Here’s Why You Feel So Tired After Pooping
Health ConditionsDigestive Health

Here’s Why You Feel So Tired After Pooping

Here’s Why You Feel So Tired After Pooping
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Updated on October 30, 2025
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Feeling tired after you poop is a common medical phenomenon. It can be caused by straining, underlying health conditions, or other bowel health complications. But how concerned should you be if it happens often? Gastroenterologists explain here.

What Causes Fatigue After Pooping?

“Straining really hard during a bowel movement can activate the vagus [nerve],” says Ellen M. Stein, MD, associate professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Rutgers Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The vagus nerve is one of the main nerves in your parasympathetic nervous system, which controls functions like digestion, heart rate, and immune system function.

 For some people, vagus nerve activation can slow heart rate and lower blood pressure, leading to something called vasovagal syncope, which can cause sudden lightheadedness and fatigue, says Dr. Stein.

“If you’re straining or pushing hard, your stomach muscles are contracting, and that will decrease blood flow into the vagus nerve,” says Rudolph Bedford, MD, a gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. “That can make you feel dizzy when you get up after a bowel movement, or tired. Some people will even faint or lose consciousness if they’re straining enough.”

Holding your breath when you push to poop can also cause you to feel weak afterward, says Stein.

Underlying Health Conditions May Be the Cause

Most of the time, constipation causes you to feel tired after pooping because you’re working hard to pass stool, says Dr. Bedford. In that case, “You should try to keep your bowel movements soft so you’re not straining,” he adds. Drinking plenty of water, eating fiber-rich foods, and getting daily exercise can help with constipation.

Sometimes, certain health conditions can be the culprit. “Some patients have underlying heart problems, and now many patients have post-COVID syndromes or post-viral syndromes like POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome),” says Stein.

“These conditions make their heart and circulatory system even more sensitive to these vasovagal reflexes,” Stein adds.

How Concerning Is This?

If bowel movements occasionally cause fatigue, it’s worth bringing up to your doctor at your next annual checkup, says Bedford. But if this is a regular occurrence for you, reach out to your doctor as soon as possible to figure out what’s going on.

“You need to not only have your blood pressure and heart rate checked, but you need some blood work done,” Bedford says. You could be dealing with an underlying health condition you’re not aware of, or you may be dealing with pelvic floor issues that cause difficulty passing stool, says Stein.

How to Prevent Fatigue After Pooping

Preventing exhaustion after pooping often starts with preventing constipation. Here are a few strategies to try:

  • Take an over-the-counter stool softener, with your doctor’s guidance.
  • Add more fruits, vegetables, and water to your diet, says Bedford.
  • Try propping your feet up while sitting on the toilet to relax the pelvic floor. “Sometimes getting your feet up on a Squatty Potty changes the angles and eases the flow,” says Stein.
  • Get enough sleep each night, about seven to nine hours.

  • Breathe while pooping. “Pushing harder and holding your breath are likely triggers, so gently activating the right muscles and not forgetting to breathe are really helpful,” says Stein.
  • Reach out to your doctor if this is a regular occurrence. They can run tests to figure out the underlying cause.

The Takeaway

  • Fatigue after pooping can be from straining, constipation, or underlying heart issues.
  • Straining while pooping can activate your vagus nerve, the main nerve in your parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for digestion and heart rate.
  • Occasional fatigue after pooping is not a cause for concern, but if it’s a regular occurrence, reaching out to your doctor is advised.
  • Treating constipation with a high-fiber diet, hydration, sleep, and physical activity may help prevent fatigue after pooping.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Ma L et al. The Vagus Nerve: An Old but New Player in Brain–Body Communication. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. February 2025.
  2. Jeanmonod R et al. Vasovagal Episode. StatPearls. July 17, 2023.
  3. Treatment for Constipation. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
  4. Williams EL et al. Salt Supplementation in the Management of Orthostatic Intolerance: Vasovagal Syncope and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Autonomic Neuroscience. January 2022.
  5. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. Cleveland Clinic. January 12, 2024.
  6. How Much Sleep Is Enough? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. March 24, 2022.
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Yuying Luo, MD

Medical Reviewer

Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.

Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.

She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.

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Korin Miller

Korin Miller

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Korin Miller is a health journalist with more than a decade of experience in the field. She covers a range of health topics, including nutrition, recent research, wellness, fitness, mental health, and infectious diseases.

Miller received a double bachelor's in international relations and marketing from The College of William & Mary and master's in interactive media from American University. She has been published in The Washington Post, Prevention, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health, The Bump, and Yahoo News, among others.

When she's not working, Miller is focused on raising her four young kids.

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