It is generally believed that waking up early in the morning and having a good breakfast would help to keep us going the whole day long. But sometimes it is not so, especially if it fails to create the necessary bowel movement which may lead to discomfort. Constipation, which is a very common yet most private issue, is faced by a large number of peoplewho try to tackle it with all kinds of solutions. The need to treat constipation usually arises when we fail to prevent it. That is to say that getting trapped in a restroom is avoidable.

Conventionally, people use variety of things and techniques to create intestinal peristalsis like drinking strong tea and coffee on an empty stomach, eating some sort of herbs, eating lots of papaya, apple, banana and prunes, drinking warm milk, castor oil, etc. Interestingly, it all directly or indirectly helps people get rid of the problem in some way or another. Since the mode of action of some of these ‘aids’ is unknown, it may lead to serious adverse effects as well. But trial and error doesn’t always help in getting a solution. In order to solve the problem, we must try to find its root cause.

The root cause lies in our lifestyle that includes lack of physical activity and exercise, consuming large and heavy meals, increased consumption of fast food and caffeinated products, low intake of fibrous food and water, coupled with mental stress and ignoring the urge to defecate, improper eating and sleeping habits, etc. However, it may sometimes be due to some medical condition as well like pregnancy, diabetes, arthritis, hypothyroidism, colorectal disease and some metabolic and neurological diseases as well. It has also been observed that constipation may be the side effect of various medicines like mineral supplements, some pain killers, flu medicine and other medicines that affects the nervous system. On the other hand, constipation, if left untreated, can cause headache, stress, bloating, feeling of being unwell and discomfort and in the long run may result in serious consequences like anal fissures, haemorrhoids or piles, faecal incontinence, appendicitis, colorectal diseases and cancer.

For reversible causes, some simple and feasible interventions can be devised of which the most important is changing one’s lifestyle. It not only helps to prevent constipation but also prevents some other major illnesses. Lifestyle changes include having a proper sleep schedule which means a good six to eight hours of sleep. After waking up, it is important to  exercise for 30 minutes (it can be in any form that suits you)  to warm up the body and prepare it for the day. It also plays an important role in mental relaxation. After burning the calories, the body can be fuelled up for the day with a healthy and hearty breakfast. Similarly, small frequent meals help more than having large and heavy meal thrice a day. Furthermore, drinking plenty of water (around eight glasses a day) and consuming lots of fresh fruits and vegetables helps not only to prevent constipation, but also helps to prevent major illnesses like hypertension, cancer, etc. and also helps weight loss (but remember not to drink excessive amounts as it may overload your kidneys and have adverse health effects). Evidence also suggests that eating whole grains and cereals instead of refined ones and increasing consumption of yoghurt helps to regulate the mechanics of our body in a healthy way.

Constipation not only brings physical suffering but also brings social, psychological and economic burden as well. Therefore, in order to keep the engine of the body in motion and to keep it on the road to health, we must adopt a healthy lifestyle and prevent constipation before it starts bothering us as prevention is surely better than cure.