Constipated & bloated, what’s the reason?
Bloated & Gassy? You might just need to poo more. If there are any two major digestive symptoms that feel like it takes the absolute life out of you, it’s constipation & bloating. They are best buds and you don’t often see one without the other. It’s often believed that constipation must fit the criteria of being extremely painful to pass, super dry and irregular for it to actually be “constipation”. In our clinical practice, if our clients aren’t passing bowel motions at least 1-2 times per day and are experiencing constant bloating, we classify them as constipated.
But how does constipation cause bloating you might ask? Well if you’ve been eating constantly throughout the day and the rate of how much you’re eating isn’t quite matching the rate of how often you’re making toilet trips, the intestines become backed up and the gasses normally produced get trapped behind the stool and cause distention of the lower belly. The more gas, the more bloating, the more discomfort.
To find out how to relieve the bloating, you first need to find out what causes constipation.
What is making me constipated and bloated?
The frequency and consistency of our bowel motions are dependent on our nervous system function, gut microbiome, diet, medication, hormones and so much more. Always just start with the basics to go through the process of elimination to find the cause of constipation:
Dehydration: Aim for at least 2- 3 litres of water per day
Low/high fibre intake: Maintain fibre between 20-25g per day
Stress response
Lack of exercise
Poor circadian rhythm (remember our digestive system works in rhythm with our sleep/wake cycle - yes I’m talking to you night shift worker)
Not listening to when nature calls (Just poo in public it’s fine, you’re not going to see them again ever)
Poor digestive enzyme & bile secretion
Food sensitivities: Gluten, dairy, corn, legumes
Pathology: Low stomach acid, SIBO, IBS, IBD
Functional: Gastrointestinal structural issues with motility
How do I know if I’m constipated?
Okay, so unless you're like me you’re probably not asking your friends how often they are passing a poo, what number on the bristol stool chart it is or what colour it is. So how are you supposed to know if you’re constipated? If you do have constipation and bloating, you’ll typically tick some of the boxes below:
Bloating and distention are relieved by passing a bowel motion
Your transit time is longer than 24 hours (Eat some corn kernels, and then do some investigations in your toilet bowl when you see it come out the other end. That can show you how long it takes food to process through your gut).
Gassiness can be foul smelling
Not passing bowel motions every day and skipping days
So if you’re having trouble going to the bathroom and showing signs of constipation, then address the basics first. Assess your hydration, fibre intake, stress response, movement, circadian rhythm and go poo when nature is telling you it’s ready. If there’s little to no improvement, chat to a practitioner to find out the cause of your constipation with testing!