You may not know this but your poop can tell a lot about your overall health. Pooping is a natural action of the body, and everyone does it. The act of pooping is the reaction of the body for getting rid of waste after digesting food, and the number of times you poop may vary due to various factors. There is an entire science behind pooping, but figuring out whether you are pooping too much can be tricky to determine. This is because everyone has different pooping habits, and what may be considered normal pooping for one person, can be excessive pooping for another person.
Some people can go a couple of days without a bowel movement, while others may experience it two or three times a day. If you are asking yourself the question, why do I poop so much? You probably have noticed that you are not pooping on your usual time schedule. However, just because you are pooping more regularly than you used to doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with your health. This is because there are several factors that cause frequent bowel movements.
So, to answer your question of, why do I poop so much? Here are some of the causes of frequent bowel movements or excessive pooping:
1. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
You could be suffering from a gastrointestinal disorder, known as the irritable bowel syndrome, which is causing you to poop more frequently. In such a condition, you should visit your doctor, because irritable bowel syndrome can cause the following:
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
2. Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune disease, which is known to cause pain and inflammation in the digestive tract, and is a type of inflammatory bowel disease. It can cause the following:
- Excessive pooping
- Bloody stools
- Severe diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Abdominal pain
3. Celiac disease
You could also be pooping more due to food allergies like Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease that reacts negatively to gluten. This disease is known to cause the following:
- Excessive pooping
- Diarrhea
- Gas
- Weight loss
- Mouth ulcers
- Acid reflex
4. Medication
If you have started taking antibiotics and other medication, you will notice a change in your bowel movements. The antibiotics will upset the balance of bacteria in your digestive system, and may stimulate gastrointestinal movement, which may cause you to poop excessively.
5. Stress can cause excessive pooping
Another major cause of excessive pooping is stress and anxiety. When the body is placed under significant amounts of stress, the functions of the body can be unbalanced and this will affect the digestive process. This can also lead to diarrhea and in some movements constipation as well.
6. Increased coffee intake
If you love drinking coffee throughout the day, you will notice that you may get the urge to go to the bathroom for a poop after your first cup of the day. Caffeine helps stimulate muscle activity in the large intestine, and acts as a laxative, which helps move stool out of the body. Therefore, too much coffee can result in frequent visits to the bathroom throughout the day.