Add This Ingredient To Your Next Bath To Poop Instantly

When you're sitting on the toilet counting the seconds until you can finish your bathroom business and get on with your day, time can feel like it's standing still. And while you're thinking of genius ways to get yourself to poop instantly, a long bath could be the last thing on your mind. 

Turns out, it doesn't have to be, especially when a popular bath-time ingredient is involved — Epsom salt. Commonly recommended for muscle sprains and aches, insomnia, sunburn, and psoriasis, soaking in a bath with this crystallized form of magnesium sulfate can also help you out when you're constipated. 

Magnesium is considered a laxative and while consuming it orally might be different from letting it be absorbed through your skin, it still works, per Healthline. Your digestive system could relax in two ways — you'll feel less stressed out (which is important when things need to get moving in the bathroom) and your poop will soften because of the magnesium pulling water into the waste. Double win. 

Consuming Epsom salt orally for its laxative effect is something people do, too, per Medical News Today. In fact, you'd be able to find brands specifically marketing the stuff for short-term constipation relief. 

But there is some debate on whether or not this is a good idea. Food-grade quality and unscented Epsom salt is generally considered safe as a laxative and comes with instructions for use — 2 to 4 teaspoons mixed in with 8 ounces of water for those over 12 years of age and 1 to 2 teaspoons for those between 6 to 11 years (per Healthline). The solution is supposed to help you help you poop in as soon as 30 minutes but it could take up to six hours. However, this home remedy isn't recommended for children under 6 years of age (in fact, even the Epsom salt bath isn't a good idea for kids this young). People with kidney issues should also refrain from taking Epsom salt orally, per Medical News Today. When your kidneys aren't able to filter out excess magnesium, the level in your system can reach an alarming amount, leading to irregular heartbeat and seizures. 

A board-certified specialist in gastroenterology and internal medicine, Dr. Robin Rose, discourages people from turning to oral consumption of Epsom salt altogether (via Real Simple). This aggressive method of getting yourself to poop instantly can have long-term effects like electrolyte imbalances and fluid changes, leading to heart and kidney problems, per the expert. Perhaps, you're better off with the bath. 

For those of you familiar with these scented bath salts, this is a no-brainer — go ahead and do your thing and see how it works when it comes to your poop habits. 

For others, start by filling your bathtub with warm water and adding about one cup of this ingredient in there. Get in the tub and soak in serenity for about 20 minutes. Since the goal is to also help you unwind and de-stress so you can poop better, connect your phone to a Bluetooth speaker and play some soft tunes on your Spotify playlist. You can go a step further and dim the lights in the bathroom and light some scented candles if that is your thing. The great thing about relaxing is that it doesn't look the same for everyone so get creative with your own special haven. Avoid the bath hack, however, if you have broken skin. Epsom salt baths aren't a good idea if you're allergic to the stuff either. 

It's also important to note that turning to one home hack over and over again to relieve constipation is probably not a good idea. You're better off making lifestyle changes like eating a balanced diet with sufficient fiber, exercising, and hydrating throughout the day. And if pooping has become a worry because of how often you're constipated, see your doctor about it. Irregular bowel movements can be a sign of underlying health conditions like diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), too.