Slow Digestion: What Causes It?
 Many people often struggle with bouts of slow digestion. A variety of factors can play into how quickly and thoroughly you digest foods, such as age, hormones, digestive diorders, and what you eat. But what exactly causes slow digestion, and what can you do help your body rebound from it?
Digestion is regulated by a process called peristalsis, which are muscular movements and contractions that push food along the digestive tract. It is a completely subconscious action, so it can't really be controlled directly. However, depending on the cause of your slow digestion, there are some things that can be done to help speed things back up. Three of the most common causes include:
- Pregnancy - Constipation, gas, and bloating are all normal parts of pregnancy. Hormones cause the digestive muscles to relax to purposely cause slow digestion, allowing the mother's body to extract as many nutrients as possible for the growing baby. There's not much you can do for slow digestion caused by pregnancy since it is being regulated by hormones.
- Fiber - Foods that are higher in fiber take longer to digest, so if you are experiencing slow digestion, you may be getting too much. Low bulk foods, or foods that don't contain much dietary fiber, are digested more quickly, and it's important to find a healthy balance between the two to maintain your digestive health.
- Dehydration - The human body is made up of almost 80% water, so dehydration can cause a plethora of problems, especially for digestion. Proper digestive lubrication reduces the amount of time food spends in the tract, decreases gas buildup, and promotes normal bowel movement.
These are a few of the most common problems that may cause slow digestion. A variety of other factors, like physical activity, age, and stress level can also have an effect on how well and quickly you digest foods.
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