When it comes to affairs related to the saddle, few people dare to approach them, preferring to keep for them their suffering. But when it comes to constipation, we are more willing to talk about it in order to try to find a way or a trick to get rid of it. Painful and embarrassing, it can happen to anyone at any time in its life. Let us therefore discover its causes and the means of treating it.
What is constipation?
Constipation is a fairly frequent digestive disorder, which affects more women than men and people over 60 are even more sensitive. It manifests itself through various symptoms including:
- A slowed intestinal transit,
- Bloating,
- A difficult evacuation,
- An incomplete evacuation sensation,
- Stools too hard,
- A feeling of blockage.
- In some cases, constipation can become chronic and last for months.
What causes constipation and how to get rid of it?
1 - A change of routine:
When a person travels, many changes occur in his daily routine: the rhythm of life, sleep schedules and even eating habits. All these changes affect the functioning of the body and increase the risk of suffering from constipation.
To avoid this, try to keep a minimum of your usual routine, sleeping the same number of hours, eating the same amount of food and making sure you practice your daily physical activity.
2 - A low level of potassium
If you suffer from constipation after consuming salty foods or following a long period of sweating, this would be due to the lowering of your potassium level. The latter being responsible for the intestinal motility, its exhaustion by perspiration and sodium, slows down the latter and prevents the normal evacuation of the stools.
To restore your potassium level and help in the advancement of feces, eat a banana, boiled potatoes or melon.
3 - The use of analgesics
Analgesics are the saving grace of patients who suffer from chronic pain. But their side effects are not to be neglected. Opioid analgesics, for example, tend to slow down intestinal motility, thus causing constipation.
To remedy this, it is advisable to eat foods that stimulate the intestines such as prunes, dandelion, or magnesium supplements.
4 - Lack of physical exercise
Physical inactivity is the source of many of our ailments, including digestive disorders. To eliminate them and prevent their reappearance, be sure to maintain moderate physical activity, at least 30 minutes walk per day, to speed up the digestion process and stimulate intestinal transit.
5 - Stress
We all know that stress increases the rate of cortisol in the body, responsible for overproduction of fat and weight gain. Now, the misdeeds of a stressful life rhythm do not stop there! Stress is also responsible for disorders of digestion and slowing of bowel movement.
So try to avoid stressful situations, and practice relaxing activities such as yoga or meditation.
6 - Dehydration
The lack of water in the body hinders the functioning of the latter and promotes the phenomenon of water retention. But in addition, dehydration causes drying and hardening of the stool, making it difficult to pass through the intestines.
Do not forget to drink the recommended amount of water and that is at least 1.5 liters per day.
7 - Low-fat diets
A diet low in fat can give quite satisfactory results in terms of weight loss, but if you have constipation since you started it may be time to give up. A lack of lipids impacts the function of the thyroid gland which becomes lazy, thus giving rise to chronic constipation.
So think of gradually reintegrating the lipids in your diet to restore proper functioning of the thyroid and stimulate the motility of the intestine.
8 - Food intolerances
Intolerance to certain foods, such as gluten or lactose, may also cause constipation in some people, while it may cause diarrhea in others.
So be careful what you eat and how your body reacts to exactly determine, what is the culprit and eliminate it from your diet.