Is it important to open your bowels as soon as you wake up?

It is widely believed that the urge to clear your bowels as soon as you wake up is a sign of good health. But if you struggle with it, worry not. According to wellness influencer Manisha Yadav, one must twist to their right side in the morning if they “do not feel the pressure of elimination.”

She added that while there isn’t any research to prove the efficacy of this hack, it is believed that gravity aids the pull of the faecal matter into the colon and advances it along the excretory track. “So while sleeping on the left aids digestion, sleeping on the right aids excretion,” said Yadav.

Claiming that she has found this “little trick to work when one feels constipated”, Yadav continued: “This might not help in cases of chronic constipation, but no harm in practising nonetheless, for that extra nudge.”

To verify this particular claim, we turned to an expert.

It’s important to understand your body (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Feeling the pressure to go clean your bowels as soon as you wake up can be a potential topic of debate, experts urge.  Most people believe it is crucial to maintain consistency in bowel movements to prevent digestive problems like gas, bloating, constipation, and indigestion. At the same time, others believe that your body knows when is the right time to initiate bowel movements to eliminate waste.

 

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Dr Meghraj Ingle, director and senior consultant, gastroenterology, Global Hospitals, Parel Mumbai said naturally allowing your body to signal when it’s ready to empty bowel movements helps improve digestive health. “This significantly lowers the risk of constipation,” said Dr Ingle.

Unlike what is suggested by the influencer, Dr Ingle said that it is important to “note that sleeping on the right side does not potentially help in regularising bowel movements“. “If you still face difficulty in emptying your bowels often then immediately consult gastroenterologists for expert guidance,” said Dr Ingle.

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