According to NHS Inform, it’s estimated that around 1 in every 7 adults and up to 1 in every 3 children in the UK has constipation at any one time. The condition affects twice as many women as men and is also more common in older adults and during pregnancy.
If the condition is recurring for you, or you have rectal bleeding, you should speak to a pharmacist or GP for support.
However, you may need something as simple as a bathroom stool.
How bathroom stools can help with constipation
According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, bathroom stools or, as they’re commonly known by one brand name, ‘Squatty Potties’ can actually be very effective in improving your bowel movements.
The researchers had 52 medical residents at Ohio State and their partners (average age: 29) take an initial survey about their bowel movements and bathroom habits, and provide a detailed log of every bowel movement they had for two weeks.
While the people in the study reported that they were relatively healthy, the results showed that many of them had issues such as straining, blood in the stool and “incomplete emptying”, which is a sensation often felt with constipation.
Next, the researchers equipped everyone with a Squatty Potty. (The company supplied products for research, but did not fund or design the study.) People tracked their bowel movements for another two weeks, then completed a survey about their experience.
After sorting through the inenviable task of reading through descriptions of more than 1,000 bowel movements, the researchers found that 90% of people who used a Squatty Potty strained less, and 71% had faster bowel movements.
Fewer users also reported feeling like they still had to go after using the bathroom.
It may feel a bit cringe but it might be worth adding a stool to your bathroom, tbh.