How to Adjust Bowel Movement Patterns

While infrequent bowel movements often are due to a lack of fiber in your diet, too many often are caused by a change in diet, medication or possible health issues. As you age, your body's digestive system goes through changes. Adjustments to your diet increase or decrease regularity, but it also is important to visit your physician to ensure the cause is not related to an illness.

Things You'll Need

• Over-the-counter antidiarrheal medication
• Over-the-counter constipation medication

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Instructions

• 1

  Increase your daily serving of fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods for bowel irregularity. Fruits and vegetables, as well as pasta and bread made from whole wheat, are high in fiber. The insoluble fiber cannot be digested and causes waste to pass through your intestines.

• 2

  Avoid dairy products. Milk, yogurt and ice cream may be upsetting your stomach and is a sign of lactose intolerance. Lactose, a chemical found in dairy products, can cause an allergic reaction that often results in frequent bowel movements. Switch to soy products to prevent loose, watery stools shortly after eating.

• 3

  Drink at least eight glasses of water. Eight glasses daily hydrates the body and improves the digestion process, and prevents irritation to the intestines normally caused by consuming caffeine.

• 4

  Use over-the-counter medication. Antidiarrheal medication reduces the frequency of bowel movements and solidifies waste, while constipation medication stimulates the intestines to push waste through the intestines. Follow the medication's directions to avoid overdosing, which can cause abdominal cramps and dehydration.