The average person spends about 92 days (nearly 3 months) to 1.5 years sitting on the toilet over their lifetime. But how often are you actually supposed to be visiting the bathroom for the more, shall we say, substantial of life’s necessary functions? Are you doing it too much? Not enough? Is once a day the gold standard, or is that just something you assumed?
Dr. Jen Caudle, a physician with a very engaged TikTok following, decided to settle it once and for all. The answer is going to make a lot of people feel considerably better about their mornings, while others are putting in a rush order for prune juice.
What is a normal toilet schedule for you is cause for concern for someone else, so a doctor is telling us what we should know
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Dr. Jen Caudle took to her social media platforms to tell people that the range for bowel movement regularity is very wide
The answer is much more relaxed than most people’s anxiety about the subject would suggest, so you can unpucker now. According to Dr. Caudle, the normal range for bowel movements sits anywhere between three times a day and three times a week. That is a spectrum wide enough to fit almost every human being on the planet and still leave room for variation.
“Normal” in this context is not a fixed point. What matters, Caudle emphasises, is not whether you match some imagined ideal frequency, but whether your habits are consistent and typical for you. “Any change in your bowel habits that’s not typical for you, you need to talk to your doctor about,” she said. So don’t aim for a target; just aim to notice when your own body starts to tell you something.
Sora Shimazaki Pexels (not the actual photo)
There is almost no such thing as “normal,” and you should be going to the toilet for nr.2 anywhere between 3 times per day and 3 times per week
Caudle does note that most doctors consider fewer than three bowel movements per week to be a potential indicator of constipation, though even that threshold comes with caveats depending on the individual. The NHS broadly agrees, describing constipation as passing stools less than three times a week, alongside difficulty or straining during the process.
On the other end of the spectrum, more frequent movements are not automatically a problem either, provided they are consistent, comfortable, and not accompanied by other symptoms. The body is much less rigid about this than we tend to assume, so whether you have a bathroom loyalty card or you are more of the occasional passer-by, you can relax now.
Elina Fairytale / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Women and men reported very different bathroom habits in a study about bowel movements, so it is hard to draw an overall human average
Research published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology found that bowel movement frequency in healthy adults ranged from three times a day to three times a week, with the majority of people falling somewhere in the middle without any massive issue. This covers up to 98% of the human population, so you are probably accounted for.
Women self-reported constipation at a much higher level than men, and as much as 20% of women considered themselves constipated. Shockingly, twice as many women as men used laxatives when they were older, which is telling. Are the women simply too busy taking care of everyone else to make time for their own bodies? Or are they just constantly stressed and tense that their bowels are turning against them? Either way, let it go, ladies!
Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Stress, hormones, and diet have massive impacts on what your bowels do, and we should not be comparing ourselves to other people
Diet plays the biggest role, and fibre intake, hydration levels, and the balance of gut bacteria all have a direct impact on how frequently and comfortably your digestive system does its thing. Exercise is also a significant factor, with physical activity shown to speed up the movement of food through the digestive tract.
Stress, interestingly, can push things in either direction. Some people find that anxiety slows everything down, while others find it has quite the opposite effect, which is its own unpredictable inconvenience. Age, hormones, and certain medications also shift the dial.
Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
But there are plenty of home remedies for people who go too often and those who don’t go often enough
If things are moving too slowly and you are firmly in the fewer-than-three-times-a-week camp, the good news is that the fixes are largely straightforward before you need to involve anyone medical. Increasing fibre intake is the most consistent recommendation across the board. Think whole grains, fruit, vegetables and legumes, all of which bulk up stool and keep things moving.
Hydration is equally important and frequently underestimated because the digestive system needs water to function properly, and most people are not drinking enough of it. Regular exercise, even something as simple as a daily walk, has been shown to speed up transit time through the digestive tract. Prunes and prune juice also have a well-earned reputation because they contain sorbitol, a natural sugar alcohol that draws water into the bowel and gets things moving.
Yaroslav Shuraev / Pexels (not the actual photo)
On the other end of the spectrum, if you are going more frequently than feels comfortable or noticing looser stools than usual, the approach is essentially the reverse. Reducing high-fibre foods temporarily, cutting back on caffeine (which stimulates the bowel) and avoiding artificial sweeteners like sorbitol can all help slow things down.
The BRAT diet, which stands for bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, is a well-known short-term remedy for an unsettled digestive system. Probiotic-rich foods like yoghurt and kefir can also help rebalance gut bacteria that may have been disrupted. And as Dr. Caudle noted, if anything changes significantly from what is normal for you and does not resolve within a couple of weeks, that is when you pick up the phone and call your GP.
The point is that there are a lot of variables at play, and comparing your schedule to anyone else’s is largely pointless. Your digestive system is doing its own thing, on its own timeline, and as long as that timeline is consistent and comfortable, Dr. Caudle and the broader medical community are very much unbothered.
Do you think there is value in TikTok doctors, or will you still be searching for your symptoms at 3 am like the good Lord intended? Tell us in the comments!
Have a look for yourself at what Dr. Caudle had to say:
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