I shared a post on Facebook about how drinking a glass of water before bedtime prevents heart attacks and commented: “Since I wake up every couple of hours anyway, I keep two bottles of water next to the bed and drink half a bottle each time I wake up all night long.”  The article has since been debunked, however I know how important hydration is to the cells of our body.  That might also be why at 62 I have zero elimination problems. A 44 year old  friend is chronically constipated, drinks coffee, cola, beer and wine and very little water.  She smokes cigarettes and takes ZZZquil each night to sleep, she eats fast food and junk food.  All these things suck the moisture out of your system, leaving a dry passage for elimination. To my spidey sense, when I encounter someone with the condition, it feels like the food in their digestion system is a slow moving train stuck in a tunnel.  Six to eight hours after eating, after your meal passes through your stomach and small intestine, it enters your large intestine/your colon for further digestion and absorption of water.  This is a big reason to drink water if you are constipated. You will eliminate that meal anywhere between 24-72 hours after eating it. Hydration is good for your system, the cells of your body love it.

Best laxative: Mix 2 oz of milk of magnesia into 4 ounces of warmed prune juice. Nurses call this “a black and white.” Follow with 8 oz warm water (essential to success). Expect a bowel movement within 30 minutes to 6 hours. Milk of Magnesia is a saline laxative which means it acts by drawing water into the intestine to help gently pass the bowel movement.

RELATED: A bowel movement should not take 45 minutes
How long from the time you eat food until you excrete it?
Healthy Poop color chart

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