Exploring The Potential Connection Between IBS And Anxiety Symptoms

Medically reviewed by Andrea Brant, LMHC
Updated October 8, 2024by BetterHelp Editorial Team
Please be advised, the below article might mention trauma-related topics that include suicide, substance use, or abuse which could be triggering to the reader.
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Anxiety is most commonly thought of as a feeling or diagnosable condition that affects a person mentally, but it can also have physical symptoms. For instance, some people who have anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) notice that the two seem to be correlated, with IBS symptoms flaring up during times of more intense worry or stress. If you’ve noticed that your IBS symptoms seem to occur or worsen in response to elevated anxiety, addressing the root of the anxiety may offer relief.

Anxiety often has physical symptoms

What is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

IBS stands for irritable bowel syndrome, sometimes referred to as spastic colon. It’s a relatively common medical condition that affects the lower intestine. The most common signs of IBS include constipation, gas, bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramping, and visceral hypersensitivity. However, these symptoms can also occur without IBS, so you'll usually need to get a diagnosis from a doctor to determine whether or not you have this condition. Generally speaking, if problems like these are chronic, you should seek medical treatment. 

Shifting to a healthy lifestyle can help manage irritable bowel syndrome symptoms

The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome is not yet entirely known, but both physical and psychological factors seem to play a role due to the gut-brain axis. Shifting your eating patterns and making other healthy lifestyle choices typically helps control symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome patients. Finding ways to manage stress levels and address anxiety, such as relaxation training and other methods, may also help reduce symptom severity or flare-ups, potentially improving mental health and GI tract health overall.

Diagnosing IBS

In general, there is no single test that proves you have irritable bowel syndrome, so it can be a bit challenging to diagnose. To make a diagnosis or rule out other conditions, your doctor might order a flexible sigmoidoscopy, which involves an examination of the lower part of the colon with a camera attached to a flexible tube or, they might opt for a colonoscopy, where they look at the entire length of your colon with a small, flexible tube. They might also do a CT scan or an X-ray of your pelvis and abdomen. If none of these tests reveals anything definitive, then your doctor may also want to do a stool test, an upper endoscopy, or a breath test for bacterial overgrowth.

Treatment options for irritable bowel syndrome 

There’s currently no cure for this condition, but making certain lifestyle changes can be effective in reducing symptoms for many people with IBS. For example, your doctor might recommend that you alter your eating habits to incorporate more green, leafy vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, and avoid highly processed and high-fat foods. Medication may also be prescribed for IBS in some cases.

Consult with your doctor

Be sure to consult with a doctor or nutritionist before making significant changes to your eating patterns—especially because adjusting your eating habits to reduce IBS symptoms could result in insufficient nutrition or even eating disorders if not done carefully. Consult with a doctor before starting, stopping, or changing any medication or supplement as well.

The connection between IBS and anxiety

Research also suggests that maintaining other types of healthy routines could be helpful in improving bowel habits for people with IBS. For example, you may be able to reduce symptoms by exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and avoiding high levels of alcohol intake. Reducing stress levels may reduce symptoms too, which is where a discussion of the connection between IBS and anxiety comes in.

What is the link between IBS symptoms & anxiety symptoms?

In addition to improving your habits around eating, exercise, and sleep, reducing or better managing stress in your life seems to have something to do with IBS management. It's also possible that anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) might not only stem from current stressors in one’s life, but from past stressors too. Some researchers believe that traumatic life events experienced during childhood, such as emotional or sexual abuse, can continue to affect a person into adulthood, potentially manifesting as IBS or other physical ailments.  

Because trauma, stress, and anxiety seem to be so closely linked to IBS symptoms, a growing body of research suggests that talk therapy—particularly a type called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—can be an effective treatment. A therapist can help you shift your thought patterns and learn grounding techniques to calm your central nervous system and reduce psychological distress associated with the stress response, which may reduce GI symptoms in turn.

Anxiety often has physical symptoms

Talk therapy for irritable bowel syndrome patients

Again, it’s generally recommended that you consult with your doctor if you’re experiencing symptoms of a condition like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). They may do an evaluation to rule out any other medical conditions that could be causing your symptoms and/or recommend treatment to reduce their severity. If you have IBS, it may also be helpful to meet with a mental health care professional. They can help you address past trauma and other cognitive factors and find healthy ways to cope with stress and anxiety—whether routine or as symptoms of an anxiety disorder—which may reduce IBS and other GI symptoms.

Online therapy for anxiety, depression, and IBS symptoms

If IBS makes it difficult for you to commute to a new place like a therapist’s office or you experience hospital anxiety related to healthcare facilities, you might find online therapy to be a more convenient alternative. Research like one 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis using healthy controls suggests that online therapy can be effective for treating psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression, so seeking this type of treatment may have a positive impact on IBS symptoms, anxiety, and depressive symptoms as measured by evaluation and depression scales, and quality of life.

Takeaway

Research suggests a link between IBS and anxiety because of the gut-brain axis. If you’ve picked up on a potential correlation between your stress levels and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), treating your anxiety and any depression comorbidities may result in IBS relief as well. You can get started by connecting with a licensed therapist in your local area or online to seek treatment.

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