When Should I Start Worrying about Constipation?

From consumption of food to transit of the food through the colon and finally excretion in your stool, the process is thought to take 2-5 days. Due to the gastrocolic reflex, the ingestion of food and stretching of the stomach leads to contraction of the colon. This then often results in the sensation to have a bowel movement. Hence, many people have a bowel movement after a large meal, but it is not the food that you just ate or even recently ate that day. Furthermore, cortisol levels can affect bowel movements. Higher levels lead to contractions of the colon and can result in a bowel movement. Cortisol levels are highest in the morning or during times of stress, so people often feel stimulated to have a bowel movement in the morning. Lastly, the composition of your food and fluid all affect the speed with which food moves through your body. As you can see, bowel movements are complicated and constipation is common for a variety of reasons. If you haven’t stooled for more than 5-7 days and also have severe abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting with food intake, you should seek further medical help. These additional symptoms may indicate an obstruction that is preventing the passage of stool that will only get worse with time.