What causes constipation

Many people suffer from constipation in our lives. This is a very common phenomenon. It is a symptom caused by many reasons, not a disease. Long-term constipation will have some impacts on our physical health, such as rough skin, acne on the face, and bad breath. The causes of constipation are different for different people. Now let’s talk about what causes constipation.

1. Reason 1

Bad living habits: Ignoring the normal urge to defecate, the defecation reflex is suppressed, causing constipation over time. Lack of sleep, continuous high mental stress, etc. can also cause abnormal peristalsis and spasmodic contractions of the colon and cause constipation.

2. Reason 2

If you fail to develop the habit of regular bowel movements and ignore the normal urge to defecate, the defecation reflex will be suppressed, causing constipation over time. Improper bowel posture, frequent use of strong laxatives and enemas, etc. can all cause a decrease in the sensitivity of the rectal reflex, so that even if feces enters, it is not enough to cause effective nerve impulses, so that the defecation reflex cannot be produced and constipation occurs.

3. Reason three

The diet is too refined and lacks residue, and lacks dietary fiber. Due to the lack of fiber, the stool volume is reduced, the viscosity is increased, the movement in the intestines is slow, and excessive water is absorbed, leading to constipation. Due to bad eating habits, the mechanical or chemical stimulation of food is insufficient, or because the food intake is too little or too fine, especially the lack of food that leaves a large amount of sediment, the intestinal stimulation is reduced and the reflex peristalsis is weakened, causing constipation.

4. Reason 4

Obesity and inactivity, especially those who are bedridden or in a wheelchair due to illness, lack of motor stimulation to promote the movement of feces. Eating itself cannot move the feces forward. In cases where the patient must rely on the help of medical staff to induce the urge to defecate, if the patient has the urge to defecate, the opportunity to defecate cannot be provided, and the urge to defecate disappears, it is not easy to defecate.

5. Reason 5

Changes related to age: The secretion of digestive enzymes by the salivary glands, gastrointestinal tract, and pancreas decreases with age; the abdominal and pelvic muscles become weak and their sensitivity decreases; the colon muscle layer becomes thinner, the tone of intestinal smooth muscle decreases, intestinal reflexes decrease, and peristalsis slows down.