If you’re constipated, the fastest things you can do right now are drink a glass of water, take a short walk, and try a over-the-counter laxative if you need quick relief. Most constipation resolves within a few days with simple changes to diet, movement, and toilet habits. Medically, constipation means fewer than three bowel movements per week, but you don’t need to hit that threshold to feel uncomfortable and want help.
What Counts as Constipation
You’re constipated if you’re experiencing two or more of these on a regular basis: fewer than three bowel movements a week, hard or lumpy stools, straining on the toilet, feeling like you can’t fully empty, or feeling a blockage. Occasional constipation is extremely common and usually not dangerous. It becomes a concern when it persists for weeks or starts affecting your daily life.
Quick Relief: What Works Right Now
If you want relief today, over-the-counter laxatives are your most reliable option. They come in three main types, and the one you choose depends on how fast you need results.
Stimulant laxatives are the fastest oral option. They activate the nerves controlling your colon muscles, forcing your colon to push stool along. They typically work within 6 to 12 hours, so taking one before bed often produces a morning bowel movement.
Osmotic laxatives pull water into your colon to soften stool. Most take one to three days, but saline-based versions can work in as little as 30 minutes to six hours. Magnesium citrate is a popular osmotic option available at most pharmacies. It’s effective but can cause cramping, gas, or diarrhea, so start with a smaller amount if you’re unsure how your body will respond.
Bulk-forming laxatives (fiber supplements) add soluble fiber to your stool, drawing in water to make it larger and softer. The increased bulk triggers your colon to contract naturally. These take 12 hours to three days to work, so they’re better for ongoing management than acute relief.
For any laxative, drink a full glass of water when you take it. Stimulant laxatives are meant for short-term use only. If you’re still reaching for them after a week, it’s time to address the underlying cause.
Try Prunes or Prune Juice
Prunes are one of the few home remedies with genuine evidence behind them. They contain sorbitol, a sugar alcohol your body absorbs slowly. Much of it passes undigested into your bowel, where it pulls in water and softens stool. Research shows that as little as 2 ounces of prune juice daily can improve constipation symptoms over time. Start small, because the fermentation of sorbitol by gut bacteria produces gas. You can gradually increase to about 4 ounces depending on how your stomach handles it.
Adjust Your Position on the Toilet
The way you sit on a standard toilet actually works against you. When you sit upright at a 90-degree angle, the muscles of your pelvic floor stay partially tightened, keeping a bend in your rectum that makes it harder to push stool out. This increases pressure and forces you to strain, which raises your risk of hemorrhoids over time.
Squatting straightens the rectum and relaxes the pelvic floor, letting gravity do more of the work. You can mimic this on a regular toilet by placing a small stool or a stack of books under your feet so your knees sit slightly higher than your hips. Lean forward about 30 degrees and rest your elbows on your knees. This simple change reduces the force required and makes evacuation noticeably easier for many people.
Increase Fiber Gradually
Most adults don’t eat enough fiber. Current guidelines recommend 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you eat, which works out to roughly 25 to 30 grams per day for most people. Good sources include beans, lentils, oats, berries, broccoli, and whole grains. If your current intake is low, add fiber slowly over a week or two. Jumping from 10 grams to 30 grams overnight will likely cause bloating and gas, which can make you feel worse before you feel better.
Fiber supplements (the bulk-forming laxatives mentioned above) can fill the gap if you struggle to get enough from food, but whole foods provide additional nutrients and tend to be better tolerated.
What About Drinking More Water?
You’ll hear “drink more water” as the top recommendation for constipation almost everywhere, but the evidence is surprisingly thin. Research has not clearly shown that increasing fluid intake treats chronic constipation in people who are already reasonably hydrated. That said, if you’re genuinely dehydrated (dark urine, dry mouth, infrequent urination), your colon absorbs extra water from stool, making it harder. In that case, drinking more fluids helps. The takeaway: stay well hydrated, but don’t expect that an extra few glasses of water will solve constipation on its own.
Try Abdominal Massage
Massaging your abdomen can genuinely help move things along. A meta-analysis of 23 studies with over 1,400 participants found that abdominal massage significantly increased weekly bowel movements (roughly 1.5 additional per week), reduced the time it took stool to travel through the colon, and decreased overall constipation symptoms. No adverse reactions were observed in most groups studied.
The technique is simple: using moderate pressure, massage in a clockwise direction following the path of your colon. Start at the lower right side of your abdomen, move up toward your ribs, across to the left, and then down. Spend about 5 to 10 minutes doing this, ideally in the morning or whenever you’d normally expect a bowel movement.
Move Your Body
Physical activity stimulates the natural contractions of your intestines. Even a 15 to 20 minute walk can help, especially after meals when your digestive system is already active. You don’t need intense exercise. Consistent, moderate movement like walking, swimming, or yoga is enough to keep your bowels more regular over time. Sedentary days, particularly when combined with low fiber intake, are a recipe for sluggish digestion.
When Constipation Is an Emergency
Most constipation is uncomfortable but not dangerous. However, you should seek medical attention if you haven’t had a bowel movement for a prolonged stretch and you’re also experiencing severe abdominal pain or major bloating. Other warning signs that need prompt evaluation include vomiting, blood in your stool, or unexplained weight loss. These symptoms can indicate a blockage or another condition that needs more than home remedies.