All You Need to Know about Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Ibs) is a very common disorder among people. It usually affects the digestive tract, mainly the large intestine. The disorder is not a severe one, although it causes a lot of complications when diagnosed.
An individual with Irritable Bowel Syndrome is certainly to experience abdominal pain, cramps, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, food intolerance, and various abdominal issues. This syndrome is a chronic one and is likely to happen at any time. It also needs to be treated in long term. The complications, although not common to all, they can be treated or at least one can get relieved from them by taking some medications.
Women are likely to get diagnosed with IBS than men. Owing to the fact that they encounter much stress and anxiety and due to the hormonal changes taking place during their monthly cycles, women can deal with the complications by making some changes in their lifestyle along with some medications.
Causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
The accurate cause is still unknown, although there might be a number of factors that play a significant role in causing Irritable Bowel Syndrome. They are listed below:
- The contraction in the muscle
Continuous expansion and contraction of intestine muscles as the food moves through the digestive tract can cause excessive gas in the gut.
Poor coordination of the signals between the muscles and the brain leads to stress and pain in the abdomen. This also leads to diarrhea and constipation.
There might be instances, that the individual has a pre-existing infection in the intestine. This eventually may give rise to Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Additionally, certain triggers might also result in symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. They include:
- Stress
Stress may aggravate the symptoms of IBS even more. Usually, during periods, women are likely to encounter such signs and symptoms. - Hormones
As mentioned above, stress is the result of hormonal changes during periods; therefore it is evident that women are more likely to experience IBS than men. These signs become worse during and around the menstrual cycles. - Food
Sometimes, food also plays an important role in expediting the signs of IBS. Dairy products, wheat, cabbage are some of the common triggers of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
The signs of Irritable Bowel Syndrome vary from person to person. While some symptoms may show up in one person, those may or may not be present in the other. However, there are certain common symptoms that are known to occur in everybody, such as an acute pain in the lower abdomen and cramps. Sometimes, it can get bloated too. Though, this can be cured totally by passing a bowel movement.
Other obvious symptoms are excessive gas accompanied by diarrhea or constipation or both. Many individuals become intolerant to food due to this. Frequent stools dehydrate the body completely giving way to nausea. One might also get the sudden urge for a bowel movement too.
Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
There is no particular cure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome; however, there are certain treatments that can be done so as to provide relief to the patient in order to ease dealing with the symptoms so that they do not arise in near future.
Involving in regular exercises and physical activities can help a lot in keeping IBS at bay. Eating foods that contain high-fiber along with drinking plenty of water is also a good preventive measure. Sleep is necessary for the proper functioning of the organs, thus it is important to get enough sleep so that the body has time to repair itself.
