As many of us age, we begin to encounter digestion issues on a fairly consistent basis. Although many digestive problems take hold in one’s late 20s, there’s no age restriction on such issues. Digestive distress can become a prevalent problem at any point in life – as early as childhood and as late as one’s senior years. However, more often than not, digestive problems can be remedied with relative ease. Even if you’ve suffered from troubled digestion for years, the solution may be much closer than you think.
Topics Covered
Maintain Healthy Hydration
Failure to stay hydrated can be a major contributor to digestive issues. Constipation, in particular, is closely associated with low fluid intake. In order to stay on top of hydration, it’s recommended that you consume between 50 and 66 ounces of non-caffeinated fluids each day. Keep in mind that if you engage in strenuous exercise or live in an extremely warm climate, you may need more than this. In addition to consuming water and other non-caffeinated fluids, eating a diet that includes water-rich produce can help you meet your hydration goals. Peaches, celery and tomatoes are just a few common examples of fruits and veggies that meet this description.
Slow Down When Eating
There are a variety of reasons for which people eat too quickly. In some instances, they simply don’t have enough time to enjoy their meals at a leisurely pace. For example, if you’ve gotten into the habit of getting up late and wolfing down breakfast on your way out the door, there’s a good chance you’ve been affected by digestion issues. Similarly, if your school or place of business doesn’t give you a lot of time for lunch, you may have no choice but to consume your afternoon meal in a hurried manner. To get a handle on this problem, take care to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy your meals. This may mean getting up earlier than you’d prefer or taking longer lunch breaks, but it can prove highly conducive to healthy digestion.
In addition, some of us consume food quickly as a result of extreme hunger. For instance, if you habitually skip breakfast and/or lunch, you’re probably ravenously hungry come dinnertime. Unsurprisingly, this can result in you practically inhaling everything on your dinner plate. You can nip this in the bud by eating three meals a day and indulging in healthy snacks between meals. This will help keep your appetite at an even keel and prevent you from succumbing to intense hunger.
Manage Your Stress
Extreme stress can create and exacerbate a wide range of problems, and digestive issues are no exception. So, for the sake of your digestive health and psychological well-being, you should take consistent measures to keep your stress levels under control. Among other things, this entails getting a healthy amount of sleep each night, not being afraid to ask for help and setting healthy boundaries at home and work. If your stress has become all-consuming and/or unmanageable, seeking out a good therapist should be a priority.
Speak to a Doctor
As is the case with most health issues, digestion problems aren’t always easy to pin down, and the underlying causes are often unclear. So, if you find yourself stumped by digestive distress, don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with your doctor. You could be suffering from food allergies you never knew you had or gastrointestinal problems that require professional attention. Furthermore, while there are many natural ways to treat digestive issues, it’s entirely possible that your specific problem(s) requires medication. Depending on the nature of your digestive difficulty, your doctor may recommend probiotic supplements.
Although everyone experiences digestive distress at some point, some of us deal with it on a seemingly perpetual basis. Sometimes, it seems like no matter what we try, our stomachs refuse to go easy on us. Needless to say, this can cause problems in every area of your life. Whether you’re plugging your way through the workday or trying to enjoy yourself at home, troubled digestion can turn your daily existence into an uncomfortable chore. So, if digestive issues have negatively impacted your life on a consistent basis, there’s no time like the present to get on top of the problem and take back control.
