Your stomach feels better after pooping due to the stimulation of your vagus nerve (causing relaxation and "poo-phoria"), the release of mood-boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin, and the relief of physical pressure, bloating, and discomfort from built-up waste, all part of the body's natural gut-brain connection and muscle relaxation process.
Why is pooping so pleasurable? Pooping can have physiological and psychological effects that may feel pleasurable. Passing a bowel movement involves tension in certain muscles. Relaxing the muscles after a motion stimulates the vagus nerve, which may reduce heart rate and blood pressure.
If your stomach is feeling queasy, a simple and immediate solution is to go to the bathroom. Often, that's all you need to do to feel some relief. If you find yourself visiting the bathroom more than usual, remember to stay hydrated and take some Pepto.
It can improve mood: Pooping can stimulate the vagus nerve, which can lower blood pressure and heart rate, and increase mood regulators like serotonin and dopamine. This can lead to a feeling of happiness and relief, sometimes called "poo-phoria".
What empties your bowels in the morning is a combination of your body's natural gastrocolic reflex (stimulated by eating and drinking), high-fiber foods, sufficient fluid intake, and physical activity, with warm liquids (coffee, tea, lemon water) and specific foods like prunes, pears, and whole grains being particularly effective at triggering regularity. Establishing a consistent routine with these elements helps train your body for predictable morning bowel movements.
The morning of your exam if you are still passing brown liquid with solid material mixed in, your colon may not be ready and you should contact your doctor's office. Passing mostly clear or only a light color, including yellow, is a sign your colon is clean enough for an accurate examination.
The main symptoms of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) are: stomach pain or cramps – usually worse after eating and better after doing a poo.
The "3 poop rule," or "three-and-three rule," is a guideline for normal bowel habits, suggesting that pooping anywhere from three times a day to three times a week is considered healthy, with individual patterns varying widely. It helps identify issues: fewer than three times a week may signal constipation, while more than three times a day (especially with loose stools) might indicate diarrhea, prompting a doctor visit for persistent problems, notes Symprove UK.
Mushy stool with fluffy pieces that have a pudding-shaped consistency is an early stage of diarrhea. This form of stool has passed through the colon quickly due to stress or a dramatic change in diet or activity level. When mushy stool occurs, it's hard to control the urge or timing of the bowel movement.
If you have diarrhoea or constipation for more than 2 – 3 days, your stools are black, tarry, very light pale or grey in colour, or you see blood in your stool, see your doctor. CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.
The connection between the vagus nerve and feel-good poops
When you stimulate the vagus, your muscles slacken, your blood pressure drops, and your heart rate and breathing slow, leaving you relaxed and, perhaps, in a better post-poop mood.
IBS poop varies greatly, often fluctuating between hard, lumpy, and difficult-to-pass stools (IBS-C) and loose, watery, and urgent stools (IBS-D), or alternating between both (IBS-M), sometimes with mucus present, but not blood. Shapes can range from small pellets to thin, pencil-like forms, and color might shift due to speed of passage (e.g., green/yellow for fast, darker for slow).
At this stage, we can't say whether it is healthier to do floaters or sinkers, he says. “It probably depends on exactly which gut bacteria are producing the gas.”
Symptoms of stress
Signs of bad gut health include digestive issues like bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and heartburn; skin problems such as acne or eczema; mood changes like anxiety or depression; fatigue; sugar cravings; and unintentional weight changes, all stemming from an imbalance in your gut microbiome (dysbiosis). These symptoms can signal that your gut isn't processing food and eliminating waste effectively, impacting overall well-being, notes Healthdirect and GoodRx.
“Typically, we say that regular is anything from three bowel movements a day to one every three days,” says Eva Alsheik, M.D., a gastroenterologist and director of the Center for Motility Disorders at Henry Ford Health. But regularity isn't only about how often you poop. It's also about the poop itself.
Signs and Symptoms of Stomach Cancer
blood in your stools (faeces), which can make them look bright red, dark red, or black. a change in normal bowel habits lasting three weeks or more. unexplained weight loss and tiredness. an unexplained pain or lump in your tummy.
This is where your stomach lives. Your pancreas passes behind it, and your spleen is on the far left. Upper right. Your upper right quadrant contains most of your biliary system, including your gallbladder on the far right, half of your pancreas and most of your liver and bile ducts.
Change in the Appearance of the Stool
A Thin, narrow, or ribbon-like stool could indicate changes inside your colon. Color: Blood, darkened, or tarry (black) stool can signal issues inside the colon. Your doctor can help determine the cause.
Laxatives: You can drink a polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution or use an over-the counter (OTC) laxative to cleanse your colon. Surgery: If you have severe fecal impaction, your healthcare provider will perform surgery, especially to target symptoms of bleeding due to a tear in your bowel (bowel perforation).
Bacterial gastroenteritis is a digestive problem caused by bacteria. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and pain. In severe cases, you may become dehydrated and have an electrolyte imbalance.