A combination of dietary fiber, enough fluids, physical movement, and body positioning can all help you have a bowel movement more easily and regularly. For most people, a few simple changes make a noticeable difference within days. Here’s what actually works, why it works, and how to put it together.
Fiber Is the Single Biggest Factor
Fiber adds bulk and water to your stool, making it softer and easier to pass. Women should aim for 25 to 28 grams per day, and men need 30 to 33 grams. After age 50, those targets drop slightly to 22 grams for women and 28 grams for men. Most people fall well short of these numbers.
Good sources include beans, lentils, oats, whole wheat bread, berries, broccoli, and pears. If your current intake is low, increase it gradually over a week or two. Adding too much fiber too fast can cause bloating and gas, which defeats the purpose. Pair the increase with extra water so the fiber can absorb fluid and do its job.
Prunes Work Better Than You’d Expect
Prunes contain about 14.7 grams of sorbitol per 100 grams, a natural sugar alcohol your body doesn’t fully absorb. That unabsorbed sorbitol pulls water into the colon, softening stool and triggering the urge to go. Prune juice works too, though it has less sorbitol (about 6.1 grams per 100 grams) and less fiber than whole prunes. Eating five or six prunes a day is a reasonable starting point.
How Water and Coffee Each Help
You’ll hear “drink more water” as advice for constipation, but the reality is more nuanced. If you’re already reasonably hydrated, simply drinking extra fluid won’t speed things up or produce softer stools. Clinical research on healthy volunteers found no significant change in stool output when they increased their fluid intake beyond normal levels. The takeaway: staying hydrated matters, but chugging water on its own isn’t a fix.
Coffee, on the other hand, has a more direct effect. It stimulates the release of two gut hormones that trigger contractions in the colon, pushing waste toward the rectum. For some people this happens within minutes of the first cup; for others it takes longer or doesn’t happen at all. Both caffeinated and decaf coffee can cause this response, which suggests it’s not just the caffeine at work.
Change Your Position on the Toilet
The way you sit matters more than most people realize. When you sit upright on a standard toilet, the muscle that wraps around your rectum (called the puborectalis) creates a kink at an angle of roughly 80 to 90 degrees. That kink helps you stay continent throughout the day, but it also means you have to strain harder to push stool past it.
Squatting widens that angle to about 100 to 110 degrees, straightening the path from colon to exit. You don’t need to squat on the floor. A small footstool placed in front of the toilet raises your knees above your hips and mimics the effect. Leaning forward and resting your elbows on your knees (sometimes called “The Thinker” position) can also help straighten the passage and reduce the effort needed.
Movement Speeds Up Your Gut
Physical activity, even light activity like brisk walking, directly accelerates how fast waste moves through your colon. One study found that for every additional hour spent on light-intensity physical activity, colonic transit time was about 25% faster, independent of age, sex, or body fat. Higher-intensity exercise didn’t show the same clear association, so you don’t need to run or lift heavy weights. A daily 30-minute walk can be enough to keep things moving.
Probiotics Can Add an Extra Boost
People who are constipated tend to have lower levels of certain beneficial gut bacteria, and supplementing with probiotics can help restore regularity. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that probiotic products increased bowel movement frequency by about one extra movement per week on average. Products containing both Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains showed the strongest effect, with an average increase of just over one additional movement per week. Products with only Lactobacillus showed no statistically significant benefit.
If you want to try probiotics, look for a product that includes Bifidobacterium lactis strains, which appeared most consistently across the clinical evidence. Yogurt, kefir, and supplement capsules are all common sources. The specific dose didn’t seem to matter as much as including the right types of bacteria.
Over-the-Counter Laxatives
When lifestyle changes aren’t enough, three main categories of laxatives are available without a prescription:
- Bulk-forming laxatives (like psyllium) work similarly to dietary fiber. They absorb water and add mass to your stool. These are the gentlest option and generally safe for daily use, but they take a day or two to kick in.
- Osmotic laxatives (like milk of magnesia or polyethylene glycol) draw water into the bowel to soften stool. They typically work within one to three days.
- Stimulant laxatives (like bisacodyl or senna) cause the intestinal muscles to contract and push stool forward. These act fastest, sometimes within hours, but aren’t meant for regular long-term use because your body can become dependent on them.
Start with the mildest option. Bulk-forming laxatives and osmotic laxatives are better choices for ongoing issues, while stimulant laxatives are best reserved for occasional, short-term relief.
Signs That Something More Serious Is Going On
Most constipation resolves with the strategies above, but certain symptoms signal that you should see a doctor promptly. These include blood in your stool or bleeding from the rectum, constant abdominal pain, inability to pass gas, vomiting, fever, unexplained weight loss, or lower back pain alongside constipation. A family history of colon or rectal cancer is also a reason to get checked rather than relying on self-care alone.