Several things can help you have a bowel movement, from quick fixes like changing your posture on the toilet to longer-term habits like eating more fiber and staying physically active. The right approach depends on whether you need relief right now or want to prevent constipation from recurring. Here’s what actually works, based on the evidence.
Change Your Position on the Toilet
One of the fastest things you can try costs nothing. When you sit on a standard toilet, the angle between your rectum and anal canal sits at roughly 80 to 90 degrees, creating a natural kink that requires more straining to push stool through. Raising your feet on a small stool or leaning forward with your knees above your hips mimics a squatting position, which opens that angle to about 100 to 110 degrees. This straightens the passage and lets stool move with significantly less effort. If you’ve seen footstools marketed specifically for this purpose, the science behind them is real.
Eat More of the Right Fiber
Fiber is the single most recommended dietary change for constipation, but not all fiber works the same way. There are two distinct mechanisms that matter, and both require fiber that resists being broken down by gut bacteria before it reaches the end of your digestive tract.
Insoluble fiber (found in wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains) works by physically stimulating the intestinal wall. That stimulation triggers the release of mucus and water, which makes stool larger, softer, and faster to pass. The second mechanism comes from gel-forming soluble fiber, particularly psyllium husk, which holds onto water like a sponge and resists the colon’s natural tendency to absorb moisture from stool. Psyllium is unusual because it acts as a stool normalizer: it softens hard stool in constipation and firms up loose stool in diarrhea.
Many popular soluble fibers don’t actually help with constipation. Wheat dextrin and inulin, for example, get fermented by gut bacteria before they make it through the large intestine, so they lose their water-holding ability and provide no real laxative benefit at normal doses. The same is true for guar gum, acacia gum, and even the soluble fiber in oats and barley. They’re healthy for other reasons, but they won’t reliably get things moving.
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories you eat. For most adults, that works out to roughly 25 to 35 grams per day. If you’re currently eating much less than that, increase gradually over a week or two to avoid bloating and gas.
Prunes Work for a Specific Reason
Prunes aren’t just folklore. They contain about 14.7 grams of sorbitol per 100 grams, a sugar alcohol that your body absorbs poorly. When sorbitol reaches the large intestine, it draws water into the bowel through osmosis, softening stool and stimulating movement. Prune juice contains less sorbitol (about 6.1 grams per 100 grams) but still works for many people. Eating 4 to 5 prunes or drinking a small glass of prune juice is a reasonable starting point.
Drinking Extra Water Alone Won’t Fix It
This one surprises people. A study in healthy volunteers found that drinking extra water, whether plain or mixed with electrolytes, did not produce a significant increase in stool output. The extra fluid simply increased urine output instead. Your colon is efficient at absorbing water, and if you’re already reasonably hydrated, adding more glasses won’t soften your stool in a meaningful way.
That said, dehydration can absolutely make constipation worse. If you’re not drinking enough fluid in general, correcting that matters. The point is that chugging water on top of normal intake isn’t a reliable laxative strategy. Pairing adequate hydration with fiber is what makes the difference, because gel-forming fiber needs water to do its job.
Coffee and the Gastrocolic Reflex
If you’ve noticed that your morning coffee sends you to the bathroom, you’re not imagining it. Coffee stimulates contractions in the colon, partly by triggering the gastrocolic reflex, a wave of movement in the large intestine that occurs when the stomach is stretched after eating or drinking. This effect happens with both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, though caffeine appears to amplify it. For some people, a warm cup of coffee after breakfast is the most reliable daily trigger they have.
Exercise Helps, but It Takes Time
Physical activity speeds up the movement of stool through the intestines, but the research suggests you need consistency. Short-term exercise programs lasting one to four weeks have not shown significant improvements in transit time. In one study, participants who followed a 12-week aerobic exercise program (40-minute sessions three days per week at gradually increasing intensity) cut their colonic transit time nearly in half, from about 54 hours down to 30 hours. The control group saw no change. Walking, jogging, cycling, or any activity that raises your heart rate counts. The key takeaway is that a single walk won’t solve chronic constipation, but regular movement sustained over weeks genuinely remodels how your gut functions.
Probiotics That Actually Show Results
Not every probiotic strain helps with constipation. The strains with the strongest clinical evidence are Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus casei Shirota. B. lactis appears to primarily increase how often you go. L. casei Shirota goes further, improving stool consistency while also reducing pain, straining, the feeling of incomplete emptying, abdominal discomfort, and gas. If you’re choosing a probiotic specifically for constipation, check the label for one of these strains rather than grabbing a generic blend.
Over-the-Counter Laxatives
When dietary changes aren’t enough, several types of laxatives are available without a prescription, and they work in different ways.
- Bulk-forming laxatives (like psyllium) retain fluid in the stool, increasing its weight and softness. These are the gentlest option and safe for daily use.
- Osmotic laxatives (like polyethylene glycol or magnesium citrate) draw water into the bowel, softening stool from the outside in. They typically work within 6 to 24 hours.
- Stimulant laxatives (like bisacodyl or senna) directly trigger contractions in the intestinal wall and reduce water absorption. They’re effective but best used occasionally rather than daily.
- Lubricant laxatives (mineral oil) coat the stool, helping it slide through more easily.
For occasional relief, osmotic laxatives are a common first choice. Stimulant laxatives work faster but can cause cramping, and long-term use may make the bowel less responsive over time. Bulk-forming options are the best fit for people who need something gentle and ongoing.
Warning Signs Worth Paying Attention To
Most constipation is temporary and manageable at home. But certain patterns point to something that deserves a closer look: symptoms lasting longer than three weeks, rectal bleeding or blood in your stool, black-colored stools, persistent stomach pain, unexplained weight loss, or unusual changes in the shape or color of your stool. Any of these alongside constipation warrants a conversation with a healthcare provider.