stool will be dry, which will cause or aggravate constipation. When defecating, you should concentrate on it and have no distractions. Some people like to do other things when defecating, such as reading newspapers or books, texting and chatting, or even playing games, but they don't know that this will promote or aggravate constipation. Because defecation is a process of neural reflex, and the above behaviors distract the attention during defecation, interfere with this reflex activity, make the intestines uncoordinated, increase the defecation time, and even suppress the urge to defecate. Over time, the stimulation response of the anus and rectum to the feces will weaken, causing or aggravating constipation.
3. Change the habit of long-term sitting
People who sit in the office for a long time and long-distance drivers, due to long-term sitting and work, have less activity, and their gastrointestinal peristalsis becomes relatively slow. In addition, due to long sitting time, the pelvic and rectal mucosa are prone to congestion and easily cause anorectal diseases such as hemorrhoids, anal impotence, and anal fissures. Patients with anorectal diseases have a common feature: fear of defecation. Fear of defecation is often a prelude to constipation. Moderate exercise can improve body functions, help the peristalsis of the digestive tract, promote the movement of stool, thereby enhancing the desire to defecate and the smoothness of defecation.
4. Pay attention to the adjustment of dietary structure
Food should not be too refined, let alone partiality. Increase the fiber content in the diet, such as eating more grains such as brown rice, corn, millet, barley, wheat bran (rice bran) and wheat flour; vegetables (radish, celery, leek, green beans, potatoes and kelp, etc.), fruits (apples, red dates, bananas, walnuts, pears, etc.).
Eat less strongly irritating heat-promoting foods, such as peppers, curry and other condiments; avoid tobacco and alcohol.
You can eat more sesame porridge, walnut porridge, spinach porridge, sweet potato porridge, pine nut porridge, etc., which have the effect of preventing and treating constipation.
To take in enough water, drink 1-2 cups of boiled water or honey water on an empty stomach every morning to increase the water content of the digestive tract, and drink a cup of yogurt about two hours after or before meals.
5. Self-abdominal massage
Lie on your back, with your abdomen as the center, use your palm to massage your abdomen in a clockwise direction with appropriate pressure. Do this once a day, morning and evening, for about 10 minutes each time. It can promote intestinal peristalsis and keep bowel movements smooth.
6. Finding the cause is important
Once constipation occurs, do not abuse laxatives. First, find out the cause and treat it accordingly. Abuse of laxatives can easily cause intestinal dilatation and damage intestinal function, causing dependence and aggravating the condition. The correct and reasonable use of laxatives must be carried out under the guidance of a doctor.
7. Several methods of moistening the intestines and relieving constipation
(1) Sweet potato: steam it or cook it into sweet potato porridge.
(2) Fry walnut kernels and black sesame seeds until fragrant, mash them into fine powder, add sugar and mix well, take 2 to 3 spoons each time, 2 to 3 times a day.
(3) Mix honey with water and drink.
(4) Stew black fungus with water until soft and then take it.
