GP reveals what a sudden urge to poo really means – and when you must see a doctor
WHETHER it's after your morning morning coffee or totally out of the blue, we've all been hit by the sudden urge to poop.
The intense need for a number two can hit at the most inopportune moments, when we've just left for work or are out and about.
As we frantically search for the nearest look, we might catch ourselves thinking: “Why didn’t this happen when we were in the comfort of our own home?!”
The good news in all of this?
Needing to go for a poo soon after you leave the house is actually completely normal, and there are surprising reasons why.
Dr Sarah Garsed delved into why exactly you experience these out-of-home bowel movements.
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Dr Sarah says: “You might feel like this is something that only happens to you, but this need to poo is actually a really common occurrence, it’s just not something people talk about all that often.
“It’s also absolutely not something to worry about, it is totally normal and, if anything, needing to poo when you leave the house is a sign that your body is healthy and happy because it’s responding exactly as it is supposed to.”
Here four reasons why you're rushing to the loo at inconvenient times - and when you should speak to a doctor about it.
1. Your stress levels go up
Dr Sarah says: “Our guts are closely linked to our nervous system, which means how we feel impacts how our guts and our bowels behave.
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“When we experience stress or nerves, our body releases hormones that trigger the gut to contract, resulting in bowel movement.
“When we leave the house it is normal for our stress levels to rise.
“We might be thinking about what we have to do that day, our travel, being late or even worry about work or a social event we are on our way to.
“Levels of stress and worry can trigger our fight or flight mode and stimulate the gut at the same time, giving you that ‘I need to go’ feeling.”
2. It’s a routine thing
Dr Sarah says: “Our human bodies love regularity.
“Much like we are in a rhythm to sleep at the same time everyday, we learn to poo at similar times every day too.
“Our brains learn to follow a pattern that is linked to situations and environments, so if we leave the house at a similar time of day and go on the same routes, it can trigger that urge to go at the same time.”
3. Movement stimulates the bowel
Dr Sarah says: “Movement and exercise have a huge (and positive) impact on the body.
“When we leave the house we usually move a lot more than when we are indoors and this physical activity increases our bowel movements.
“When we exercise our blood rushes to the muscles we are using and away from the intestines and gut, causing the bowl to contract and push things through it."
There's research to back this up too.
Dr Sarah cited a study carried out by the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, which found that it took food 51.2 hours to make the full gastrointestinal journey through the body when people remained still, but went down to 36.6 hours when people exercised.
4. Your hormones kick in
Dr Sarah says: “This is again linked to movement, but when we start to move, our hormones change.
“Leaving the house and moving more, plus experiencing a temperature change (either hotter or colder) releases hormones like adrenaline that, in turn, stimulates the gut.
“This stimulation helps create movement in the bowel, making us experience the need to poo.”
WHEN SHOULD I SEE A DOCTOR?
Dr Sarah says: “If your bowel movements are causing you pain and discomfort, if they are very loose and you cannot control them or if you feel that you are needing to go a lot more, or a lot less than normal, talk to your doctor."
You might blush at the idea of telling someone about your bowel moment, but Dr Sarah said there's really no need.
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“We doctors have heard it all before so there is no need to be embarrassed.
“We can tell a lot about your health from your bowel movements so always get it checked if you are concerned.”
KNOWING BOWEL CANCER SIGNS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE
BOWEL cancer is the fourth most common form of the disease in the UK - but the second deadliest, claiming around 16,000 lives a year.
Yet it can be cured, if it’s diagnosed early enough.
Fewer than one in ten people survive bowel cancer if it’s picked up at stage 4, but detected at stage 1 - before it’s spread - and more than nine in ten patients will live five years or longer.
There are two ways to ensure early diagnosis, screening and awareness of the symptoms.
Brits have been subjected to a postcode lottery when it comes to bowel cancer screening, with tests sent out in Scotland from 50, while people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have to wait until they are 60.
That’s why The Sun launched the No Time 2 Lose campaign, calling on the Government to lower the screening age, to save thousands of lives a year.
In the summer of 2018, Matt Hancock agreed, in a victory for The Sun and campaigners - yet three years on and screening at 50 has yet to be widely rolled out.
While screening is an important part of early diagnosis, so is knowing the symptoms and acting if you spot the signs.
The five red-flag symptoms are:
- Bleeding from the back passage, or blood in your poo
- A change in your normal toilet habits - going more or less often for example
- Pain or lump in your tummy
- Extreme tiredness for no real reason
- Unexplained weight loss
If you’re worried, don’t be embarrassed and speak to your GP - doctors see and deal with bowel problems all the time.