What should constipation feel like

Anyone who experiences unusual or more serious symptoms, such as severe abdominal cramping, bloating, blood in the stool, or dizziness, should consult a physician immediately. Treating Depression and Chronic Pain. Defining Chronic Pain and Depression. Chronic Arthritis Pain and Depression. How to Understand Chronic Pain vs.

Acute Pain. You are here Treatment Medications. Signs and Symptoms of Constipation share pin it Newsletters. Peer Reviewed. Patients may be constipated if they are experiencing one or more of the following symptoms: Abdominal pain and bloating. Bristol Stool Chart.

Officially, being constipated means having two or fewer bowel movements a week. You may also be constipated if you experience straining, hard stools, a feeling of being blocked up or a feeling that you don't completely empty your bowels.

Amitpal Johal, division chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at Geisinger Medical Center. Here's what you can do at home to unblock yourself and feel relief.

Treating constipation typically begins with diet and lifestyle changes. The changes you make can speed up the rate that stool moves through your intestines. Try increasing the fiber you take in. Adding fiber to your diet increases the weight of stool and can speed its passage through your intestines.

Kellerman RD, et al. In: Conn's Current Therapy Philadelphia, Pa. Ferri FF. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor Department of Health and Human Services and U. Department of Agriculture. Wald A. Etiology and evaluation of chronic constipation in adults.

Management of chronic constipation in adults. Constipation and defecation problems. American College of Gastroenterology. Accessed June 7, American Gastroenterological Association.

Ohkusa T, et al. Gut microbiota and chronic constipation: A review and update. Frontiers in Medicine. Accessed June 10, If you're experiencing any of those symptoms, get to a doctor ASAP. When you do go see an M. If constipation is a pretty new thing for you i.

It may sound obvious, but really, the best ways to help your digestion are to eat a diet high in fiber 25 to 35 grams a day , stay hydrated, and exercise, says Latorre. Increase your unprocessed fiber intake from natural sources, like fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and make sure you're upping your H20 intake to move everything smoothly through your system. Beyond lifestyle updates , you could also try laxatives—and there are two main types: osmotic and stimulant.

But yeah, don't ignore it if you haven't pooped in awhile: "Stool is waste matter," says Chutkan. Weight Loss.