Irritable bowel syndrome is an issue that affects over 3.2 million people in the country, and if you are routinely affected by constipation, stomach aches, cramps, and diarrhoea, then there’s a good chance that you may be suffering from it. However, there are many things that you can do to mitigate the symptoms of the disorder, and you don’t necessarily need to use medication to do so. Just making a few changes to your lifestyle could be more than enough to eliminate most of them and allow you to live a pretty normal life. Let’s take a look at a few tips for people with irritable bowel syndrome.
Make Diet Adjustments and Lose Fat
Diet is the biggest contributing factor to IBS, and you will need to pay very close attention to your symptoms and consider making changes if you notice that certain foods provoke an IBS flare up. Also, know that certain foods can alleviate the symptoms, and adding more of them to your diet will have beneficial effects over time. You can’t just go with trial and error, however. While you can use observation to identify certain foods to avoid and which ones you can eat, it would be a better idea to look for an irritable bowel syndrome diet plan for IBS online.
One thing that usually triggers flare ups in most people is gluten, so you should also look for a gluten free diet plan if you’re not familiar with which foods contain the protein. Most people, for instance, know that most wheat products contain it, but very few know that soy sauce, certain salad dressings, and even chewing gum can contain gluten, so don’t assume that you know what you can and can’t eat based on what you think you know and get information from a reliable source.
Get Moving
You should also try getting as much exercise as you can if you want some relief from your symptoms. This is because exercise and movement in general help stimulate intestinal contractions and lower stress levels, which contributes to healthy bowel movements.
Speaking of stress, you must constantly monitor your stress levels and do everything you can to keep them down as stress is another major contributor to IBS symptoms. So, look at stress triggers in your everyday life, and consider trying practices like yoga, meditation, or simply taking brisk walks whenever you’re feeling stressed.
Always Have an Emergency Kit with You
Even if you do everything right, there is no real cure for irritable bowel symptoms, and you’ll have to be ready to deal with them when they appear. One of the things you should do is to always bring things like baby wipes with you in case you have to deal with an episode while you’re out and about. Also, make sure that you bring a change of clothes, safe snacks you can eat in case you can’t get access to IBS-friendly foods, and drinking water to deal with dehydration.
This is all you need to know if you want to deal with and reduce the effects of irritable bowel syndrome on your life. Know that the state of your general health will make a world of difference here, so look at your daily habits, and see if you could make healthier choices.