Even if you’re not super into wellness, you probably know that your gut affects everything. Brain health, your immune system, and even your cardiovascular health are all connected to what’s going on in your stomach.
That means your poop can offer some pretty insightful information about your health ― including how frequently you go.
Poop frequency isn’t exactly something you want to ask your friends about, which makes it hard to know if how often you go is the norm. Is it normal to poop several times a day? Is something wrong if you only poop every few days? These questions are par for the course with gastroenterologists, whose job is to decode gut health and treat gastrointestinal problems.
With that in mind, we talked to five GI docs about what you can learn from your poop schedule, specifically when and how often you go.
How Often Should You Be Pooping?
All five of the gastroenterologists we talked with shared that one of the most common questions they get asked is how often is considered normal when it comes to pooping. It turns out there’s a pretty big range.
“It’s considered normal to poop anywhere from three bowel movements a day to once every three days,” said Dr. Asma Khapra, a gastroenterologist with Gastro Health. If you’re having well-formed bowel movements and aren’t experiencing any bothersome symptoms, as long as your poop frequency is falling within this range, you can rest assured that your digestive system is working.
Where you fall within this range offers clues about your habits and health. For example, Dr. Ekta Gupta, a gastroenterologist with the University of Maryland Medical System, told HuffPost that someone who is having three well-formed bowel movements a day is likely eating a lot of fiber-rich foods, is well-hydrated and is physically active — all habits that support digestive health.
Those on the less-frequent side of the pooping spectrum, Gupta shared, are likely consuming less fiber, probably drinking less water and may have a more sedentary lifestyle.
“The gut loves routines and predictability, so [poop frequency] clues me in on a healthy routine that the gut is thriving on. If there is no urgency, pain, sensation of incomplete evacuation, loose consistency, or incontinence, pooping three times a day is simply a sign of an efficient, well-fueled digestive engine that is in tune with daily routines,” added Dr. Savita Srivastava, a Yale-trained gastroenterologist and author of the new book “First 1000 Days: How Your Baby’s Gut Microbes Shape Lifelong Health.”
This also means that a change in routine can impact your poop frequency. Srivastava explained that starting or stopping a new medication, for example, can impact your bowel habits. So can stress, traveling and getting sick.
Dr. Rucha Shah, a gastroenterologist with HonorHealth, shared that what’s most important to be mindful of is a sudden change in bowel habits. “What would concern me as a gastroenterologist would be if they went from having a bowel movement every other day to suddenly two to three times a day. That would be indicative of something else happening,” she told HuffPost.
Is Occasional Diarrhea Normal?
It’s not just how often you go that offers clues into your health, it’s also what your poop looks like, including if it’s well-formed or if it’s watery diarrhea. Dr. Darlene Negbenebor, a gastroenterologist with Stamford Health, shared that having diarrhea every once in a while isn’t that unusual. However, if it becomes the norm, that’s an indicator that something’s off.
Srivastava said this, too, noting that a one-off episode of diarrhea can be caused by a greasy meal, a night of drinking too much alcohol, feeling anxious or a mild dietary sensitivity, such as to lactose. If you’re experiencing diarrhea regularly for more than a month, that’s when Srivastava recommends seeing a GI doc about it. Together, you can figure out what’s causing it, whether it’s a food intolerance, a medical condition such as irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s disease, or a parasitic infection.
Both Negbenebor and Srivastava shared that waking up from a sound sleep to have a loose bowel movement, seeing blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, or severe abdominal pain are all signs to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Khapra said something many people don’t realize is that diarrhea can be a symptom of constipation. “If you are very constipated, you can imagine [your intestines] being like a pipe that’s really blocked up. What ends up happening is that looser stool particles get around the blocked stool, which is the diarrhea. But you don’t feel like you’ve completely evacuated all of the stool,” she explained.
If this is something you’re experiencing, Khapra recommends slowly ramping up your fiber intake, staying well-hydrated, and adding gentle movement, like walking or yoga.
What It Means If You Poop Right After Eating
Some people have to poop immediately after a meal. According to Gupta, this is actually normal. “If someone has to poop right after they eat, it means they have a strong gastrocolic reflex, which is a primitive reflex,” she said.
Gupta explained that eating causes the stomach to expand. The gastrocolic reflex moves digested food through the colon to allow more space for more food. “It’s something we’re all born with. That’s why newborn babies always have to poop right after they’re fed. For some people, this reflex remains persistent throughout their life,” Gupta said.
Here’s when Gupta says having to poop right after you eat isn’t because of a gastrocolic reflex: When it’s a change from your normal bowel habits and only happens when you eat particular foods. This, Gupta explained, is more of an indicator of a food intolerance or sensitivity, such as to dairy or gluten.
How To Become A Morning Pooper
All of the GI docs emphasized that there’s no ideal time of day to poop. Having to poop in the afternoon or evening isn’t any more or less healthy than pooping in the morning. You should go whenever you have the urge.
That said, it’s easy to see why having a morning poop is a gut health goal. Morning poopers get to do their business in the privacy of their home and not while at work or out shopping at TJ Maxx. If you want to become a morning pooper, there are a few tips you can try.
Gupta explained that colon motility is highest in the morning, which is why morning bowel movements are more common than evening ones, when colon motility is more sluggish. To get things moving shortly after waking up, Gupta recommends starting the day with a workout or morning walk. Movement stimulates muscle movements in the digestive tract, which helps with gut motility.
Having a warm cup of coffee, tea or lemon water also helps stimulate colon motility, Gupta said. She shared that it’s also important to allow yourself enough time to go, and it may be worth investing in a squatty potty, which elevates the feet and allows for easier defecation.
Both Gupta and Khapra added that the body thrives on routine. This means, once you start pooping in the morning, your body will naturally support that being your new normal.
Here’s the bottom line (pun intended): As long as your poop frequency falls in the range of three times a day to three times a week and you aren’t having any bothersome symptoms, your digestive system is running just as it should. But if you’ve experienced a sudden change in your bowel movements or you’ve been dealing with diarrhea, constipation or both for more than a month, it’s time to see a doctor. And if there’s blood in your stool, visit a medical professional as soon as you can.
Stool is often flushed away without a second thought, but it’s an important clue to your overall health. Bothersome symptoms are your body’s way of communicating to you that something’s off.