Stress and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is a condition which affects around 20 per cent of the population. IBS tends to affect more women than men. It can cause people to feel pain and discomfort in their stomach or intestines and can cause diarrhoea as well as constipation and wind. The condition can improve over time or may stay with someone for life.
The exact cause of IBS is unknown and it is often diagnosed after tests have ruled out other conditions. As the cause is not known, sufferers may feel that they are not getting any answers, which can be really frustrating. IBS cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be managed by identifying and cutting trigger foods out of the diet and also by managing stress.
IBS and it’s impact on your mood: the vicious cycle
Often stress and IBS are related. No one knows what comes first but the gut is often called the ‘little brain’ and it shares many nerve pathways and chemical transmitters. It is quite common for people to suffer from diarrhoea when they are nervous about something, even when they don’t have IBS. This is because anxiety affects the progress of food through the stomach and digestive system.
When you have IBS, the symptoms may be unpredictable. For this reason people with IBS can feel nervous or anxious about being out in new places, particularly if they don’t know where the toilets are, or where there are public loos. When people begin to feel anxious, worries and unhelpful thoughts can take over. For some people, this can lead to avoiding certain situations. Avoiding situations in the long-term just causes anxiety to get worse, which can make symptoms worse.
To read more about how sufferers can get caught in the vicious cycle described and how Healthy Minds could help you, please download the information leaflet in the 'downloads' section on this webpage.