The Relationship Between Stress And Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Posted at October 17, 2008 by pbf

If you suffer with IBS bowel syndrome then you know the importance of getting treatment. One of the first things that you and your doctor will talk about in regards to your IBS is that of stress. Stress is a factor that can do damage to many aspects of your health including irritable bowel syndrome.

First and foremost, don’t make the mistake of thinking that stress in and of itself can cause IBS. This is not the case. Stress is generally brought into our lives by a troubled lifestyle. The more stresses that you put onto your body, the less healthy and capable of producing a healthy reaction it is.

Remember that we don’t know what actually causes IBS. In effect, all we can do is to treat the symptoms that can come from it. But, we do know what makes it worse and stress is one of those factors. Stress can also worsen other conditions like sciatica and migraine headache discomfort.

Why Stress Hurts

The facts on why stress hurts your IBS are clear. For a healthy person in an ideal situation, stress is controlled by the body. Your body has a pain inhibition system that turns on when it is struggling with pain to help you to cope with it.

But, what has been found in patients with IBS is that this hypersensitivity doesn’t go away. Your body doesn’t turn on the right pain inhibition system and you feel the muscles of your gut hurting.

For example, it has been a long and stressful day, you are looking forward to a good meal and sleep. If you are experiencing prolonged or repeated episodes of stress, you’ll find it not so easy to relax. Instead, you go home and eat a meal. No matter if you eat during your stressful event or after, your will have that awful ache in your abdomen that comes with IBS.

This would be a normal feeling of being full for some, but for those with IBS it hurts. Your body doesn’t turn off the pain function that a healthy body would which in turn allows you to feel more of the pain associated with eating during or after stress.

There are many ways to relieve stress without aggravating your IBS irritable bowel symptoms. A good colon cleansing can reduce IBS too.
Whatever you do, do something. IBS is just one of the aggravations caused by stress.

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