What determines how many times you poop a day?
How many times you poop per day depends on quite a few factors. In a healthy body, this indicator usually depends on the quantity and regularity of food intake, as well as directly on its lifestyle. It is very difficult to give specific numbers. We can only give average statistical data, depending on the individual’s lifestyle.
It is worth noting that people who lead a more active and mobile lifestyle follow a meal schedule and poop less often than those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. This is due to the fact that the body requires more nutrients. This ensures that food is absorbed as thoroughly as possible. But that is not all. How much you poop also depends on what food you eat. Each product is absorbed separately for a certain time. The combination of foods also affects the absorption time of foods. For example, potatoes and meat separately will be digested much faster than if you eat them together.
Also, fattier foods take longer to digest, this is due to the fact that gastric juice takes longer to break down the oil and fats that coat the food. If we return to our potatoes, then the time spent on digesting potatoes consumed directly with meat increases precisely because the potatoes become fattier and become covered with an oil film.
Even quickly digestible foods, such as vegetable salads, take much longer to digest if you add oil to them.
If you drink any drinks while eating, the amount of time spent on digesting food also increases. This is due to the fact that liquid dilutes gastric juice, which affects the intensity of digestion.
As you can see, how much a person should poop is primarily influenced by factors such as the food consumed and the speed of its digestion. It is quite difficult to determine this, since people eat a variety of foods and, as a rule, mix it in any way, it tastes better.
What affects the frequency of going to the toilet?
A huge number of factors influence how often a person or any other living creature needs to go to the toilet.
Tamara Ozdoeva,
Gastroenterologist, Clinic “Medicine 24/7”
“The water we drink or eat critically affects the density of feces and the speed at which they pass through the digestive tract. The large intestine, where our waste products are collected, absorbs H2O, and if there is too little fluid in them, the stool hardens and becomes difficult to pass, causing the person to suffer from constipation.”
In order to make up for the lack of water and facilitate the process of getting rid of the remnants of undigested food, you need to drink more of it - not to overdo it, but just get enough.
How many liters of water can and should you drink per day? July 5, 2021988 1
Age
A healthy young body works like clockwork - it quickly digests food, getting from it everything it needs, and also, without any problems, sends out all the excess, but with age everything is not so simple. All processes in an aging body proceed much more slowly than in a young one - the work of the intestines, the speed and force of contraction of its muscles decrease, and the contents pass through it for a long time, which is why older people develop defecation disorders and often experience constipation. In addition, they often take medications, which also do not have the best effect on the rate at which the digestive tract is cleared of waste.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to cope with age-related problems - here it is not always possible to cope with water, proper nutrition and physical activity alone, and in most cases you have to resort to the help of a doctor and special medications.
Activity
Nature intended us not to be couch potatoes, growing sides and butts on the couch, but rather mobile creatures, spending a decent part of the day on our feet. It is thanks to the right amount of physical exercise that our body remains healthy, our muscles and cardiovascular system are trained, our lungs open as much as possible and receive enough oxygen, and our digestive system works as intended - at an optimal pace and without failures. But as soon as a person gets sick or turns into a two-legged sloth who stops tearing his loin off a cozy chair, his gastrointestinal tract also slows down, which again leads to constipation.
You can and should get rid of digestive problems caused by homelessness in the most useful way - find the pitiful remnants of your willpower, take your feet in your hands and start moving.
Nutrition
Absolutely everything we eat affects the frequency of trips to the toilet and, so to speak, the quality, quantity, density and smell of what we leave in it. The rate of digestion of food and the release of waste in a healthy body is most strongly influenced by fiber - carbohydrates contained in fruits and vegetables, which the small intestine cannot break down into smaller molecules, since humans are not herbivores. For example, cows do an excellent job of digesting them, but the digestive tract of imperfect bipeds is not designed for this, no matter what vegetarians and other militant vegans say. However, it is precisely thanks to this fact that undigested fiber enters the large intestine and forms that same stool - dense, shiny, regular and beautiful poop. However, since we are not obligate carnivores, like cats, who need almost exclusively animal protein, the lack of fiber does not go away without a trace for us - our stool becomes too dense.
Coping with constipation caused by insufficient amounts of plant foods is easy - just add fruits and vegetables to your diet.
Diseases
A huge number of diseases can affect the condition of the intestines and change the frequency of the need to visit the toilet. Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, which damages the lining of the colon, thickens the mucus and clogs the ducts of the glands, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, or intolerance to the protein contained in certain cereal plants, and even the common stomach flu critically affect the speed of food passage through the digestive system. All of them can force a person to plan his day based on the proximity of a “white friend”, or turn his life into an endless struggle with constipation.
Hormones
Some hormones, substances that transmit information from one cell to another and regulate almost all processes in our body, can also speed up the digestion process. This is especially true for progesterone and estrogen, because of which, in the days preceding menstruation, women are forced to change their usual schedule for emptying the intestines and more often carry waste products of the body to a certain place.
Stress
Stress, panic and horror help the body quickly get rid of the contents of the digestive tract, regardless of whether the person wants it or not. So, in order to ensure that trips to the toilet when absolutely necessary remain regular, and the need to quickly run there does not become a surprise, it is advisable to lead a measured lifestyle and not get nervous unnecessarily.
Vomiting February 1, 2021799
Social factors
Some people find it difficult to force themselves to poop in a public restroom, at work, or even at home when there are other people nearby - and this, by the way, is not that uncommon. Such shyness forces those with this feature to keep too much to themselves, sometimes for quite a long time, which is why over time their body simply stops quickly giving signals about the need to visit a small, cozy room. An attempt to go against nature usually does not go away without a trace - after such violence against oneself, a person often experiences abdominal discomfort and constipation.
You can overcome inappropriate shyness either on your own or with the help of a specially trained person - a psychologist.
Time stages that influence how many times a person poops in a day?
Now let's look at the cycle itself, which must pass before you want to poop. Above we discussed the digestive stage. The complete process consists of the following steps:
- Food enters the mouth, where we chew it, recognize its taste and coat it with saliva. On average this should take approximately 1 minute.
- Then the swallowing process occurs, which lasts 3 seconds, during which time the chewed food enters the stomach, where the food is digested.
- Digestion of food in the stomach. At this stage, food is broken down by gastric juice and the walls of the stomach absorb the necessary nutrients. As mentioned above, the time spent on this process is purely individual and depends on the amount of food taken and the ingredients. But it is generally accepted that this takes about 2-4 hours.
- Then the process of absorption of nutrients occurs; our body needs from 3 to 5 hours for this.
- Finally, feces are formed. Which begin to move through the intestines and bring the next pooping closer.
How many people poop per day - average values
It is generally accepted that a person should poop approximately once a day. But these indicators may be different. That is, even if you poop several times in a row, this can be absolutely normal and does not mean at all that you are sick in any way. It’s just that your body hasn’t absorbed the food and quickly got rid of substances it doesn’t need.
In addition to the digestion process, the level of digestibility of food and the formation of feces, many other factors influence the number of times you visit the toilet. For example, stress can lead to increased visits to the toilet. Also, how many times you shit a day can be affected by various diseases, side effects from medications and much more.
But, in all other cases, it is generally accepted that people should poop 1-2 times a day or every couple of days. If you haven't pooped for a longer period of time, but you seem to want to poop, then most likely you are constipated.
As you can see, it is quite difficult to give an exact answer to the question of how many times a day to poop. It all depends on the specific case. At this point we stop broadcasting. A website about poop is live. We are always glad to see you on the pages of our website, deeply respected, dear and beloved reader. We wish you excellent digestion, regular and proper bowel movements. Relief!
City Center for Medical Prevention
Konstantin Aleksandrovich Shemerovsky, Doctor of Medical Sciences, specialist at the Institute of Experimental Medicine, spoke about the consequences of disruption of circadian rhythms for our body, focusing on the excretory function of the body.
Each cell of the human body works in a circadian (circadian) mode - 24 plus or minus 4 hours, synchronized with the rhythm of the earth's rotation. Circadian rhythms control sleep and wakefulness, eating and fasting, heart rate and blood pressure. Motility of the duodenum, transit time through the colon, increased anal pressure and the rhythm of bowel movements are also subject to circadian biorhythms. In the morning, the body has already “prepared” everything it needs for evacuation. When a person lives in a 24-hour regime, he has a timely removal of metabolic products from the body. Having a daily morning bowel movement is a normal evolutionary reaction of the body. The intestines are programmed to empty themselves every 24 hours, but nearly half the population has a circadian rhythm disorder. In this case, desynchronosis develops—unwell-being of the body due to disruption of its circadian rhythms. If the routine is disrupted, such as night shift work, then the excretory function also suffers. We are talking about constipation, which is not given due attention, which is considered embarrassing to talk about with a doctor. Constipation is the absence of stool for 24 hours. For some reason, irregular bowel movements do not raise any questions for many of us and are considered almost normal. If you have stool 5-6 times a week, then this is constipation of the 1st degree, if 3-4 times, then this is the 2nd degree, if you have stool only 1-2 times a week, then this is constipation of the 3rd degree. At the same time, the quality of life suffers. In case of constipation of the 3rd degree, it is necessary to exclude oncological pathology and be sure to consult a gastroenterologist. Normally, bowel movements should be made every day, in the morning, between 6 and 12 hours. Why at this particular time? Firstly, a portion of stool is formed during night sleep, since the colon works all night. Secondly, in the morning, 3 powerful reflexes (urges) arise: orthostatic - for a vertical position when we get out of bed, sigmo - rectal - for prolapse of the intestines and gastro - rectal - for eating. Therefore, we must try not to suppress the urge due to the morning rush. With morning stool, the risk of constipation is minimal, and with evening stool, the risk of constipation is 4 times higher. Why is chronic constipation dangerous? First of all, with its complications: anal fissures, hemorrhoids, formation of coprolites (stones), rectal prolapse, perforation and peritonitis. In addition, chronic constipation is a risk factor for the development of colorectal cancer, which is the leading cancer incidence in St. Petersburg. The diagnosis of colorectal cancer is made only in 5% of cases at stage 2, in 95% it is detected at stages 3-4, which is why the mortality rate is so high. Risk factors for developing colon cancer include poor nutrition, malnutrition of vegetables and fruits, weight gain, bad habits, and even abuse of laxatives. It has been proven that taking certain medications can slow down bowel function, so dose adjustment of medications is always required.
Regular constipation is not just a harmless symptom. Bradetheria is a slowdown in the rhythm of the intestines, leading to constipation, increases the risk of obesity by 2.7 times, and 2.3 times more often leads to dissatisfaction with one’s well-being compared to the normal rhythm of the intestines. Thus, irregular and untimely cleansing of the body contributes to the development of various diseases, so you should always regulate your bowel function. You should not rely on enemas and laxatives, but on vegetables and fruits, since plant fiber always helps to avoid constipation. How to accustom yourself to morning stool? When you get out of bed, drink a glass of water at room temperature, and at night, a cup of kefir. For breakfast, try making oatmeal. During the day, drink more liquid - tea, juice, mineral water. Normally, the contents of the large intestine are 78% water. If the amount of fluid in the intestines decreases to 50%, then the movement of feces becomes more difficult, and if the amount of fluid in the intestines decreases to 20%, it may stop completely. Move more! This also helps with bowel function, but remember not to exercise before you have a bowel movement. Stop taking senna medications if you are taking them. Remember that regular bowel movements are an indicator of the health of the body.
