Blame a rare condition called defecation syncope, a fancy term for the loss of consciousness, or fainting, that can occur while pooping. When we get ready to drop one, we instinctively employ a breathing technique known as the Valsalva maneuver, explained Satish Rao, M.D., Ph.D., the director of the Digestive Health Center at Augusta University in 2016.⁠ ⁠ You essentially bear down to poop. You take a deep breath and hold it before trying to exhale against your closed-off airway. This expands your lungs and pushes down your diaphragm. Your diaphragm, in turn, pushes down on your abdominal organs, which puts pressure on your pelvis. As a result, the muscles in your anus gently open up, allowing the stool to come out.⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ But when you hold your breath this way, several important changes are occurring elsewhere in your body, too, said Dr. Rao.⁠ Since you’re holding air in your lung cavity, you end up compromising your blood flow. As a result, less blood travels to your heart and y...