“When thinking about irritable bowel, you have to remember there's a person round the bowel and, if that person's distressed, that bowel's going to reflect that stress.”

~ Dr Mark Porter host of Inside Health on BBC Radio 4

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) consists of a number of symptoms, the most common being abdominal pain and abnormal bowel habits. IBS is immensely frustrating, can be exhausting and decreases quality of life in those affected.

While there is as yet no outright cure for IBS, it is possible for an individual to manage their IBS symptoms by identifying their particular triggers. One particular trigger that many IBS sufferers have in common is stress. Stress is not only a trigger, it can also make symptoms worse.

This can create a vicious cycle in which stress triggers IBS symptoms and then the symptoms themselves cause stress and anxiety thus exacerbating the symptoms, and on and on … .

What is stress?

Stress is the name given to the bodily sensations we experience in response to a build-up of stress hormones in our body.

The impact of acute stress on the gut

In response to a perceived threat the fight or flight stress response is activated. The fight/flight response is controlled by the Autonomic Nervous System which is the part of our nervous system that controls the automatic functions of the body (those not under our conscious control such as digestion, regulating heartbeat, etc.)

One of the consequences of this fight or flight activation is that the brain by temporarily changes the body's functioning so that resources can be prioritised towards to providing the extra strength and speed needed to either stay put and fight the perceived threat or to run away from it. Of relevance to IBS is the fact that the stress response adversely affects the normal function of the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract. Digestion is effectively put on hold. After all, we don’t need to be using precious energy digesting food when we’re facing  a threat to our physical and/or emotional survival.

Why does stress trigger and exacerbate IBS symptoms?

Researchers believe that prolonged exposure to stress hormones:

• irritates the gut lining, making it hypersensitive so that even normal contractions are extremely painful. This abdominal pain is what many IBS sufferers experience when they are stressed.

• affects the speed of gut contractions. Serotonin is released by cells in the gut walls to stimulate the contractions that push food through the digestive tract (this process is known as peristalsis). When too much serotonin is released, the gut contractions speed up, leading to diarrhoea. When too little serotonin is secreted, the gut contractions become too slow and constipation results.

• may also irritate the lining of the intestines, leading to 'leaky gut syndrome''. This is where the gut wall becomes weakened and allows partially digested food to leak through into the blood stream, where it causes an allergic reaction.

• changes the microbiota composition in our gut. The imbalance between good and bad bacteria is associated with digestive problems like IBS.

• can compromise the immune system increasing the risk of gut infections and gut related diseases.

Determine whether stress is triggering your IBS Symptoms

To determine whether stress is affecting your digestive system and triggering your IBS symptoms, record your IBS symptoms for at least one month in a ‘stress diary’. In your stress diary, alongside the symptoms, rate, from zero to ten, how stressed/anxious you are feeling, with zero being 'not stressed/anxious at all' and ten being 'extremely stressed/anxious'.

Stress management has huge benefits for IBS sufferers

If you identify a link between your stress and your IBS symptoms, you will benefit from taking steps to reduce and manage your stress level. Clinical studies have shown time and time again, that reducing stress has huge benefits for IBS sufferers.

The Hypno4IBS programme has stress management techniques built into it. These techniques not only help you to address individual stressors (the causes of stress) but also to permanently reduce your stress level. Less stress equals less symptoms.

If you want to know more about how I can help you manage your Irritable Bowel Syndrome using hypnosis and other psychological techniques, please do get in touch today!