Many individuals incorporate a visit to the restroom for a morning bowel movement as an integral part of their daily routine, treating it almost like an unwritten rule. Prioritising the health of the stomach is deemed crucial for holistic well-being, as a healthy stomach contributes to overall vitality. The practice of morning defecation is believed to kickstart the day with a cleansed stomach.
However, there exists a subset of individuals who experience the urge to pass stool immediately after consuming a meal. Medical professionals attribute this phenomenon to the gastrocolic reflex, a process wherein the stomach responds to the intake of food by initiating bowel movements. Gastrocolic issues are often linked to lifestyle choices, and doctors suggest that altering one’s lifestyle can alleviate this condition.
Dr Srihari Anikindi, a Consultant at the Institute of Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Sciences, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, explains that nature has inherently designed a process in the stomach to extract essential nutrients from food. This process involves the generation of an electric current across the alimentary canal, facilitating the expulsion of waste products produced during digestion. The natural progression of these waves throughout the alimentary canal leads to the release of waste materials in the colon, typically occurring after traversing eight meters. Some individuals, however, exhibit an exceptionally active gastrocolic reflex, expediting the digestive processes post-meal and prompting an immediate need for the restroom.
Dr Anikindi notes that heightened levels of anxiety make individuals more susceptible to the gastrocolic reflex, with those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, characterized by overly sensitive intestines, also experiencing an elevated occurrence of this reflex.
The good news is that this condition is treatable through lifestyle modifications, such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule of eight hours nightly. Dr Anikindi dispels the misconception that the urgency to use the restroom immediately after eating signifies incomplete digestion, clarifying that the expelled waste comprises remnants from the previous day’s meals. The typical digestion and elimination process, he adds, spans 18 to 24 hours.
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