Getting to know the right kind of medical information especially about a chronic condition such as the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the best thing you can do not only to keep you abreast of progress in the medical field but also as valuable information that you can use for the benefit of your loved ones such as your wife and children or friends and work colleagues.

Gas and bloating

Added to the different types of signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is the gas and bloating symptoms associated with this condition.

Any change in the process of digestion while suffering from IBS can lead to the production of more gas in your gut region. When this happens it can definitely cause bloating, which can be very discomforting.

There’s no denying the fact, as verified by many people with IBS, that this symptom is one of the most persistent and troublesome symptom of this gastrointestinal tract disorder.

A study that was conducted on 337 persons suffering from IBS,  a good 83% reported that they experienced bloating and cramping.

Both these symptoms were found to be more common in the women than the men and were either experiencing constipation-predominant IBS or were found with mixed types of IGS which is to say either constipation or diarrhea type IBS.

It’s known that these symptoms, especially bloating. can be reduced by the avoidance of lactose and other FODMAPs.

Intolerance of food

It has been found that close to 70% of individuals suffering from IBS have reported the impact of certain food types in triggering symptoms.

For this reason an estimated two-thirds of people who suffer from IBS have decided to avoid certain foods by eliminating them from their daily food intake.

It’s not very clear why these food types can trigger symptoms but it’s definitively true that these intolerances of certain food types do not constitute allergies.

It also holds true that trigger foods have not been known to cause significant differences in the digestion process.

It’s to be accepted as true that while trigger foods are not the same for everyone, some common triggers include gas-producing foods such as FODMAPs, together with lactose and gluten

Fatigue and Difficulty Sleeping

Medical evidence clearly indicated that over half of the people suffering from IBS reported beingaffected by fatigue.

In one study involving 160 adults who were diagnosed with IBS, were found to have suffered from a low level of stamina that limited the level of physical exertion while engaged in work, leisure time and social interactions.

In another study on 85 adults, it was found that the intensity of their symptoms indicated the severity of fatiguethey were experiencing.

It’s also known thatIBS is connected to insomnia, which involves the difficulty in falling asleep. Sleep is constantly interrupted by waking up at frequent intervals that result in not being fully rested in the morning.

In another study on 112 adults who had IBS, 13% reported very poor sleep quality

Again in another study on 50 men and women it was found that those suffering from IBS slept longer by about half an hour and yet they didn’t feel refreshed in the morning than those who didn’t have IBS

One interesting aspect about these studies was that poor sleep predictably resulted in more severe gastrointestinal symptoms the day after.

Anxiety and Depression

In addition to being connected to insomnia, IBS is also linked to anxiety and depression.

It’s not clear for certain whether the symptoms of IBS reflect an expression of mental stress or whether  the stress of ordinary living with IBS is what makes you more susceptible to psychological issues.

It doesn’t really matter which of them happens first, but what matters is that anxiety and digestive IBS symptoms strengthen one another in a vicious cycle.

In a particularly large study of 94,000 men, and women, it was found that people suffering from IBS were 50% more likely to experience an anxiety disorder and over 70% were more likely to have mood disorder such as depression.

In another arranged study, a comparison was made between patients with and without IBS of their levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

The patients were given a public speaking task to perform and those with IBS higher changes of cortisol, which suggested that the group had greater stress levels.

To round off these series of studies, another study found that the use of anxiety reduction therapy actually reduced stress as well as IBS symptoms.

Bottom line

There is great merit in the undertaking of different studies with different participants in an effort to reach a fairly solid conclusion on the point being made. There is also merit in reaching firm and unwavering results for each test which has been shown in all the tests undertaken. Even more important is that considerable knowledge has been gained from the results of the studies, together with invaluable information on IBS signs and symptoms.