Everyone, ranging from the young individuals to the very old adults can experience bouts of constipation. It may indicate infrequent bowel movements or an inability to entirely empty the bowels.

There are numerous potential causes of constipation, and often multiple factors contribute to the condition at once.

Possible causes of constipation are:

• Delays in colon emptying can result from a number of causes, including pelvic floor diseases, which affect women disproportionately, and colon surgery.
• Irritable bowel syndrome and other functional gastrointestinal disorders.
• Some pharmaceuticals and nutritional aids.

Constipation symptoms include:

• Diarrhea from obstruction of the colon by hard stool.
• Psychological distress about having to go to the bathroom.
• Straining when going to the bathroom.
• Passing hard and/or small feces.
• A sense of incomplete evacuation after going to the bathroom.

Lifestyle measures can improve digestive function, making them useful for the treatment and prevention of constipation.

• Consume lots of high-fiber foods
• Be sure to hydrate well
• Sorbitol
• Variations of a Healthy Diet
• Try to work out on a consistent basis
• Hygiene practices