How many times do you have normal bowel movements in a week?

How many times do you usually have a bowel movement? The answer may vary from person to person. Some are once a day, every other day, even once a week. Many of you may think that the frequency of having a bowel movement once a day is normal or that you have a healthy digestive system. But, is that so?

How many times should you have a bowel movement?

Defecation is the body's way of getting rid of waste matter that is no longer needed or toxins in the body. In feces, it contains 75% water, dead bacteria, live bacteria, protein, fiber, and waste products from the liver and intestines. On average, people pass 28 grams of feces every 5 kg of body weight.

In fact, how often you have a bowel movement every day will definitely vary from person to person. Even so, there is a normal frequency of defecating, which is between three times per day or three times per week (as long as the stool is not too hard or too watery).

So, you don't need to worry if you have the habit of defecating less frequently than your friends. Indeed, there are people who always have a bowel movement every morning once a day, and there are also people who have an irregular bowel movement three times per week.

What affects the difference in frequency of bowel movements in each person?

The frequency of your bowel movements is influenced by your eating habits. And, of course, everyone's eating habits are different. People who are accustomed to eating fibrous foods certainly have better bowel movements so that their bowel movements will be smoother every day.

In addition, how often your body moves can also affect how often you have a bowel movement. Regular exercise can increase the movement of the muscles in your intestines, thereby increasing your bowel movements.

Stress also turns out to be able to affect the frequency of bowel movements, you know. Why? This is because your brain and gut are connected by nerves and neurotransmitters. When you are anxious, your body will send more blood to vital organs, such as the heart and lungs, so that your digestive system will be disturbed. Then, it can cause your bowel movements to be less frequent or even more frequent.

Be careful if you have more or less bowel movements than usual

Try to identify how often you usually have a bowel movement. You need to worry if the frequency of your bowel movements suddenly changes from normal. For example, if you used to have a bowel movement every other day, now you can defecate once a week. This could indicate something is wrong or that something is going on in your body.

The most common cause of changing bowel frequency is that you change your eating habits. It is good if you have more frequent bowel movements once a day after you eat more fibrous foods. However, it will be a problem if you have less frequent bowel movements or you experience constipation because you don't eat enough vegetables and don't exercise.

Less frequent bowel movements can also be a sign of a more serious problem, such as irritable bowel syndrome or colorectal cancer. Depression can also cause you to experience constipation. If your bowel movements are less frequent than usual and you feel pain during long-standing bowel movements, it's best to see your doctor.

Another thing that can affect your bowel habits is menstruation. When you have your period, you may have more frequent bowel movements. This is because the prostaglandin hormone released by the body during menstruation also stimulates the intestines, in addition to stimulating the uterus to release dead eggs.