THE LINK BETWEEN STRESS AND IBS
If you are struggling to manage your IBS and your quality of life is compromised due to your unpredictable digestive system, consider your stress level as a culprit. At AuraSpa in Beverly Hills, we understand the strong correlation between stress and gut health. Finding ways to reduce the tension in your life can help you achieve a more comfortable and better-functioning body in return.
Each year in the United States, more than 200,000 people are diagnosed with IBS. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is an intestinal disorder that is associated with frequent bouts of pain, cramping, gas, diarrhea and constipation. While this long-term condition is very common, it is also very disruptive for those who cannot find ways to manage their unstable gut. In fact, IBS can limit your diet, affect your work and make it difficult to travel or enjoy social outings.
The cause of IBS is not well-known. However, we do know that there are certain triggers that can irritate the gut and lead to IBS symptoms. These include specific foods, such as dairy, high-fiber foods, chocolate, fatty foods and others. But your diet isn’t the only thing that can flare up your IBS discomfort. Stress and lifestyle habits also play a vital role in Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Stressful Habits That Aggravate IBS
IBS is a functional condition of the large intestine, so there are no structural defects. Instead, it is a clinical presentation of IBS symptoms, such as abdominal pain and irregular bowel movements, that have persisted for more than three months. IBS is frequently correlated with anxiety, depression and stress. When we undergo stressors, the motility of the colon is increased. This increased colonic motility results in increased abdominal pain and other GI complaints.
Stress can impact your entire body, including your gut. Eating in a hurry can aggravate IBS because we’re not allowing time for our bodies to send and process signals. When we are not able to produce digestive enzymes to break down our food properly, we have difficulty absorbing the nutrients from our meals. Malabsorption plays a significant role in IBS. In addition, when we are stressed, we also tend to eat unhealthy foods. Foods high in sugar can decrease intestinal motility, slow down the constriction and relaxation of the intestines and make it difficult to have a proper bowel movement.
Coping with Stress and Improving IBS
Finding ways to cope with stress is vital to improving symptoms of IBS. For example, some people find that yoga, meditation, alternate nostril breathing exercises, biofeedback therapy, and counseling help reduce their stress. Serotonin, the neurotransmitter that is popularly known to contribute to our happy state of mind, is made in the intestines and the brain. Therefore, addressing gut healing is important to modulating our serotonin pathways. In turn, this helps decrease stress and improve the disruptive complaints of IBS.
