If you need to poop and it’s not happening, there are several things you can do right now to get things moving, plus habits that prevent the problem from recurring. Most approaches work within minutes to hours, depending on what you try.
Use Your Body’s Built-In Reflex
Your digestive system has a built-in trigger called the gastrocolic reflex. When your stomach stretches to accommodate food, nerves detect that stretching and signal your colon muscles to start pushing waste out through large, wave-like contractions. A bigger, higher-calorie meal with fats and protein triggers a stronger version of this reflex because it releases more digestive hormones. This is why many people feel the urge to go shortly after eating breakfast or a large meal.
To use this to your advantage: eat something substantial. A meal with some fat in it (eggs, avocado toast, oatmeal with peanut butter) will produce a stronger signal than a small snack. Then give yourself 15 to 30 minutes of unhurried time near a bathroom. Rushing or ignoring the urge weakens the reflex over time.
Drink Coffee
Coffee stimulates contractions in your colon within 30 minutes of drinking it. Interestingly, decaffeinated coffee triggers these contractions just as strongly as regular coffee. The effect comes from other compounds in coffee that activate receptors in your gut smooth muscle, not from the caffeine itself. If you’re trying to go, a cup of warm coffee on a moderately full stomach is one of the fastest natural options available. Pair it with breakfast to stack the gastrocolic reflex on top of coffee’s direct effect on your colon.
Fix Your Sitting Position
The way you sit on a standard toilet actually works against you. When you sit upright at a 90-degree angle, a sling-shaped muscle called the puborectalis wraps around your rectum and kinks it, almost like a bent garden hose. This muscle exists to maintain continence when you’re standing and sitting, but it makes evacuation harder.
Squatting straightens the path between your rectum and anal canal to about 126 degrees, which lets stool pass with much less straining. You don’t need to squat on the floor. Place a small stool, a stack of books, or a step stool under your feet while sitting on the toilet so your knees rise above your hips. Lean forward slightly. This simple change reduces the pressure you need to apply and can make the difference between straining unproductively and actually going.
Eat Foods That Act as Natural Laxatives
Prunes are the classic recommendation for a reason. They contain sorbitol, a sugar alcohol your body can’t fully absorb. Unabsorbed sorbitol draws water into your colon, softening stool and triggering movement. A standard serving of prunes (about 100 grams, or roughly 10 prunes) delivers around 15 grams of sorbitol. Prune juice works too, though it contains less sorbitol per serving, about 6 grams.
Other foods with a similar effect include kiwifruit, figs, flaxseed, and high-fiber cereals. Warm liquids in general help stimulate the digestive tract, so warm water, broth, or tea can complement whatever you eat.
Get Moving
Physical activity helps move stool through your colon. A brisk walk, a light jog, or even gentle stretching and twisting movements can stimulate the muscles in your intestinal walls. You don’t need an intense workout. Ten to twenty minutes of walking is often enough to nudge things along, especially after a meal when your gastrocolic reflex is already active.
Increase Your Fiber Intake
If constipation is a recurring issue, your daily fiber intake is the single most important thing to address. Women need about 25 grams of fiber per day, and men need about 38 grams. Most people fall well short of those numbers.
Fiber works in two ways. Soluble fiber (found in oats, beans, apples, and psyllium husk supplements) absorbs water and forms a gel-like bulk that makes stool larger and softer. The increased size stimulates your colon to contract and push things through. Insoluble fiber (found in whole grains, vegetables, and wheat bran) adds roughage that speeds transit. Both types matter. If you’re increasing fiber, do it gradually over a week or two and drink plenty of water alongside it. Adding fiber without enough fluid can actually make constipation worse.
Over-the-Counter Options and How Fast They Work
If dietary changes aren’t enough, several types of laxatives are available without a prescription. They work through different mechanisms and on different timelines.
- Bulk-forming laxatives are essentially fiber supplements. They draw water into your stool, making it bigger and softer. They’re the gentlest option but the slowest, taking anywhere from 12 hours to several days to provide relief.
- Stool softeners increase the water and fat your stool absorbs, making it easier to pass. They’re mild and best for prevention rather than acute relief.
- Osmotic laxatives (like magnesium citrate or polyethylene glycol) pull water from your body into your colon, softening stool significantly. Magnesium citrate in particular can produce results relatively quickly, though it may cause cramping, gas, or diarrhea.
- Stimulant laxatives activate the nerves controlling your colon muscles, forcing contractions. These typically work within 6 to 12 hours and are the most aggressive over-the-counter option. They’re effective for occasional use but shouldn’t become a regular habit, as your colon can become dependent on them.
For something you need right now, a stimulant laxative taken in the evening will usually produce a bowel movement by morning. For a gentler approach, an osmotic laxative with plenty of water is a reasonable middle ground.
When Constipation Signals Something Serious
Occasional constipation is common and usually harmless. But if you haven’t had a bowel movement for a prolonged stretch and you’re also experiencing major bloating or severe abdominal pain, that combination can signal a bowel obstruction or other emergency. Blood in your stool, vomiting while constipated, or unexplained weight loss alongside changes in bowel habits are also warning signs that need prompt medical evaluation.