Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is miserable. I know this first hand, because I had it as a child and young adult. If you know anything about IBS, you know that it is not something that you want to deal with during the years when you’re trying to make friends and build self-confidence!
Facts about IBS
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is fairly common in the United States. In fact, it is estimated that 10-15% of adults in the US suffer with IBS, and these numbers only include adults and those who were diagnosed by their doctor. Also, women are more likely to suffer from IBS than men.
Like many diseases and disorders, IBS is multifaceted. This means that there is usually not one direct cause, but many. People can experience it in different ways, and it can be triggered due to various reasons.
Types of IBS
There are three designations for IBS:
- IBS-D is characterized by diarrhea
- IBS-C manifests as constipation
- IBS-M is a mixture of both
Along with this, people often have symptoms that include intestinal cramping, gas and bloating. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?
Stress
One of the factors that can trigger and exacerbate IBS is stress. This was one of the main contributing factors for me.
As a child, I remember feeling like I couldn’t trust my body. Sometimes I’d be in the car with my family, and the cramping would start. I’d panic, knowing that we needed to find a bathroom immediately. This in itself created more stress! It was embarrassing and made me feel like “what is wrong with me?!”
I struggled with these symptoms for years, and as I became a young adult, the symptoms shifted from “get me to a bathroom immediately!” to “I can’t go”.
Of course, I never talked about these symptoms with anyone except my parents. They were sympathetic, but had no idea how to help me. My primary care doctor had mentioned in passing that it could be Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but there was no treatment plan.
Now I know that stress and nutrition played a huge role in my symptoms. As an adult, I rarely have any problems because I have learned how to eat in a way that works for my body and I try to manage my stress.
But how exactly can stress affect your intestines and make your IBS worse?
The Gut-Brain Connection
If you haven’t heard, there is a connection between the gut and the brain. This is usually referred to as the gut-brain axis. The gut-brain axis is bidirectional, meaning that one impacts the other, since they communicate with each other to properly function.
In fact, the gut, or enteric nervous system, is sometimes nicknamed the “second brain” and contains over 100 million neurons, which line the intestines.
Over 30 neurotransmitters including serotonin, dopamine, GABA, glutamate and norepinephrine are manufactured there. Serotonin in particular, helps to regulate mood and wellbeing. GABA helps to regulate feelings of fear and anxiety.
So if something compromises your intestinal health – maybe an infection or intestinal permeability – this can affect neurotransmitter production in the gut, leading to downstream symptoms, including stress.
Not only do the neurons and neurotransmitters communicate back and forth between the gut and the brain, the microbes that live in your intestines also communicate with your brain.
Therefore, if the microbial community in your intestines is not doing well, the health of your brain can also be affected.
The Vagus Nerve
Additionally, the gut and the brain are physically connected by the vagus nerve, which is the longest cranial nerve in the body. The vagus nerve acts as a conduit of information from the gut to the brain and from the brain to the gut, carrying messages in either direction. The vagus nerve is vital to our overall well being.
Of its many functions, the vagus nerve carries sensory information from the gut to the brain, and also regulates the involuntary muscles in the esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, and small intestine. It also stimulates the contractions that propel food through the intestines, as well as stimulating gastrointestinal secretions.
According to an article in Frontiers in Neuroscience,
“Stress inhibits the VN (vagus nerve) and has deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal tract and on the microbiota, and is involved in the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which are both characterized by a dysbiosis.”
When we are chronically stressed, the brain releases a hormone called corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF). This hormone speeds up intestinal motility, leading to diarrhea, and slows down the stomach from emptying completely.
Chronic stress also causes inflammation, which contributes to IBS symptoms.
Now that you know how intertwined the gut and the brain are, you can see how a stress signal from the brain can directly impact intestinal health.
What Can We Do?
Here are 3 practices to incorporate into your daily life to help calm your stress and your intestines:
- Stimulate the vagus nerve. It is well-documented that vagal nerve stimulation is great for stress, and it is super easy to do!
- Practice deep breathing. Lay on your back and place your hands on your belly. Slowly breathe in for 2 counts, allowing your belly to rise. Blow air out for 4 counts. Repeat this several times, slowly increasing the counts for breathing in, and doubling the breaths for blowing out.
- Gargle. Yes, simply gargling water or mouthwash helps to stimulate the vagus nerve and improve vagal tone. Try gargling for 20-30 seconds several times per day.
- Sing. This is a personal favorite of mine, since I have a degree in music and singing. Singing not only helps to tone the vagus nerve, but it is great for stress relief in general.
- Take a walk in nature. This activity incorporates exercise, which has many stress relieving benefits, as well as time in nature. Spending time in nature is incredibly good for the mind and the body. There is a reason why the Japanese have a practice called shinrin-yoku, which in English means “forest bath”. When you’re spending time in nature, try to really notice the sights, sounds, and smells around you.
- Aromatherapy. Breathing in an essential oil, such as lavender, chamomile or bergamot can be very calming. You can put essential oils into a diffuser, or dilute them with a carrier oil, such a sweet almond oil and put it on the inside of your wrists. Only purchase essential oils of the best quality, such as Mountain Rose Herbs.
Finally, avoiding stimulants such as caffeine and sugar are important too. They both raise cortisol levels, and excite the nervous system, which in turn exacerbates stress.
Take Control of Your Irritable Bowel
If you feel like Irritable Bowel Syndrome is ruining your life, remember that you are in control. Start by working on your stress. Try some of the suggestions above, and if possible, try not to overschedule your life. Make small daily changes and turn them into long-term habits. Remember to breathe!
If you want some help getting to the root causes of your IBS, schedule a free Discovery Session with me. During this session, we will discuss how we can work together in order to address your concerns.
References
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2018.00049/full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202343/
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/06/gut-bacteria-on-the-brain/395918/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15066020/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00044/full
https://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4367209/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4083372/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6159811/
https://www.allied-services.org/news/2020/june/the-vagus-nerve-your-secret-weapon-in-fighting-s/
Leave a Reply