Unhealthy Habits that Aggravate Hemorrhoids

Anyone who suffers from hemorrhoids hopes they’ll go away as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, many of us do things every day that can actually make it harder for hemorrhoids to heal. Eliminating bad habits like these as you go through treatment for hemorrhoids can speed your recovery and help you keep this pesky problem from returning in the future.

Staying Sedentary

We live in a world full of shortcuts, and while this makes modern life easier, it doesn’t make our bodies healthier. Your whole body, including your digestive system, needs exercise to function properly. It’s important to dedicate at least 20 minutes to exercise every day, especially if you work a job that keeps you parked at a desk all day. Exercising with hemorrhoids can seem like a painful prospect, but gentle activities like swimming, walking and yoga can help you stay active without causing pain.

Stressing Out

Stress affects more than just your mind—it spreads tension throughout the whole body and can have an especially uncomfortable impact on digestion. By eliminating stress, you can relieve this tension and reduce your chances of coping with stress by overeating unhealthy foods. Try relaxing activities like deep breathing exercises and remember to always give yourself some time to relax and recuperate from your stressful life.

Smoking

Tobacco contains nicotine, a stimulant that speeds up all of the body’s systems, including the digestive system. This can lead to constipation or diarrhea, which will cause uncomfortable bowel movements that can make hemorrhoids worse. Tobacco’s effects on the digestive system are fairly short-term, so stopping even for a short period of time will help. However, continuing to smoke can increase your risk of developing new hemorrhoids in the future, as well as a variety of other health problems.

Drinking Caffeine

Much like tobacco, beverages like coffee and soda contain high levels of caffeine that can stimulate the digestive system and lead to discomfort and bowel irregularity. It is recommended that all sufferers of hemorrhoids avoid caffeine to facilitate healing. If you can’t make it through mornings without your hot cup of coffee, try switching to decaf or a low-caffeine alternative like green tea.

Most of us know how unhealthy habits like these can be, but you may not have considered the impact they have on your hemorrhoids. For more advice on keeping hemorrhoids from recurring or worsening, speak with your colorectal specialist.