The exact cause of IBS is not really known. Some think it is brought on by diet, while others say it has to do with an imbalance of favorable bacteria in the digestive tract. But anyone who’s ever had it knows that it definitely gets worse from stress.
Here are a few simple ways to help reduce your irritable bowel symptoms and get back in shape at the same time.

Cut Back On Caffeine

I know this is a tough one. I like to drink my morning coffee as much as anybody, but you can still cut back.
rink a single cup coffee each morning instead of 4 or 5. You can also buy decaffeinated coffee or even the half and half blended. The idea is to reduce the amount of intake you are currently pushing, and you should notice a difference.

Exercise And Get In Shape

Getting in shape seems to be the cure for just about everything, but in this case, it really is. It is widely known that losing weight will reduce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. In addition to that, however, working out also reduces stress and stress is a definite cause of IBS. You should aim to work out at least 3 times per week making sure to stretch your limits in the cardiovascular side.

Eat Right

There are lots of foods that can irritate your stomach and digestive system. It is best to consult your doctor and get on a diet that will help you get better and feel better. You should definitely avoid foods that will cause you problems.

These simple tips will help you reduce your IBS problems if you follow them in conjunction with your doctor’s advice.

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Slowing Down Your Stomach Pains

Like stress, your diet does not bring on IBS. Although many people thing that they have caused this condition by eating less than healthy foods, that is not the case. Yet, it is well known that foods can contribute to making irritable bowel syndrome worse.

The problem with food is double. First, your body may react to some foods in a more intense way with IBS than others would react to that food. In addition, the body experiences increased levels of intestinal muscle reaction and sensitivity with IBS than otherwise. Just the fact that you are eating can make the symptoms of IBS show themselves. It may not even be a specific food that is causing it, but a general overreaction to food.

The Problems With Foods

The first thing to work on is the simple fact that you can control what you eat. In that, you can have some control over how your body reacts with IBS symptoms. Some of the foods that we know are problematic for those with IBS include foods like fried foods, alcohol, caffeine and foods that are high in fat. In addition to this, when too much food is consumed at one sitting, problems can also arise.

Diarrhea and cramping in your abdomen can be caused by some specific types of sugars that are unable to be fully digested by the bowel. These include sorbitol which is a sweetener in dietetic foods, gum sugars, candy sugars, and fructose. The consumption of these sugars will lead to the inability of the bowel to absorb them correctly and will lead to diarrhea.

The gas symptoms of IBS can be brought on by some foods as well. For example, beans, legumes, cauliflower, lentils, Brussels sprouts, onions, bagels, cabbage and broccoli all can bring on more intense gas like symptoms of IBS. Eating these types of foods can bring on the symptoms of IBS including bloating and increased gas.

With these foods being behind the onset of symptoms of IBS, it is important for you to consider how they affect you. It is essential for you to understand that foods affect each person in a different way. What affects you and causes intense symptoms of IBS is not the same and doesn’t have the same effect on another person with IBS symptoms. For that reason, it is critical that you find out how foods affect you.

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How Food Affects IBS

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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The Relationship Between Stress And Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome can be quite hard to identify if you do not know what to look for. This is mainly because of the fact that irritable bowel syndrome has a lot of different symptoms. The signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome vary from person to person, which means that certain criteria are needed for proper diagnosis.

What are the signs and symptoms of IBS Irritable Bowel?

This question cannot be answered simply by giving you a generic list. As said before, the signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome vary from person to person and this means that IBS cannot be generalized into a set of syndromes. Here are the different classifications of irritable bowel syndrome and their symptoms:

1. IBS Irritable Bowel with diarrhea (IBS-D) – This type of irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by these signs and symptoms:
   1. Urgency in defecating – People suffering from this type of irritable bowel syndrome often need to hurry when they have to defecate. This irritable bowel syndrome sign and symptom can be very inconvenient especially if a person is working.
   2. Wet/loose stool – This means that the stool the person is evacuating from the body has excessive water content. The stool could be very loose or even kind of liquid.
   3. Abnormal bowel frequency – A person suffering from IBS-D has to move his or her bowels more than 3 times a day. This can cause a person to be dehydrated so a person experiencing this sign should make sure to drink lots of water.
2. IBS Irritable Bowel with constipation (IBS-C) – These are the irritable bowel syndrome signs and symptoms to look for in this illness:
   1. Straining to defecate –A person suffering from this illness often has difficulty moving his or her bowels. It is often the case when the person has to make a huge effort in order to evacuate stool from his or her body. In some cases, there could be pain during bowel movement.
   2. Hard/ lumpy stool – Having hard, dry or lumpy stool is a common sign and symptom of having irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. This is because the digestive process may not include enough water in the digestion to make the stool softer and easier to evacuate.
   3. Abnormal bowel frequency – A person suffering from IBS-C is often unable to defecate more than 3 times a week. An abnormal frequency in defecation could be dangerous as it could cause toxins to build up in the digestive tract.
3. Irritable bowel syndrome alternating (IBS-A) – This is characterized by alternating signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. This can be very hard on the person as he or she needs to constantly adjust his or her diet in order to accommodate the symptoms.

There are common signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome:

• Stomach Pain – People with irritable bowel syndrome often experience mild to severe pain in their abdominal area. This is a symptom triggered by eating various types of foods or even stress. It is often the case that this irritable bowel syndrome sign and symptom would be relieved as soon as a person defecates.
• Sudden change in bowel frequency – This irritable bowel syndrome symptom could either be an increase in the frequency of defecation or it could mean a decrease in bowel frequency.

IBS is not fun. Recognizing the signs and symptoms can be the first step to seeking proper treatment.

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Diagnosing Irritable Bowel Syndrome