If you’re constipated, the fastest things you can do right now are change your sitting position on the toilet, drink a warm beverage, and try an over-the-counter laxative if needed. Most constipation resolves within a few days with simple adjustments, but the right approach depends on whether you need immediate relief or a longer-term fix.
Constipation generally means fewer than three bowel movements per week, but frequency isn’t the whole picture. Straining through more than a quarter of your bathroom trips, consistently passing hard lumpy stools, or feeling like you can’t fully empty your bowels all count. If several of these are happening regularly, you’re dealing with functional constipation, not just a slow week.
Fix Your Position on the Toilet First
The simplest thing you can try right now costs nothing. Place a footstool, a stack of books, or even a shoebox under your feet while you sit on the toilet. You want your knees raised above your hips. This position opens up the angle between your rectum and your anal canal, which straightens the path stool needs to travel. When you sit upright with your feet flat on the floor, the pelvic floor muscles tighten and create a kink that makes everything harder.
Once your knees are up, lean forward slightly so your thighs press gently against your lower abdomen. That mild pressure helps move things along. Avoid straining or holding your breath. Instead, relax your belly outward as if you’re inflating it, and let gravity and your position do the work.
Over-the-Counter Options and How Fast They Work
If a position change and patience aren’t enough, laxatives are the next step. The two most common types work differently and on different timelines.
Stimulant laxatives (like senna) are the faster option. They activate the nerves controlling your colon muscles, forcing the colon into motion to push stool through. They typically work within 6 to 12 hours, so taking one before bed often produces a morning result.
Osmotic laxatives (like polyethylene glycol, sold as MiraLAX) take a gentler approach. They pull water into your colon, which softens hard stool so it’s easier to pass. The tradeoff is speed: they take one to three days to work. Osmotic laxatives are a better choice if your stool is hard and dry rather than stuck.
Both types are safe for short-term use. If you’re still reaching for laxatives after a week, that’s a sign something else is going on and worth investigating further.
Try an Abdominal Massage
Massaging your abdomen can physically encourage your colon to move. A technique called the “I Love U” massage is one of the better-studied methods. You trace three strokes on your belly: a straight line down your left side (the “I”), then an upside-down “L” across and down (the “L”), and finally an upside-down “U” shape that follows the entire path of your colon from lower right, across the top, and down the left side. Use firm but comfortable pressure with your fingertips, and repeat for five to ten minutes.
A 2024 meta-analysis found that abdominal massage consistently increased how often people with chronic constipation had bowel movements. It’s not a miracle fix, but it’s free, safe, and something you can do while lying on your bed or couch.
What to Eat for Relief
Prunes are one of the most effective food-based remedies, and this isn’t just folk wisdom. A randomized controlled trial published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology compared dried prunes to psyllium (the fiber in Metamucil) and found prunes performed well at a dose of about 100 grams per day, roughly 10 to 12 prunes. Prunes contain both fiber and sorbitol, a natural sugar alcohol that draws water into the intestine, giving them a two-pronged effect that plain fiber supplements don’t have.
Beyond prunes, increasing your overall fiber intake helps prevent future episodes. Current dietary guidelines recommend 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you eat daily. For most adults, that works out to somewhere around 25 to 35 grams per day. Ramp up gradually over a week or two, because adding a lot of fiber overnight can cause bloating and gas that makes you feel worse before you feel better. Good sources include beans, lentils, pears, berries, oats, and whole wheat bread.
Water Alone Probably Won’t Fix It
You’ve likely heard that drinking more water relieves constipation. The reality is more nuanced. A study in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology found that simply increasing fluid intake in people who were already reasonably hydrated did not produce a significant increase in stool output. If you’re dehydrated, yes, drinking more water helps. But if you’re already drinking a normal amount, adding extra glasses on top won’t move the needle on its own.
Where water does matter is as a partner to fiber. Fiber absorbs water to bulk up and soften stool. If you increase fiber without adequate fluids, you can actually make constipation worse by creating a dry, dense mass in your colon. So when you add fiber, add water alongside it. A warm cup of coffee or tea in the morning can also stimulate the colon’s natural contractions, which is why many people find a hot drink helps get things moving.
Magnesium as a Short-Term Tool
Magnesium citrate is a liquid supplement that works similarly to osmotic laxatives by drawing water into the intestines. It can produce results relatively quickly and is available at most pharmacies without a prescription. Take it with a full 8-ounce glass of water.
A few important limits apply. Don’t use it for more than one week at a time. If you take other medications, separate them by at least two hours, because magnesium can interfere with absorption. People with kidney disease or those on a magnesium-restricted diet should avoid it. And if you’ve had stomach pain, nausea, or a sudden change in bowel habits lasting more than two weeks, magnesium citrate isn’t the right first move.
Probiotics for Ongoing Issues
If constipation is a recurring problem, probiotics may help over time. The strain with the most research behind it for constipation is Bifidobacterium lactis, which has been studied in multiple forms (including HN019 and DN-173010) and shown to increase how often people have bowel movements. You can find this strain in certain yogurts and in supplement form. Probiotics aren’t a quick fix for today’s problem, but taken consistently, they can help regulate the pace at which food moves through your digestive system.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most constipation is uncomfortable but harmless. A few specific situations call for a closer look:
- Duration: symptoms lasting longer than three weeks without improvement
- Bleeding: blood on toilet tissue, in your stool, or black-colored stools
- Pain: persistent stomach pain that doesn’t go away
- Weight loss: losing weight without trying
- Stool changes: unusual shifts in the shape or color of your stools
- Daily life: symptoms severe enough to interfere with normal activities
Any of these alongside constipation suggests something beyond a sluggish colon and warrants a visit to your doctor for evaluation.