How To Help Relieve Constipation at Home: Lifestyle Tips & Remedies

Knowing how to relieve constipation may help you avoid uncomfortable symptoms that may ruin your day.

The meaning of some words and phrases in this article:

• “stool” means “poo”
• “bowel movement” means having a poo

Constipation happens when you have less frequent bowel movements or produce small, dry, lumpy stools that can be painful to pass. It can also feel like you haven’t quite emptied your bowels when you’ve been to the toilet. Read more about constipation here.

Thankfully, there are several home remedies for constipation that are available to you. This should be used for reference only, and if you’re still bothered by constipation, even after you’ve done what you can to relieve it, speak to a healthcare professional.

4 home remedies for constipation

You may wish to try these simple home remedies for constipation before considering medical options like over-the-counter medicine:

1. Eat more fibre

There are two different types of fibre that you should include in your diet to help aid digestion:

• Soluble fibre can be found in foods like oatmeal, nuts, beans, lentils and fruits like apples or blueberries.
• Insoluble fibre can be found in whole wheat food products, quinoa, brown rice, legumes and leafy greens.

Fibre has important health benefits and boosting your fibre intake not only helps to prevent constipation, but it can also help prevent diseases too.

Government health guidelines suggest that adults should eat 30 grams (g) of fibre per day.

There are many fibre containing foods. These include:

• Wholewheat biscuits, plain shredded whole grain or porridge oats
• Wholemeal, granary, or fibre-enriched white bread
• Wholewheat pasta and brown rice
• Bulgur wheat
• Skin-on potatoes
• Beans, lentils, chickpeas, and other pulses
• Vegetables
• Fresh and dried fruits
• Unsalted nuts, seeds, oatcakes, and rye crackers as snacks

Check nutrition labels for fibre content, to meet the 30 g daily target.

2. Drink more fluids

Drinking enough fluids is important to help prevent constipation.

Stools that are hard and dry, could be due to too little water. You should be drinking 6–8 glasses of water every day. Healthy drinks, such as lower-fat milk and sugar-free drinks, including tea, can also be consumed instead of some glasses of water

To tell if you’re drinking enough water or liquids, you should have soft but solid stools and your urine (wee) should be a pale, clear yellow colour.

3. Exercise more

Being active can help to improve your health and quality of life. It could help with constipation too. Adults should be active every day and aim for at least 150 minutes (1.5 hours) of physical exercise per week.

You could try:

• Brisk walking
• Water aerobics
• Cycling
• Dancing
• Hiking

If you haven’t exercised for some time, speak to your healthcare professional before starting, to make sure that the activities you choose are appropriate for your fitness level

4. Don’t ignore the urge to go

Keeping a routine and taking your time when on the toilet may help you develop bowl regularity. Find a time that works regularly for you and stick to it.

How to relieve constipation on the toilet

• It’s important to go to the toilet when the urge arises. If you’re busy, it can be tempting to ignore the urge.

If these steps are not relieving your constipation, it’s important to get advice from a healthcare professional.

Abdominal massage for constipation

Abdominal massage has been shown to offer several benefits for constipation, including:

• Helping increase how often your large intestine contracts to start a bowel movement
• Helping your stools through the intestines faster

A healthcare practitioner can advise you on whether abdominal massage would be beneficial for you and refer you to a medical professional that offers it.

Foods to avoid when constipated

Try avoiding the following foods when you’re feeling constipated:

• Chips
• Fast food
• Meat
• Prepared foods like snack foods
• Processed foods

These foods contain little to no fibre. Sticking to high-fibre as part of a balanced diet may help to manage constipation.

When to speak to a healthcare professional

If you’ve changed your lifestyle, diet and you’re drinking enough fluids, but symptoms of constipation persist, it’s worth speaking to a healthcare professional particularly if:

• You get constipated often and it lasts a long time.
• There’s blood in your poo.
• You keep losing weight without aiming to.
• You feel tired all the time as well as constipated.
• You take medicines that cause constipation.

Important information

All information presented on this web page is not meant to diagnose or prescribe. In all health matters and for further information or medical advice, please speak to a medical professional.