Three Questions about Defecation, Do You Know?

As the saying goes, "There are five things in life: eating, drinking, defecating, urinating, and sleeping." Defecation is the most important thing in life after eating and drinking. Many patients ask questions when they visit the doctor: What is the healthiest bowel movement frequency? What is the best time to defecate every day? How long is the appropriate time to defecate? Let's take a look at what is considered "good defecation".

How often do you have bowel movements?

Generally speaking, how often you defecate is determined by your digestive system, and there is no specific standard. As long as you defecate no more than three times a day or at least once every two to three days, it is healthy. This frequency helps the body absorb new nutrients and eliminate toxins and waste.

At the same time, the shape of the stool can be combined with changes in the shape of the stool to determine whether there is an intestinal disease. Healthy stools are mostly soft and strip-shaped, do not stick to the toilet, can float on the water surface, and can be flushed clean. Pasty stools without dry lumps are also normal. When the food is high in protein, the stool will be hard and similar to clay; when the carbohydrates are high, the stool will be soft or pasty. Normal stools have a slight odor. People who love meat will have a stronger odor, while vegetarians will have a lighter odor.

What time of day is suitable for defecation?

In fact, there are two "golden hours" for defecation in a day: one is after getting up in the morning. When you wake up from sleep in the morning, you change from lying to sitting and then to standing. The "standing reflex" that appears in the body can stimulate the peristalsis of the colon. The second is after eating. After eating, when the gastric antrum expands and food enters the intestines, it will induce the "gastrocolic reflex", thereby promoting the peristalsis of the colon.

The success rate of defecation is relatively high when you get up in the morning and within 2 hours after a meal, which is also conducive to cultivating the "defecation reflex". Once you develop a habit of defecation, a conditioned reflex will be formed at a fixed time. If the frequency, shape, or color changes, you can also detect abnormalities in time. Of course, it does not mean that we must defecate during these two periods. As long as we have the urge to defecate and have a certain regularity, it is actually the best time to defecate.

How long is the appropriate time for defecation?

It is best to control the defecation time within 5-10 minutes. In fact, the urge to defecate is fleeting, usually only 1-3 minutes. If you play with your phone while going to the toilet, because your attention is focused on the phone, the brain's command to the defecation conduction nerves will also be disturbed, thereby inhibiting the defecation consciousness.

The urge to defecate disappears, and the feces accumulate in the intestines and are "squeezed" over and over again, gradually becoming dry and hard. If this continues for a long time, chronic constipation is likely to develop. And squatting on the toilet or toilet for a long time, the blood oxygen is concentrated in the lower body. When standing up, the brain may also experience insufficient blood supply and oxygen supply, postural hypotension, transient cerebral ischemia, temporary blackening of the eyes, dizziness, and even fainting. And sitting on the toilet for a long time, the weight of the organs will increase the pressure on the rectum at the end, increasing the risk of hemorrhoids.