Getting up in the middle of the night wanting to urinate is quite common, but what if you wake up wanting to poop when you wake up? It happens to many people, and history should not be normalized.
The usual thing is to try to decipher what causes this desire to defecate. Could your health be at risk? Nocturnal bowel movements are considered an alarm symptom and can indicate that something is wrong. There may be some factor that activates the intestinal receptors to stimulate a bowel movement during the night.
What happens while we sleep is a big reason why the body is usually ready to poop when you wake up. While we sleep, the small intestine and colon work to process all of the day’s leftover food. After waking up, it usually takes about 30 minutes for the urge to have a bowel movement to appear. Morning routines like stretching, drinking water, and of course coffee help speed up digestion and trigger the first poop.
Drinking coffee early in the morning works synergistically with intestinal motility to create healthy bowel movements. Another effective trick is a glass of warm salt water (with a little lemon to improve the taste). Although it won’t detoxify the body as some claim, it does help get things moving.
Reasons
When we experience an episode of this type, we are aware that our body feels strange. It should not be a habit, nor should we overlook it. If we wake up wanting to poop when we wake up, one of these reasons could be the cause.
Infection
A gastrointestinal infection can be caused by bacteria or viruses. If you catch the stomach flu, for example, watery diarrhea may be one of the symptoms along with abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting, or a low-grade fever. It can be hard to hear, but you have to put up with this.
In most cases, vital gastrointestinal infections clear up on their own. You just have to take things easy and replenish fluids constantly. In this case, you can drink natural water and oral serum to replenish vitamins and minerals. See a doctor if it is necessary to take a stool sample to identify the bacteria or virus and recommend a treatment that relieves the symptoms.
digestive condition
Some inflammatory bowel diseases can be Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These are marked by long-term inflammation that eventually damages the gastrointestinal tract. Flare-ups of these conditions can affect you at night, waking you up to poop.
You have to be attentive to other symptoms that accompany the stool to know how to differentiate an intestinal disease from another cause. Some people may have other symptoms such as weight loss, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, fecal urgency, or oral ulcers in addition to nighttime bowel movements.
Waking up to poop once in a while doesn’t have to be a problem, but if it becomes a chronic, regular habit where you sleep and wake up and are physically forced to poop, it could be a sign that you need the a doctor’s care. Tests such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, MRI or CT scan, as well as stool samples and blood tests, are usually done to use in diagnosis.
Medications with side effects
If you’re taking a new medication, you may experience urges in the middle of the night. Assess any recent prescription or over-the-counter medications you’re taking. Typically, medications such as antibiotics, NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen), chemotherapy drugs, and those containing magnesium can all be to blame.
Antibiotics, for example, can change the balance of intestinal bacteria and cause diarrhoea. That is why some doctors recommend taking a stomach protector beforehand. However, it is recommended to consult a doctor if it is normal to feel like pooping when you wake up as a result of the new medicine.
Food poisoning
Normally this is one of the main causes of going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Maybe it’s the chicken you ordered for lunch, a can of tuna, or a couple of glasses of booze. Any of these reasons could make you spend the night running to the bathroom.
Foodborne gastrointestinal infections cause the activation of the immune system and the release of cytokines that can act directly on the intestine and stimulate diarrhea. They can also produce toxins that damage the intestine, another factor that contributes to loose stools and the need for urgency. But don’t worry, you’ll recover slowly.
If it does not stop in 24 hours or you have a fever and blood, go to a doctor to really analyze the poisoning. Meanwhile, diarrhea, especially a severe case, can cause dehydration if liquids such as water and soup are not consumed. It is also advisable to see a doctor if you have a fever, bloody diarrhoea, severe abdominal pain, dark urine or dizziness when standing up.
Other causes
Hyperthyroidism (an “overactive thyroid”) and neuroendocrine tumors are two additional conditions to be aware of if you have nighttime bowel movements. Neuroendocrine tumors are cancerous tumors that can occur anywhere in the body, including in the gastrointestinal system such as the small intestine, rectum, and pancreas.
These conditions cause increased bowel movements in general by acting on different intestinal receptors or by damaging the lining of the intestine. In addition to diarrhea, you may also experience fatigue and unintentional weight loss. It is recommended to speak with a doctor, so that he can run tests to rule out inflammatory bowel disease or other diseases that affect the digestive system.
Even if we suffer from chronic nocturnal diarrhea, it may be due to a more serious condition. The condition can even help the doctor make a diagnosis. Various gastrointestinal conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome and other functional bowel diseases, do not usually cause nocturnal diarrhea.
It is common for secretory diarrhea to cause nocturnal diarrhea. Secretory diarrhea occurs when the intestine cannot properly absorb or secrete electrolytes and fluids. Secretory diarrhea may be experienced due to an underlying health condition or an external factor such as alcoholism, surgery, or medication use.
