When it comes to our toilet habits, it can be difficult to know what's 'normal' and what's not.
And one of the most asked questions is, 'how often should we be going for a number two'?
Everyone has different bowel habits, and what might be normal for you could be the opposite for somebody else.
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But, if you notice a change in your norm', it's worth getting it checked out to make sure there's no other issues impacting your toilet habits.
Despite there being a wide range of what's considered 'normal', it turns out there is a 'golden number' of times we should be going to the toilet every day.
What's the 'goldilocks zone'?
The NHS explains that 'normal' can vary from person to person.
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"Some people normally go to the toilet to pass faeces 2-3 times per day. For others, 2-3 times per week is normal," they write.
The health body also adds that 'poo should be moist and well formed (not too hard and lumpy and not too soft and mushy)'.
"It should be easy to pass without straining or pain [and] you should feel empty afterwards," it said.
However, scientists at the Institute for Systems Biology have what they call the 'goldilocks zone'.
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They explain that the ideal number of times to go for a number two is at least once a day.
The study, published in Cell Reports Medicine, looked at the link between bowel movements and overall health.
Scientists found that younger people, women and those with a low BMI often have less frequent bowel habits.
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But what does it all mean? And when is it time to seek medical advice?
Is not pooing enough bad for you?
According to the study, infrequent toilet habits could be a risk factor when it comes to developing chronic diseases.
This is due to the poo breaking down inside your body and releasing toxins.
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“If stool sticks around too long in the gut, microbes use up all of the available dietary fiber, which they ferment into beneficial short-chain fatty acids,” explained study author Johannes Johnson-Martinez.
“After that, the ecosystem switches to fermentation of proteins, which produces several toxins that can make their way into the bloodstream.”
Dr Sean Gibbons added that the insights gained from the study 'could inform strategies for managing bowel movement frequency, even in healthy populations, to optimize health and wellness'.
How to poo more
There are a number of factors that can cause constipation, so if you want to increase your bowel habits, the NHS recommends eating more fibre - found in fruit, veg and cereal - as well as drinking more fluids.
Other causes of constipation include:
- not moving enough and spending long periods sitting or lying down
- being less active
- ignoring the urge to go to the toilet
- changing your diet or daily routine
- a side effect of medicine
- stress, anxiety or depression
When should you see a doctor?
Everybody has different toilet habits, but if you've noticed a change from your normal, then it's worth getting checked out.
The NHS recommends seeking medical advice if you:
- are constipated and it's not getting better with treatment
- are regularly constipated
- are regularly bloated
- have blood in your poo
- have lost weight without trying
- are constipated and feel tired all the time
- are taking medicine that's causing constipation – such as opioid painkillers
- notice sudden changes in the how you poo (your bowel habits)
- have tummy pain
Lucy Devine